Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

How do TVs connect. What hardware do I need?

Any screen that can open a web page works. Most venues use a smart TV’s built-in browser, or a small media stick/mini-PC plugged into an HDMI port. Each menu has its own public display URL. Open that URL in full-screen on the screen and it stays live, auto-paginating and refreshing on its own. There’s no proprietary box to buy and nothing to install. The quickest way to point a screen at a menu is pairing. The screen shows a six digit code. You enter it on your phone. You pick the menu.

Do customers need an app for the QR menu?

No. Customers scan the QR code with their phone camera and the live menu opens in their web browser. It’s the same menu data from your TV display. There’s nothing to download and no account to create.

Can I manage multiple locations?

Yes. One account can hold multiple locations. Each location can have multiple menus. Include a tap list, a wine list, and a food board. Each location keeps its own reusable item catalog. You manage everything from your mobile with a single login.

How does billing work?

Menu Tools has two plans, Basic and Pro. Both plans include every feature. The only difference is how many menus run live at once. Basic is $20 a month. It runs two active menus. Pro is $40 a month. It runs unlimited menus. Both start with a 14-day free trial.

Self-service setup is free. You can publish your first menu in minutes.

If you would rather we build your menu for you, we offer custom setup for a one-time fee. See the pricing page for current details.

Who owns my data?

You do. Your menus, items, pricing, and media belong to you. We store them only to render your displays and QR menus. You can edit or remove them at any time. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what we collect, how long we keep it, and how you ask us to delete it.

How fast do menu changes appear?

Quickly. Edit an item or price from your laptop or phone and your TV displays refresh on their own, typically within about five minutes. QR menus show the change immediately the next time a customer opens the link, because they load the same live menu data.

How do I connect a TV to a menu?

You pair it. Open Menu Tools on the screen. It shows a six digit code. Enter that code on your phone. Pick the menu the screen should run. The TV starts showing it. The whole thing takes about thirty seconds. You never type a password on the TV.

Changing what a screen shows works the same way. Pair it again. Pick a different menu.

How many TVs can I run from one menu?

As many as you like. Each menu has one display URL. Open it on any number of screens at no extra cost. Menu Tools charges by active menu, never by screen.

On Basic you run two menus at a time. Those two menus can drive every screen in the building. Pro runs unlimited menus.

Do you support portrait or vertical screens?

Yes. Portrait screens are first class. Multiple section layouts are built for vertical displays. Type scales to the taller shape. It never shrinks to fit a landscape assumption.

Mount a screen either way. Pick the layout that matches.

How many team members and locations do I get?

Both are unlimited on both plans. Invite as many team members as you need. Each one gets an email link. Each one sets their own password. Each one signs in under their own account.

Add as many locations as you run. There is no per location fee.