Restaurant Menus: Dynamic Pricing & Daily Specials

Menu prices change. Ingredients go out of season. The chef decides on a new special. And suddenly your printed menus, digital boards, website, and social media all show different information.

I've seen restaurant owners reprint menus every two weeks at $3-5 per copy. A 50-seat restaurant burns through $200/month just keeping menus current. And that doesn't count the digital signage, Instagram posts, and delivery app listings that still show last week's prices.

Template-based image generation fixes all of this. Update prices in one place, regenerate every menu image, and push updates everywhere in minutes.

Where restaurants need menu imagesWhere Restaurants Need Menu Images

A single restaurant maintains menu images across more channels than you'd expect:

That's 8+ channels, most needing different image sizes. Without automation, each price change means updating them all manually. With templates, it means changing a number and clicking "generate."

Types of menu imagesTypes of Menu Images

Full menu boardsFull Menu Boards

The complete menu displayed on digital signage or printed boards. It's the biggest template you'll build, but also the most reusable.

Template structure:

• Restaurant logo and branding
• Category headers (Appetizers, Mains, Desserts, Drinks)
• Item name + description + price for each dish
• Dietary icons (V, VG, GF, spicy level)
• Background design matching restaurant aesthetic

Daily specials cardsDaily Specials Cards

The most frequently updated format. It changes every day, and that's exactly why you can't keep doing it manually.

Template fields:

• "Today's Special" header
• Dish name (large, eye-catching)
• Short description
• Price
• Optional dish photo
• Available time ("Lunch only" or "While supplies last")

Happy hour promotional graphicsHappy Hour / Promotional Graphics

Time-limited offers that drive foot traffic.

• Happy hour times and deals
• "2-for-1" or percentage off specials
• Seasonal promotions (Valentine's dinner, Thanksgiving menu)
• Event announcements (live music night, wine tasting)

Delivery app listingsDelivery App Listings

Each dish on UberEats, DoorDash, or Grubhub needs an appealing image. And according to a Toast Restaurant Industry Report, restaurants with professional food photography on delivery apps see 25-35% higher order rates.

• Dish photo with professional styling
• Price overlay (if not handled by the platform)
• Dietary badges
• Portion size indicators

Setting up menu image automationSetting Up Menu Image Automation

Step 1 organize your menu dataStep 1: Organize Your Menu Data

Your menu data needs to live somewhere structured. So let's look at the options:

Google Sheets (simplest for small restaurants):

POS system: Most modern POS systems (Square, Toast, Clover) have APIs or exports. Pull menu data directly.

Simple database: For multi-location chains, a central database keeps all locations in sync.

Step 2 design your templatesStep 2: Design Your Templates

Create templates in Imejis.io for each image type you need.

Daily special template example:

• Dark, moody background (matches most restaurant aesthetics)
• Dish name in large serif font
• Description in smaller sans-serif
• Price highlighted with an accent color
• Restaurant logo in the corner
• "Today's Special" badge

Tips:

• Use appetizing colors (warm reds, oranges, deep greens)
• Leave space for varying text lengths (short dish names and long ones)
• Make the price impossible to miss
• Keep dietary icons small but clear

Step 3 generate and distributeStep 3: Generate and Distribute

When the menu changes or daily specials are set, you don't need to open any design tool. Just generate all images:

curl -X POST 'https://render.imejis.io/v1/DAILY_SPECIAL_TEMPLATE' \
  -H 'dma-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "dish_name": {
      "text": "Pan-Seared Duck Breast"
    },
    "description": {
      "text": "With cherry gastrique, roasted parsnips, and wild arugula"
    },
    "price": {
      "text": "$32"
    },
    "dish_photo": {
      "image": "https://yourrestaurant.com/photos/duck-breast.jpg"
    },
    "available": {
      "text": "Dinner only • While supplies last"
    }
  }'

Image ready in under 2 seconds.

Automating daily specialsAutomating Daily Specials

The daily special workflow is where automation saves the most time.

Morning routine automatedMorning Routine (Automated)

// Runs every morning at 6 AM
async function generateDailySpecials() {
  const specials = await getTodaysSpecials() // from spreadsheet or database
 
  for (const special of specials) {
    // Generate Instagram Story version
    const storyImage = await generateImage("SPECIAL_STORY_TEMPLATE", {
      dish_name: { text: special.name },
      description: { text: special.description },
      price: { text: `$${special.price}` },
      dish_photo: { image: special.photoUrl },
    })
 
    // Generate square version for Instagram feed
    const feedImage = await generateImage("SPECIAL_SQUARE_TEMPLATE", {
      dish_name: { text: special.name },
      description: { text: special.description },
      price: { text: `$${special.price}` },
      dish_photo: { image: special.photoUrl },
    })
 
    // Generate digital signage version
    const signageImage = await generateImage("SPECIAL_SIGNAGE_TEMPLATE", {
      dish_name: { text: special.name },
      description: { text: special.description },
      price: { text: `$${special.price}` },
    })
 
    await updateDigitalSignage(signageImage)
    await scheduleInstagramPost(feedImage, storyImage)
  }
}

The chef decides the special. Someone updates a spreadsheet. Everything else happens automatically.

No code alternativeNo-Code Alternative

Don't want to write code? Use Zapier:

1. Trigger: Row updated in Google Sheets (daily specials sheet)
2. Action: Generate image with Imejis.io (Story template)
3. Action: Generate image with Imejis.io (signage template)
4. Action: Upload to Google Drive
5. Optional: Post to Facebook page

Check our Zapier integration guide for the setup.

Multi location chainsMulti-Location Chains

Chains face a unique challenge: 50 locations with slightly different menus, prices, and specials. Generating images for each location manually is impossible at scale.

How to handle it:

locations = get_all_locations()
 
for location in locations:
    menu = get_menu(location['id'])
 
    for category in menu['categories']:
        image = generate_image('MENU_BOARD_TEMPLATE', {
            'location_name': {'text': location['name']},
            'category_name': {'text': category['name']},
            'items': format_items(category['items']),
        })
 
        push_to_signage(location['signage_id'], image)

Update a price at headquarters. Every location's digital menu boards update within minutes.

Seasonal menu updatesSeasonal Menu Updates

Seasonal menus are a marketing opportunity. A well-designed seasonal menu image drives social engagement and foot traffic.

Seasonal template ideas:

• Summer menu with bright, fresh colors and fruit imagery
• Fall menu with warm tones and harvest themes
• Holiday menu with festive elements
• Valentine's Day prix fixe with romantic styling

Create seasonal template variants and switch between them as the season changes. Same menu data, different visual treatment.

For more on generating images in multiple languages (helpful if you serve tourist areas), check our multi-language image generation guide.

Digital signage integrationDigital Signage Integration

Digital menu boards are increasingly common. Most run on simple media players that display images or videos.

Common signage hardware:

• BrightSign media players
• Samsung Smart Signage
• Raspberry Pi-based setups
• Chrome-based devices (Chromebit)

All of these can display images from a URL or local file. Generate your menu board images via API, push them to the signage player's media folder, and the display updates automatically.

No more USB drives with PowerPoint files. No more walking to each screen to update a price.

Cost breakdownCost Breakdown

Compare that to $200/month in reprinting costs for a single location, or $50-100 per hour for a freelance designer to update social media graphics. See our pricing for details.

FaqFAQ

Can i update menu prices without a designerCan I update menu prices without a designer?

Yes. Change the price value in your data source (spreadsheet, POS system, or database) and regenerate the menu image via API. No design tools needed. The template handles layout and styling automatically.

What sizes do i need for different platformsWhat sizes do I need for different platforms?

Digital menu boards: 1920x1080px (landscape) or 1080x1920px (portrait). Instagram feed: 1080x1080px. Instagram Stories: 1080x1920px. Facebook: 1200x630px. Delivery apps typically accept 800x600px or similar. Generate all sizes from the same data.

How do i handle daily specials that change every dayHow do I handle daily specials that change every day?

Create a daily specials template with fields for dish name, description, price, and optional photo. Update a spreadsheet or database each morning with today's specials. A scheduled job generates the new image and pushes it to your digital signage and social media.

Can i generate menu images in multiple languagesCan I generate menu images in multiple languages?

Yes. Create separate templates per language or use a single template with language-specific text layers. Pass translated dish names and descriptions to the API. Useful for tourist areas or multilingual communities.

How much does automated menu generation costHow much does automated menu generation cost?

Imejis.io starts at $14.99/month for 1,000 images. A restaurant updating daily specials across 3 platforms generates about 90 images/month, well within the free tier. Multi-location chains generating menus for 50+ locations fit on the Pro tier at $24.99/month.

Your menu should update itselfYour Menu Should Update Itself

Prices change. Specials rotate. Seasons shift. Your menu images should keep up without requiring manual work every time.

Set up your templates. Connect your menu data. Let the chef focus on cooking and the API handle the graphics.

Get started with Imejis.io →