Bayan Signage builds illuminated menu boards for cafes, burger and shawarma counters, juice bars, bakeries and food court units. We fabricate slim LED lightboxes in our Ajman factory, print the backlit menu film in-house, test every panel at full brightness for even light and install the row level and wired to one switch, out of hours where the mall requires it.
Illuminated menu boards are the slim LED lightboxes along the wall behind a food counter, each holding a printed backlit film of the menu or a hero dish. LEDs light the film from the edges through a light guide panel or from behind, so the whole menu glows evenly. A typical set has three to five panels in a row, one per category. We make them for cafes, quick-service restaurants, juice bars, bakeries and food court tenants that take orders at a counter.
Backlit food photography sells, but only when the light is right. Cheap LED strips make bread look grey and salads look blue; uneven boxes show bright edges and dark centres; badly printed film looks washed out when lit and muddy when the power is off. The parts that decide the result are the colour rendering of the LEDs, the diffuser, the ink density of the film and how evenly the light is spread. We test all four on every job before installation.
Bayan Signage has run its factory at Alam Square, Industrial Area 2, Ajman since 2016 as the production arm of Bayan Advertising, which has 15 years in the UAE market. Lightbox frames are cut and assembled in-house, our electricians assemble and test the LED panels and drivers, and our large-format printers produce backlit film to the exact panel size. Mall night installation is routine work for our crews.
Trusted by 500+ UAE businesses, including
The choice comes down to depth, panel size, how often the menu changes and the look of the counter. These are the constructions we build most often.
Aluminium frames that snap open from the front, 25 to 40 mm deep. The economical standard for cafes and kiosks using common poster sizes.
View details →A frameless acrylic face held by magnets over an edge-lit panel, for a clean look and quick film changes on modern counters.
View details →Deeper boxes with LED modules on the back plate, giving more brightness for large panels, bright food courts and long rows.
View details →LED neon flex mounted on a clear acrylic backing beside the menu, for a slogan or logo that gives the counter character without competing with the prices.
View details →Double or single-sided lightboxes hung from the slab above the counter, where there is no back wall or the wall is glazed.
View details →Static lit panels for the core menu plus one digital screen for promotions, with brightness balanced so neither overpowers the other.
View details →We measure the wall, the ceiling height and bulkheads, note coffee machines and extraction hoods, and locate power for the drivers. The visit is free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, and we bring the mall criteria if you have them.
Our designers divide the wall into panels, place categories and hero images, size the Arabic and English text for the queue distance and show the row on a photo of your counter.
Frames and back plates are cut and assembled, then our electricians fit the LED strips or modules and diffuser, and wire the drivers for a concealed position.
We print a test strip on backlit film, check food colours lit and unlit, then run every panel at full brightness to confirm the light is even edge to edge.
The full film set is printed to the exact panel size and checked against the approved menu for spelling, prices and colour before packing.
Our crew fixes the row level on concealed brackets, hides the drivers in a bulkhead or cupboard, connects them to one switch or timer and shows staff how to change a panel.
This is our starting point for a cafe or food court row. Every change, from a magnetic face to a timer, appears as a separate line on the quote.
| Component | Our standard | Upgrade options | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | Aluminium snap frame, front-opening | Magnetic acrylic face, custom colour frames | Staff can change the film without taking the box off the wall. |
| Light source | Edge-lit LED with light guide panel | Back-lit LED modules for large panels | Edge-lit keeps the board slim; back-lit gives more brightness on big panels. |
| LED quality | Samsung or Epistar, high colour rendering | Tuned colour temperature to match the interior | Good colour rendering keeps bread golden and greens fresh instead of grey. |
| Diffuser | 2 to 3 mm opal diffuser sheet | Higher-diffusion sheet for shallow boxes | Even diffusion hides LED dots and bright edges behind the menu. |
| Backlit film | High ink density polyester film | Matt anti-reflection film | Dense ink stays rich when lit and still looks right with the lights off. |
| Drivers and control | Concealed driver per row, one switch | Timer or dimmer control | One accessible driver is easy to service, and a timer saves energy after closing. |
An illuminated menu is a sales tool as much as a sign. These are the points we discuss with restaurant owners before a panel is printed.
We specify LEDs with a colour rendering index of about 90 or more and a neutral white of roughly 4,000 to 5,000 K. Cooler light makes food look clinical; very warm light turns everything orange. Cheap strips with poor colour rendering are the single most common reason a menu with beautiful photography looks flat on the wall. The cost difference is small and the effect on the food is not.
When drinks, burgers and desserts each have their own panel, a price change or new item means reprinting one film, not the whole wall. We also suggest keeping one panel as a promotion slot for Ramadan, summer drinks or a launch. Restaurants that mix categories across panels end up reprinting the full set every few months.
Customers read the menu from about 2 to 6 m away while looking slightly upwards. At 4 m, item names of about 20 to 25 mm and prices of 25 to 30 mm read comfortably, with category headings around 50 mm. In practice that is about 10 to 15 items per panel if the panel also carries a photo. Two scripts need space, so we cut items before we shrink the type.
We usually set the bottom of the row at 2.0 to 2.2 m, clear of coffee machines, grinders and staff, with the top no higher than about 3 m so nobody tilts their head back. Best sellers and combos go in the panel nearest the till, where the decision is made.
Backlit film behaves differently from paper. Colours that look correct on screen can turn pale when lit or dark when switched off. We print a test strip of your key dishes on the same film and show it in a lit box before printing the full set. It takes a day and prevents reprinting a wall of menus.
We quote from your counter wall and menu, not from a price list. Send the wall width and height, a photo of the counter, the number of panels you want and your menu, and you will receive an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
Each panel is a separate lightbox with its own LEDs and film, so five large panels cost more than three standard ones.
Edge-lit snap frames are the most economical. Magnetic faces, back-lit boxes and custom shapes add materials and assembly.
High colour rendering LEDs, timers and dimmers cost a little more and make a visible difference to the food and the running cost.
Menu design, bilingual layout and food photo preparation are quoted separately if you need our designers.
Initial films are part of the board. Later price or item changes are quoted per panel and cost far less than new boxes.
Mall night shifts, bulkhead work for drivers and high ceilings needing a scaffold tower affect the installation cost.
Menu boards inside a shop do not usually need a municipal permit, but in malls and food courts the landlord's design criteria normally control their size, depth, position and brightness, sometimes down to the colour temperature. We work from the criteria pack and prepare drawings for landlord approval before fabrication, and our crews follow the mall's work permit process for installation.
Dubai Municipality and other authorities have been moving food outlets towards showing calorie and nutrition information on menus. Requirements depend on the type of outlet and are being phased in and updated over time, so we confirm the current position for your business and leave room in the layout, which is much easier than squeezing it in later.
Lightbox frames, LED panels and backlit film are all produced at our Ajman factory, so sizes, colours and brightness match across the row.
Every panel runs at full brightness in our test area, and we approve a film test print with you before the full set is printed.
We keep your panel sizes on file, so new prices and seasonal items are a quick reprint rather than a new board.
Our designers lay out Arabic and English together, sized for the queue distance, and check spelling and prices at full size.
Our crews handle work permits and night shifts in malls and food courts, so your counter opens on time.
More than 500 clients across the UAE, including national retail groups and international brands, many of them returning for new branches.
It depends on the number and size of panels, the construction, the LED quality and controls, artwork, and installation hours. Three standard edge-lit panels for a cafe cost far less than a long row of large back-lit boxes in a food court. Send the wall size, a counter photo and your menu, and we will send an itemised quote, usually within 24 hours.
You replace the printed film, not the box. Snap frames open from the front and magnetic faces lift off, so staff can swap a panel in minutes. We keep your panel sizes on file and print replacement films whenever prices or items change.
Edge-lit boards light a light guide panel from LED strips around the edge, so they stay slim at 25 to 40 mm and suit most cafe panels. Back-lit boards place LED modules on the back plate, need 50 to 80 mm of depth and give more brightness for very large panels or bright food courts.
Illuminated boards cost less, use little power and suit menus that change a few times a year. Digital menu screens suit chains that change prices across branches at once, run breakfast and dinner menus or rotate promotions often. Many restaurants combine lit panels for the core menu with one screen for offers.
The LED modules we use are rated around 50,000 hours, which covers many years of normal opening hours. Drivers are usually the first part to need replacing, which is why we mount them where a technician can reach them. Films fade slowly over time and are simple to reprint.
Dubai Municipality and other authorities have been moving outlets towards calorie and nutrition information on menus, with requirements depending on the type of outlet and changing over time. We confirm the current position for your business and leave space in the layout so the information can be added cleanly.
Yes. Our designers lay out both scripts together, keep prices consistent and size the Arabic so it reads as easily as the English from the queue. We check spelling at full size and send a proof of every panel before printing.
Yes. Our crews install in malls and food courts at night when needed, following the mall's permit process, and we work across all seven emirates from our factory in Ajman. The site visit is free in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman.
Send your logo, the fascia size and a site photo. Our estimating team replies with options and an itemised price, usually within 24 hours.