Shopfront and fascia package
Restaurant fascia signs and café logo signs in built-up letters or lightbox form, with optional neon café signs for the window. Drawn to mall or landlord design criteria.
New openings and rebrandsFood and hospitality
Restaurant, Café and Hotel Signage in Dubai and the UAE
From the fascia that pulls people off the street to the reserved card on the table, we make the full sign set a food or hotel brand needs, on your opening date.
- Exterior
- Fascia, 3D logo, neon and lightbox signs
- Menus
- Printed, illuminated and digital boards
- Front of house
- Table, reserved, counter and pickup signs
- Hotels
- Entrance, lobby, spa and in-room signs
Quick answer
What signs does a restaurant or hotel need in the UAE?
Most outlets need an exterior fascia or logo sign, menu boards at the counter or drive-through, counter and order pickup signs, and table numbers or reserved cards. Hotels add entrance, lobby, spa and room-service signs. Exterior signs usually need a municipality or landlord approval, which we typically handle as part of the job.
A new restaurant or café rarely has slack in its timeline. The fit-out contractor, the kitchen supplier and the health inspection all land close together, and the sign is often the last item to be approved by the mall or landlord. If the fascia is late, the opening is late. That is why we plan food and hotel signage backwards from the opening date, with approvals started on day one.
Bayan Signage designs, fabricates and installs hospitality signs from our factory in Ajman. One team handles the outside sign, the menu boards, the counter signs and the small table pieces, so fonts and colours match across the whole outlet. For hotels we work to the operator's brand standards manual, from the porte-cochère sign to the spa door. We install across Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates.
Plan it
Which menu board suits your counter?
How often does your menu or pricing change?
Printed menu boards
UV printed composite or acrylic panels are the lowest cost to run. They suit fixed menus in cafés and bakeries. When prices change, we reprint only the affected panel rather than the whole set.
Illuminated menu boards
A slim LED lightbox with changeable printed film keeps food photos bright and lets you swap a single panel for a new offer. It works well on a long counter with several boards side by side.
Digital menu boards
Screens let you switch between breakfast and dinner menus, update prices instantly and run promotions. They need power, data and a content plan, so they suit busier chains and food courts.
Drive-through menu signs
A sealed, ventilated cabinet built for outdoor heat, with large prices readable from the car window. It can hold printed panels or a high-brightness screen made for direct sun.
Types
Restaurant, Café and Hotel Signage we make
Menu board package
Printed menu boards for low-change menus, illuminated menu boards for counters, and digital menu boards where prices and combos change often. Matched in size across the counter line.
Quick service, cafés and bakeriesDrive-through and food court set
Weatherproof drive-through menu signs, pre-sell boards and order point signs, plus food court signs and bulkhead headers built to the operator's unit dimensions.
Drive-through sites and mall food courtsFront-of-house and table signs
Table number signs, reserved table signs, order pickup signs and counter identification signs. Small pieces that are handled daily, so they are made to wipe clean and survive knocks.
Dine-in restaurants and self-service countersBuffet and service signs
Buffet identification signs and dish labels with holders for changeable cards, so the kitchen can swap dishes and allergen notes between services without reprinting.
Hotel breakfasts, banquets and cateringHotel identity package
Hotel entrance signs, hotel lobby signs, spa and salon signs and room-service information signs, built to the operator's brand standards and approved samples.
Hotels, serviced apartments and resortsChoosing well
Planning signs for a restaurant or hotel opening
Get the landlord pack first
Malls and retail parks issue design criteria that set fascia height, letter depth, illumination and fixing zones. Send us the tenant guide early, because the sign drawing usually needs landlord approval before any permit application or fabrication.
Lock the menu before the board
Menu boards are sized around the item count and price columns. Agree the final menu, combos and photos before we print. For menus that change often, a digital or slot-in board saves reprinting.
Plan for nutrition and allergen lines
Some emirates and operators ask for calorie counts or allergen notes on menus. Requirements change, so we confirm the current rule for your location and leave space in the layout for it.
Choose surfaces the cleaners can live with
Anything near food or on a table gets wiped many times a day. Acrylic, stainless steel and sealed laminates cope well. Raw wood, fabric and paper do not, unless they sit behind a protective face.
Match the brand across every piece
Fonts, colours and Arabic logo versions should match from the fascia down to the table card. We build one artwork set for the outlet so the small items do not drift from the main sign.
Follow hotel brand standards closely
Hotel operators usually specify materials, finishes and sample approval steps for each sign type. We produce samples for sign-off, then manufacture to the approved sample.
Specifications
Hospitality zones, signs and materials
| Zone | Typical signs | Material and finish | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street or mall frontage | Fascia, café logo sign, neon window sign | Aluminium, acrylic faces, LED or LED neon flex | Landlord criteria and municipality permit usually apply |
| Counter | Illuminated or printed menu boards, counter identification | Lightbox with printed film, or UV print on composite panel | Leave room for calorie or allergen lines if required |
| Drive-through lane | Drive-through menu sign, order point, clearance bar | Sealed aluminium cabinet, UV-stable print, IP-rated LEDs | Check RTA or access road rules near the site entrance |
| Dining area | Table number signs, reserved table signs | Acrylic, stainless steel, wood veneer or sealed MDF | Non-porous surfaces that take daily sanitiser |
| Food court and buffet | Food court signs, buffet identification signs, order pickup | Acrylic holders, slot-in cards, printed bulkheads | Changeable inserts for daily menus |
| Hotel public areas | Hotel entrance signs, lobby signs, directional signs | Brushed stainless, brass, backlit acrylic, stone-mounted letters | Built to the brand standards manual |
| Spa and guest rooms | Spa and salon signs, room-service information signs | Frosted acrylic, humidity-resistant print, leather or card folders | Spa areas need moisture-safe fixings |
How we work
From brief to installed restaurant, café and hotel signage
- 1
Opening date and brief
You share the opening date, the unit drawings, the landlord guide and the brand files. We list every sign the outlet needs.
- 2
Design and approvals
We prepare shop drawings and bilingual artwork, then submit to the landlord and municipality while you review menu proofs.
- 3
Samples for sign-off
For hotels and chains we make material and colour samples so the brand team can approve finishes before production.
- 4
Fabrication in Ajman
Fascia, menu boards and small front-of-house items are built in our factory and tested, including LED and digital screens.
- 5
Install before opening
Our team installs outside and inside signs, often at night in malls, and checks lighting before handover.
UAE conditions
Hospitality signage in the UAE: what to check
Permits for outside signs
Exterior signs in Dubai usually need a Dubai Municipality permit, and Sharjah, Ajman and free zones have their own process. Many mall units also need landlord approval first. We confirm the current requirement for your site and handle the application.
Heat on drive-through and terrace signs
Outdoor menu cabinets face 45 to 50°C in summer. We use ventilated aluminium boxes, UV-stable inks and LED modules rated for outdoor heat, so the printed menu does not fade or yellow.
Bilingual menus and fascias
Shop names and menus are usually expected in Arabic and English, and the Arabic often needs the same visual weight as the English. We set both languages together from the start.
Humidity at beach hotels
Coastal hotels and pool-side outlets get salt air and damp. Marine-grade stainless, powder-coated aluminium and sealed electrics last far longer there than mild steel or untreated fixings.
FAQ
Restaurant, Café and Hotel Signage: common questions
How long does restaurant signage take to make and install?
Small front-of-house items and printed menu boards can usually be ready within days of artwork approval. Fascia and illuminated signs take longer because they need landlord and municipality approval before installation. The permit is often the slowest part, so we start the application as soon as the drawing is agreed and plan production around your opening date.
Do I need a permit for my café or restaurant sign?
In most cases, yes, an exterior sign needs approval. In Dubai this is typically through Dubai Municipality, while Sharjah, Ajman and free zones run their own systems. Mall units usually need landlord approval first. Indoor menu boards and table signs normally do not need a permit. We confirm the current requirement for your site and handle the submission.
Should I choose a printed, illuminated or digital menu board?
Choose by how often your menu changes. Printed boards suit stable menus and cost the least. Illuminated boards make food photos stand out and let you change single panels. Digital boards suit menus that change by time of day or carry frequent promotions, but they need power, data and someone to manage content. Many outlets mix all three.
Can you show calories and allergens on our menu boards?
Yes, we can lay out calorie counts, allergen icons or notes on any menu board. Whether they are required depends on the emirate, the type of outlet and current food authority guidance, which changes from time to time. We confirm the current requirement for your location with you, and your food safety team provides the figures to print.
Do you make neon signs for cafés?
Yes, we make LED neon flex signs for café walls, windows and photo spots. LED neon looks close to traditional neon but runs cooler, uses less power and is far less fragile, which matters in hot shopfronts. We mount it on clear or coloured acrylic backing, cut to the shape of your logo or wording.
Can you work to our hotel brand standards?
Yes. We read the operator's signage standards manual and follow its materials, fonts, sizes and mounting heights. Before production we produce physical samples for the brand or technical team to approve. Once a sample is signed off, every sign of that type is manufactured to match it, from the entrance sign to room-service cards.
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Free quote
Opening a restaurant, café or hotel?
Send us your opening date, unit drawings and brand files, and we will quote the full sign package within 24 hours.
- Call or WhatsApp +971 56 637 2656
- Workshop: Alam Square, Industrial Area 2, Ajman
- Sunday to Thursday, 08:00 to 18:00