Guides

Fire Stick menu board for takeaways

This page is for takeaways: kebab, chicken, pizza, Chinese, Indian and burger shops that want the menu on a screen without buying a smart screen. A Fire TV Stick in the HDMI socket and the free Counterboard app do the job. For which stick to buy and the full set-up, see the Fire TV Stick guide. This page covers the takeaway side.

One screen free, no card. Works on any screen with a web browser, or any screen with an HDMI socket and a streaming stick.

The board of Golden Wing Chicken, an example chicken shop, with chicken, boxes, sides
Drawn by Counterboard AI in about two minutes, from a few words and a price list. Golden Wing Chicken is an example shop: yours is drawn to your own description, with your name and your prices on it.

What you need

Four things

✓
Any screen with an HDMI socket.It does not need to be a smart screen.
✓
A Fire TV Stick.A Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max that says Fire OS on the box. Sticks that say Vega OS will not run the app.
✓
Wifi in the shop.The stick needs it to get your board and new prices.
✓
A Counterboard account.The free screen is fine. No card.

Why a Fire Stick

Why takeaways use one

It works on old screens

Any screen with an HDMI socket becomes a menu board. No new screen needed.

The app is free

Counterboard is in the Fire TV store. Search the Fire TV for counterboard and press Get.

It comes back on by itself

Switch the screen off at closing and on in the morning, and the board is there. It keeps showing the board if the wifi drops.

Draw the board first

Your takeaway board, before the stick

You are the designer. You say what you want in your own words: the colours, your name across the top, what goes where. AI designs the finished board in about two minutes. Not quite right? Say what to change and it is drawn again. There is no design software to learn, and nobody else trying to guess what is in your head.

Do this on your phone before you start on the screen. Put your best sellers first, give meal deals a panel of their own, and put sizes side by side. There are more ideas in takeaway menu board ideas, and boards for kebab shops, chicken shops, pizza takeaways, Chinese takeaways, Indian takeaways and burger bars. You can draw one free on the front page.

Anatolia Grill: an example kebab and grill board, with kebabs, wraps, sides
Kebab and grill: Anatolia Grill, an example shop
Bella's Pizza: an example pizza shop board, with pizzas, sides, drinks
Pizza shop: Bella's Pizza, an example shop
Saffron Spice: an example indian board, with curries, starters, rice and bread
Indian: Saffron Spice, an example shop

Example boards, drawn by Counterboard AI from a few words and a price list. The shops on them are made up.

Step by step

From an empty HDMI socket to a board on the wall

  1. Plug the stick inPut the stick into an HDMI socket on the screen, and its small cable into the plug.
  2. Finish the Amazon set-upPress Source or Input on the screen remote until you see the stick. Give it your wifi and sign in to Amazon when it asks.
  3. Get the free appOn the Fire TV home screen, press the magnifying glass and type counterboard. It is the green C, from CLEARDESKPRO SOFTWARE. Press Get, then Open.
  4. Six letters come upThe app puts six letters and numbers on the screen, something like HY9CJT.
  5. Type them into your phoneIn Counterboard on your phone, open Your screens and type the six letters in.
  6. Your board is on the screenThe board you drew is on the wall a few seconds later. If you have not drawn one yet, draw it on your phone first.

For stick models, power and HDMI tips, see the Fire TV Stick guide.

During service

Change a price mid-service

Open Counterboard on your phone behind the counter. Tap Your boards, then Change prices. Type the new number, tap Update the board, check the new board and send it to the screen. A price change is one credit (£1), however many prices move at once. A paid plan includes credits every month. The full steps are in how to change the prices on your screen menu from your phone.

Two screens

Main menu and specials

Each screen gets its own stick and its own six letters. Both can show the same board, or one can show the menu and the other the meal deals. One screen is free, with a small counterboard.com band on the board. £21 a month for two screens: £14 for screen one and £7 for screen two, with no band on either.

If it goes wrong

Common takeaway problems

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The screen does not show the board.Press Source or Input on the screen remote until you see the stick.
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You changed the wifi password.Give the stick the new one in the Fire TV settings, under Network. The board stays on the screen in the meantime, with the last prices.
✓
The app will not install.Check the stick says Fire OS on the box. Sticks that say Vega OS will not run it.
✓
The six letters do not work.Each set works once and runs out after a while. Open the app on the screen again for a fresh set.

What it costs

Priced by how many screens you put up

One screen free, for as long as you like, with a small counterboard.com band on the board, and no card. Without the band, so much a screen: £14 a month for one screen, and £7 for each screen after it. No VAT charged. The price list on the front page shows it in dollars and euros too.

Every screen gets the same dashboard and the same boards; what changes with the price is how many screens you put up and how many credits come with them. Each screen gets a board drawn for it, free. After that everything we draw is credits, and a credit is a pound: a price change is one, a new look or an item added, taken off or renamed is two, a whole new board is three. Each paid screen includes two credits a month, and they start again on the 1st; more can be bought inside Counterboard, ten for £9 or more in a bigger pack, with no change to your plan. No contract: cancel any time.

Questions

What people ask

Can I run a takeaway menu board on a Fire Stick?

Yes. Plug a Fire TV Stick into any screen with an HDMI socket, get the free Counterboard app, and type the six letters it shows into your phone.

Is the Counterboard Fire TV app free?

Yes. The app is free. What you pay for is Counterboard itself, by the number of screens, and one screen is free with a small counterboard.com band on the board.

Do I type on the screen remote?

Only the word counterboard, once, to find the app. The six letters are typed on your phone, not on the screen.

How long does setup take?

About two minutes for the app once the stick is set up, and about two minutes for the board to be drawn.

Will the menu stay up if the wifi drops?

Yes. The screen keeps showing the board. New prices arrive when the connection comes back.

Which takeaways is this for?

Any takeaway with a menu on the wall: kebab, chicken, pizza, Chinese, Indian, burger, fish and chips and more.