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Sacramento Restaurant Renovations: Why Digital Menus Should Be Part of Your Upgrade

Sacramento's restaurant scene is booming, and with that growth comes a wave of renovations. Whether you're refreshing a tired interior, expanding your seating, or doing a full rebrand, there's one upgrade that consistently delivers the highest return on investment: digital menu boards.

If you're already tearing into walls and running new electrical, adding digital signage during a renovation is dramatically cheaper and easier than retrofitting it later. Here's everything you need to know about incorporating digital menus into your Sacramento restaurant renovation.

Why Renovations Are the Perfect Time for Digital Menus

The biggest barrier to digital menu adoption isn't cost — it's disruption. Restaurant owners don't want to close for a day to run cables and mount screens. But if you're already renovating, that disruption is happening anyway.

During a renovation, your contractor can:

• Run power and data cables inside the walls — no visible conduit or surface-mounted wiring
• Install recessed mounting brackets — screens sit flush against the wall for a cleaner look
• Position screens optimally — plan placement before the drywall goes up, not after
• Integrate with lighting design — ensure screens complement your lighting rather than competing with it

Retrofitting all of this after a renovation is complete can cost 2-3x more in labor alone.

Planning Your Digital Menu Installation

Start planning your digital signage at the same time you plan your renovation — not as an afterthought. Here's a timeline that works:

4-6 Weeks Before Construction

• Decide how many screens you need and where they'll go
• Choose between behind-counter menu boards, customer-facing displays, or both
• Get your menu content photographed and organized
• Share screen placement plans with your contractor and electrician

During Construction

• Electrician runs dedicated circuits to each screen location
• Low-voltage wiring (HDMI, Ethernet) is run inside walls
• Mounting brackets are secured to studs before drywall closes
• Network drops are installed near media player locations

Final Week Before Opening

• Screens are mounted and connected
• Media players are configured and loaded with menu content
• Scheduling is set up (breakfast menu, lunch menu, dinner menu, happy hour)
• Final testing under real lighting conditions

Finding the Right Contractor in Sacramento

Your renovation is only as good as the people doing the work. For Sacramento restaurant owners, finding reliable contractors — electricians, general contractors, AV installers — can be the hardest part of the process.

SacValley Contractors is a solid resource for finding vetted contractors in the Sacramento region. Whether you need an electrician who understands commercial signage requirements or a general contractor experienced with restaurant buildouts, having a trusted directory saves hours of research and reduces the risk of hiring the wrong crew.

How Much Does It Add to Your Renovation Budget?

Adding digital menu boards during a renovation is surprisingly affordable because you're sharing labor costs with the broader project. Here's what to budget:

• Electrical rough-in per screen: $150-$300 (vs. $500-$800 as a standalone project)
• Commercial display (43"-55"): $500-$1,500 per screen
• Media player per screen: $50-$200
• Professional menu design: $500-$1,500 (one-time)
• Managed service: $75-$200/month for updates, scheduling, and support

For a typical 2-3 screen setup, you're looking at $2,000-$5,000 added to your renovation budget. Compare that to reprinting menus every time prices change ($200-$500 per print run, multiple times per year) and the digital investment pays for itself within 12-18 months.

The Rebrand Opportunity

Many Sacramento restaurants don't just renovate the space — they rebrand entirely. New name, new concept, new look. If that's you, digital menus are essential because they make your brand feel modern and intentional from day one.

Before you commit to a new restaurant name, do your homework. Use BrandScout to check domain availability, trademark conflicts, and social media handle availability for your new brand. There's nothing worse than launching a rebrand only to discover someone else owns the .com or the Instagram handle.

Digital Menus as Part of the Customer Experience

Think about the customer journey when they walk into your newly renovated restaurant:

1. They notice the fresh interior — new paint, new fixtures, new vibe
2. They look up at the menu — and see a bright, beautifully designed digital display
3. The menu is easy to read, the photos look appetizing, and the specials are front and center
4. They order more confidently and often order higher-margin items they might have overlooked on a cluttered printed menu

The menu board is often the single most-viewed element in a restaurant. It deserves the same attention as your flooring, lighting, and furniture choices.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

We've seen Sacramento restaurants make these mistakes during renovations — don't repeat them:

• Treating screens as an afterthought: If you don't plan for screens during rough-in, you'll have exposed cables or expensive retrofit work
• Using consumer TVs: Home TVs aren't rated for 12-16 hours of daily use. Commercial displays cost more upfront but last 3-5x longer
• Poor placement: Screens too high, too far from the ordering area, or competing with windows and glare. Plan placement with sight lines in mind
• Ignoring the online presence: Your renovated restaurant will get attention. Make sure your website is ready for the traffic. A quick check with AuditMySite can reveal load speed issues, broken links, and SEO problems before your grand reopening drives a surge of Google searches

Sacramento's Renovation Boom

Sacramento is experiencing a restaurant renaissance. Midtown, East Sac, the R Street corridor, and downtown are all seeing new openings and renovations. As the competition heats up, the restaurants that invest in their customer experience — including digital signage — are the ones that stand out.

Don't let your renovation be purely cosmetic. Make it functional. Make it revenue-generating. Add digital menus.