Mary Francis

LED Menu Board Specialist

Contractor • Freelance

Mar 2026 - Present • 2 mos

I specialize in designing large-scale LED menu boards for high-traffic environments like food courts, stadiums, and airport terminals. This role requires a deep understanding of scale, distance, and environmental lighting. I focus on menu board design that remains perfectly legible from 20 feet away, using bold typography and a structured food menu layout that prevents the screen from looking cluttered. My work is essential for managing heavy crowds, as a clear and organized menu leads to faster decision-making and shorter lines. I have a strong background in restaurant branding, ensuring that even on a massive digital screen, the brand’s colors and personality are represented accurately. I coordinate the design of digital menu boards across multiple synchronized screens to create a high-impact "video wall" that captures customer attention from across a room. My process includes rigorous menu optimization, where I categorize hundreds of items into logical, easy-to-read groups. I also specialize in creating layouts for TV menu screens that can be updated quickly for breakfast, lunch, and dinner transitions. By focusing on high-contrast visuals and clean hierarchy, I help my clients achieve a "premium" feel that builds trust with their customers. Every project I deliver is optimized for the specific technical hardware of the venue, ensuring that the final LED display menu looks sharp, professional, and is built to convert high volumes of traffic into sales.

Digital-First Menu Strategist (Ghost Kitchens)

Kitchen Connection • Freelance

Mar 2026 - Present • 2 mos

As a specialist in digital-first restaurant menu design, I help ghost kitchens and delivery-only brands thrive on platforms like UberEats, DoorDash, and private web portals. In a delivery-only model, the menu is the entire brand experience, so I focus heavily on creating a high-converting food menu layout that translates perfectly to mobile and desktop screens. My work involves a deep dive into menu optimization, where I structure categories and descriptions to maximize "add-on" sales and improve search rankings within delivery apps. I create cohesive restaurant branding packages that include high-resolution digital menus, promotional banners, and QR menu systems for packaging inserts. Since there is no physical dining room, I use TV menu design principles to create "digital storefronts" that look professional and appetizing. My design methodology emphasizes high-quality food photography and clear, persuasive copy that builds trust with a customer who cannot see the kitchen. I also provide strategy on how to bundle items to increase the average order value, ensuring the digital menu board is working as an automated sales agent. My goal is to help delivery-brands stand out in a saturated market by providing a premium menu board design that feels like a brick-and-mortar establishment. By focusing on mobile-optimized layouts and clean visual hierarchy, I ensure that the ordering process is frictionless, leading to higher conversion rates and better customer retention for my clients. Every project is built with a focus on professional aesthetics and "click-to-order" efficiency, making the brand a top performer in the digital food space.

Bakery Menu & Display Specialist

Baker McKenzie • Freelance

Mar 2026 - Present • 2 mos

I specialize in creating elegant, high-conversion café menu and bakery layouts that emphasize artisan quality and freshness. In this role, I focus on the delicate balance between high-end restaurant branding and functional information design. I develop food menu layouts that categorize complex offerings—such as sourdough varieties, seasonal pastries, and specialty coffee—into intuitive sections that reduce customer confusion during busy morning rushes. My design strategy involves using soft color palettes and premium typography that align with the "hand-crafted" nature of the products, ensuring that the print menu feels as high-quality as the food itself. Beyond traditional paper menus, I design digital menu boards specifically for bakery environments where items sell out quickly. These layouts are built for easy updates, allowing owners to swap out daily specials without breaking the visual hierarchy. I prioritize menu optimization by using "white space" to draw attention to high-margin signature items, such as custom cakes or gift boxes. My work also includes designing localized QR menu systems that allow customers to view high-resolution photos of the pastries before ordering. By focusing on a clean and sophisticated restaurant menu design, I help bakery owners elevate their brand perception and justify premium pricing. Every project I deliver is a mix of aesthetic beauty and sales-driven engineering, ensuring that the menu board design works as a constant upselling tool. I ensure that the final LED display menu or chalkboard-style digital screen is perfectly calibrated for the shop's lighting, making the product photography look warm and inviting to every customer who walks through the door.