Channel letters
The primary sign on most restaurant fascias. LED-lit letters in your exact logo and colors, with room for a second line that tells people what is on the plate.
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Restaurant signs · Dallas Fort Worth
Dallas Restaurant Signs Made for the Dinner Hour
For much of the year, dinner service starts after sunset. That is when a weak sign disappears and a well-lit one pulls cars off the road. We design, permit, fabricate and install restaurant signs across Dallas Fort Worth, from the letters on the fascia to the graphics on the door and the logo wall inside.
What signs does a restaurant need?
Most restaurants need three layers. An illuminated primary sign, usually channel letters, that identifies you from the road and the parking lot day and night. Window and door graphics that carry your hours and brand at eye level. And an interior sign or feature wall that anchors the dining room. Freestanding buildings may add a monument sign at the property entrance.
- Primary signLit channel letters or cabinet
- At the doorWindow and door graphics
- InsideLogo feature walls and dimensional letters
- ApprovalsLandlord criteria and city permit
Storefront identity
Diners decide from the car.
A lot of restaurant decisions are made from the driver's seat. Your sign has a few seconds to say who you are, what kind of food you serve and whether you look open. Color, typeface and a clear logo do most of that work before anyone reads a word.
Corner and freestanding buildings get more than one chance. A sign on each elevation that faces traffic means the restaurant reads from every approach, not only the one the architect drew first.
- Logo, color and typeface reproduced from your brand files
- A second line that says what you serve, when it helps
- Signs on each elevation that faces traffic
- Letter height set for road speed and the parking field
What goes where
The restaurant sign package, piece by piece.
Few restaurants need every item on this list. Most need three or four, chosen for the building, the lease and the traffic that passes.
Illuminated signs and cabinets
Lit cabinets for detailed logos, and lit letters on canopies and entrance features, so the door itself is easy to find after dark.
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Window and door graphics
Logo, hours and contact details on the glass, printed or cut from vinyl. They speak to people on foot and finish the storefront at eye level.
Monument signs and tenant panels
A freestanding restaurant may be able to add its own monument sign at the entrance where zoning allows. In a shopping center, your panel on the center's monument or pylon is often the first thing drivers see.
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The dinner rush starts at dusk. Your sign should be ready for it.
Bold letters and a clear tagline tell drivers what a restaurant serves before they reach the turn.
Noon to night
Watch one restaurant from lunch to last seating.
Drag the slider from noon to night. In full sun, color and shape carry the sign. As the light drops, everything unlit fades away and only the illuminated elements are left. The restaurants people find easily at dinner are the ones designed for both ends of the day.
Interactive illustration
Signs switch on as the sun drops, right when diners are deciding where to eat.
Where you are matters
Inline, freestanding or food hall?
The same brand needs a different sign package depending on the space. Here is how the three most common restaurant settings compare.
| Compare | Inline shopping center | Freestanding building | Food hall or counter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary sign | Channel letters on the fascia, sized to the center's criteria | Letters or cabinets on each elevation that faces traffic | Lit logo and letters above the counter |
| Road presence | A tenant panel on the center's monument or pylon | Your own monument or pole sign, where zoning allows | Usually none. The venue brings the traffic |
| Glass and doors | Hours, logo and branding on the storefront glass | Storefront glass, entry doors and patio | Counter and wall graphics instead |
| Who approves | Landlord first, then the city | The city, plus any owner or development rules | The venue operator, with electrical work done to code |
Every lease and every city is different. We confirm the criteria for your space before design starts, so the package that gets approved is the one we drew.
Inside the restaurant
A feature wall that finishes the dining room.
Once guests are inside, the storefront has done its job and the room takes over. A logo on a tiled, wood or painted feature wall ties the interior to the sign outside, and it sits in the background of the photos people take at the table.
Dimensional letters, halo-lit logos and wall graphics are all options, built at a scale that reads across the room rather than from the road.
- Dimensional and halo-lit logos
- Wall graphics and lettering
- Signs above counters and food hall stalls
- The same brand files as the exterior sign
Landlords, permits and opening day
What stands between you and a lit sign on opening night.
The sign is often one of the last things finished on a restaurant build-out, which makes approvals the step most likely to hold it up. We start them early.
01
Shopping center criteria
Most retail leases set rules for letter height, colors, lighting and mounting, sometimes down to the typeface. We design to the criteria and prepare the drawings for landlord approval.
02
City sign permits
New exterior signs need a permit in most DFW cities, and each city writes its own code. We research the rules for your address and prepare and submit the permit package.
03
Electrical
Lit signs need power at the right spot on the wall. Illuminated sign electrical work must be done by a licensed electrical sign contractor, and we coordinate the connection point with your build-out team.
04
Lit hours
Some cities limit when signs may stay lit, particularly next to homes. A timer or photocell keeps the sign on during service and inside the rules.
05
Ordering early
Fabrication cannot start until the design is approved, so the sign belongs early in the build-out schedule, not after the kitchen is in.
06
Coming soon
A custom banner can announce the opening while the permanent sign moves through approval, where the city and landlord allow it.
Project gallery
Restaurant signs, lunch through late.
Restaurant storefronts, lit letters, door graphics and feature walls from the Signs Express portfolio.
How we deliver
One team, from survey to switch-on.
Every restaurant signs project follows the same six steps. Here is what each one means for this sign type.
- 01
Discover
We walk the site, check the approach from the road and the parking lot and read the lease for sign criteria.
- 02
Design
Logo, color and letter height are proofed for noon sun and full dark, with the glass and feature wall drawn from the same files.
- 03
Engineer
We detail letter construction, mounting and the power path, coordinated with your build-out contractor.
- 04
Permit
Landlord approval comes first, then the city sign permit, started early so the sign is not what holds up opening day.
- 05
Fabricate
Letters, cabinets, window graphics and interior pieces are fabricated at our Carrollton facility from one set of approved artwork.
- 06
Install
Exterior signs are mounted and lit, graphics applied and the feature wall installed on a schedule built around your opening.
Related projects
Proof, not promises.
Dallas Fort Worth
From established strip centers to new developments.
Restaurant sites across Dallas Fort Worth range from established strip centers to new mixed-use developments with patios and shared parking. Each brings its own rules. A new development may hold every storefront to strict design criteria, an older center may need a new tenant panel on its road sign, and a freestanding building answers mainly to the city. We work across all three from our Carrollton head office, for restaurants in Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Frisco, Allen and beyond.
- Dallas
- Carrollton · HQ
- Richardson
- Plano
- Frisco
- Allen
- McKinney
- Arlington
- Fort Worth
Free project review
Get the sign right before opening night.
Send your logo, a photo or rendering of the space and your landlord's sign criteria if you have it. We will map out the fascia, the glass and the feature wall, and what each one needs to get approved.
- A photo of the building or site, even from a phone
- Your logo or brand files, if you have them
- The city where the sign will be installed
- Landlord sign criteria, if the space is leased
Straight answers
Restaurant Signs: your questions, answered.
Something else on your mind? Call (469) 901-3108 or send the details through the quote form.
What restaurant signs are most visible at night?
Front-lit channel letters and lit cabinets. Both carry their own light, so your name and colors read clearly from the road after dark. Halo-lit letters give a softer, more upscale glow but are clearest at closer range. Pairing a lit primary sign with a lit panel on the center's monument or pylon covers both the fascia and the road.
Are channel letters a good choice for a restaurant?
For most restaurants, yes. They reproduce your exact logo and typeface, they are the style most shopping center criteria are written around, and LED lighting keeps them bright through dinner service. A lit cabinet can be the better fit for a logo with fine detail that would be lost in individual letters.
Can you add window and door graphics?
Yes. We design and install window and door graphics for hours, logos, contact details and branding across the storefront glass. Perforated window film can carry a full image on the outside while diners still see out, which suits dining rooms that face the street.
Do you work with shopping center sign criteria?
Yes, and in a shopping center it is usually the first step. We read the criteria in your lease, design the sign to fit it and prepare the drawings for landlord approval before we apply for the city permit.
Can you handle the sign permit for my restaurant?
Yes. Permitting is part of our service. Most DFW cities require a sign permit for new exterior signs, and requirements vary by city and zoning. We research the code for your address, then prepare and submit the permit package.
When should I order signs for a new restaurant?
As early in the build-out as you can. Landlord approval and the city permit both have to clear before fabrication starts, and neither runs on your construction schedule. Starting the sign alongside your interior design keeps it from becoming the last item before opening.
Can you also make the signs inside the restaurant?
Yes. Interior logo walls, dimensional letters, halo-lit signs and wall graphics are all part of what we make. Building them together with the exterior sign keeps the brand consistent from the parking lot to the table.
Do you make restaurant signs near me?
If your restaurant is in Dallas Fort Worth, yes. We design and fabricate at our Carrollton head office and install across the Metroplex, including Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Arlington and Fort Worth.
Keep exploring
Related sign types
Channel Letters
Individually built, LED-lit letters that turn a fascia into a nighttime landmark.
Storefront Signs
The sign over the door and the graphics on the glass, working together to turn passing traffic into walk-ins.
Illuminated Exterior Signs
LED-lit letters, cabinets, monuments and pole signs that keep your name readable after sunset.
Interior Signs
Lobby logos, halo-lit letters, wall graphics and wayfinding that carry your brand past the front door.
Start with the space. End with a landmark.
Your next landmark starts here.
Tell us what you are building and where. We will help you choose the right sign system and handle the approvals, fabrication and installation.