Restaurant digital signage is becoming a normal part of how restaurants communicate with customers. Both in large fast-food restaurants, as well as in cafes, bakeries, casual restaurants, food courts and small takeout restaurants, you find it on menu boards, pickup screens, drive-thru displays and even within the kitchen where employees may need to know about orders in a quick manner.
Printed menus are not disappearing entirely and by the way, it is true. There will always be restaurants that will enjoy that old-fashioned feeling. Static menus may be an issue, though, with locations that have fluctuating prices, sold-out items, and promotion cycles or with customers who have to make decisions on the spot.
A digital screen provides restaurants with greater control. It is able to display the correct menu when it is appropriate, update prices without having to reprint anything, and present food in a more appealing way with enhanced pictures. This is the primary cause why digital signage for restaurants has become more beneficial in day-to-day activities, and not only decorative.
Why printed menus are becoming harder to manage
Paper menus appear to be straightforward but they have minor issues that re-occur. New menus must be printed in case of a change in price. In case of a seasonal offer, the posters must be taken down. In case one product is out of stock, employees should repeat it to the clients several times. They can appear insignificant on the surface, but a hectic lunchtime can drag on due to these problems.
As an illustration, a customer gets into a queue, orders a meal off the board and at the counter, he hears that the meal is not available. It is vexing to the customer and embarrassing to the employees. It also creates a disorganized appearance of the restaurant, despite good food.
Restaurants can remove or change the items on the menu boards in a short period with digital menu boards. A manager has the ability to modify a price, add a new combo or even do a daily special without having to wait until it is printed. It is here that the practical value begins to manifest itself.
A Restaurant Menu Is Not a List
One of the best-selling tools within a restaurant is a menu. It does not merely inform people of the availability. It directs them on what they observe, what they are interested in and at times what they ultimately order.
Customers have to work too hard with a poor menu. Decisions can be slowed down by excessive products, tiny font, lack of clarity in prices or poor design. The opposite is true with a good menu. It makes the choice easier.
Digital signage is beneficial as it enables restaurants to have a more visual presentation of food. A picture of a burger, coffee, dessert, pizza, or fresh juice will attract attention quicker than writing. It does not imply that all the items require a photo. An overabundance of images may also clutter the board. One or two good pictures in the right place can do the trick.
This is particularly handy with products that the restaurant would like to promote, like combos, add-ons, desserts, seasonal drinks or high-margin products.
Restaurants That Have Digital Signage
The menu board above the counter is not the only place where restaurant digital signage can be used. The various screens are able to perform various tasks depending on their location.
Board Above Counter
It is used most frequently in this way. Before ordering, customers see the board and therefore, it should be understandable and readable. These screens are used in cafes, bakeries, burger shops, pizza shops, and fast-casual restaurants to display items, prices, combos and special offers.
Dayparting can also be done with a digital board. Breakfast may be offered in the morning, lunch in the middle of the day and dinner later in the day. The staff do not need to make changes to the menu every few hours.
Drive-Thru Displays
A drive-thru menu should be even more straightforward. The customers are sitting in a car, and occasionally are exposed to sunlight, rain, noise or a long line behind them. They should be able to read rapidly.
Digital drive-thru displays will be able to display fewer items at a time, emphasize combos, and remove unavailable products in a short amount of time. Based on time of day, they can be changed as well. This will ease hesitation and make the order process easier.
Pickup and Order Status Screens
Screen displays can be used to display order numbers, pickup status, or waiting instructions in restaurants that handle online orders and delivery apps. This minimizes customers asking employees whether their order is ready or not.
It also maintains the pickup space more relaxed and this is handy in crowded cafes and fast-food restaurants.
Promotional Screens
In other restaurants, screens are located in front of entrances, windows, waiting bays or dining tables. These displays can feature daily specials, loyalty offers, events, catering offers, or new product launches.
This kind of screen is effective in cases of simple content. People cease to listen when it has too many messages at a time.
How digital signage improves the customer experience
The customers might not even think about the screen. They simply feel whether the restaurant is simple to comprehend or not.
When the menu is readable, the prices are visible, the food photos are appetizing, and the ordering process is comfortable, customer experience will be enhanced. This does not involve any complexities. People like clarity.
Perceived wait time can be reduced by digital signage, as well. As the customers wait in line and the screen displays functional information, order numbers, product videos, or specials, the wait period will seem shorter. It provides them with something to look at, although it must not be so distracting.
The other advantage is confidence. Customers will be able to view what they are ordering. They are able to make comparisons. They will be able to see add-ons or combos without the cashier having to tell them all. This is beneficial to both parties.
The staff side is just as important
Numerous individuals discuss digital signage solely on the customer side, yet restaurant employees also gain as well.
With menu updates visible, employees will not have to repeat the same information again and again. In case of a sold-out item, it can be displayed on the screen. In case there is a promotion on, the screen is able to elaborate on it. When pickup orders are ready, the customers can look on the display rather than enquiring at the counter.
This will conserve time in minute details, but small-time savings are important in a restaurant.
The advantage is even more pronounced in the case of multi-location restaurants. Many branches can be updated by a central team on menus or promotions. Meanwhile, local changes can be made through the individual locations when necessary. This assists in maintaining the brand without having to do all updates manually.
Design is where many restaurants get it wrong
A menu is not necessarily improved by the use of a digital screen. This is among the errors made by most restaurants. They purchase the screen, stick a packed menu, put excessive animation on it and then wonder why the customers take too long to place an order.
Good design is uncomplicated. Not plain, but simple.
The font size must be big enough to be read from the customers’ actual position. Classifications must be apparent. The prices must be readily available. Photos of food must not be over-edited or too artificial. And the screen must not be filled with all of the messages that can be made simultaneously.
In the case of a restaurant menu board, less can be more. Display the major items in a clear manner. Point out only a few things. Use motion carefully. A video of an item being moved, e.g. a burger or coffee, can grab attention, however excessive movement can make the menu more difficult to read.
These are a few rules, one of the good ones is that when a customer has to study the screen too long, then the design is not working.
What to think about before choosing digital signage
Restaurants ought to seek to find out what issue they are attempting to address before installing screens. Is it the aim to minimize printing? Speed up orders? Improve menu design? Promote specials? Improve pickup orders? Operate a couple of sites at a time?
The response has an influence on the configuration.
There are only one or two screens that a small coffee shop might require above the counter. A drive-thru restaurant requires outdoor displays that are bright. A food court company might require a menu board and a promotion screen. A bigger chain might require cloud software, point of sale integration, scheduling and remote control.
Restaurants ought to consider who will update the content as well. In case the software is too complex to use, employees will shun it. Then the screen is out of date, like an old poster.
This is the reason why software is as important as hardware. The message appears on the screen but the software determines the ease with which the message can be modified.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first error is to use a normal TV in an area where a commercial display should be. A standard television can be used in certain low-usage indoor environments, although restaurants frequently need long-running screens. The screens used outdoors and drive-thru require greater resilience.
The other error is disregarding screen placement. A screen that is overly high or too small, too dim or too blocked by lighting, will not be of much use. The displays must be visible at a natural position of the customer.
The restaurants occasionally forget to refresh the content as well. An electronic display of outdated advertisements is nearer to a printed poster, since the customers require the electronic version to be up-to-date.
And last but not least, excessive content is a fact. There are menus that appear to have everything as no one wanted to take anything off. Yet customers do not require an information wall, they need swift answers.
Why this shift will continue
In numerous aspects, the food business is going digital. Already in operation in the day-to-day operations of restaurants are online ordering, delivery applications, loyalty programs, QR menus, POS systems, and kitchen display systems. Signage is also becoming a part of the same integrated system.
Screens will probably be increasingly responsive in the future. A menu can be varied according to time, weather, stock or sales trends. On hot days, a cafe may advertise iced beverages. A restaurant may also promote products that have to sell before they run out of inventory. Drive-thrus may vary offers based on peak times.
Nonetheless, despite all this technology, the essence is still quite simple. Present the correct information effectively, when it is appropriate.
That is what good digital signage for restaurants should do. Not clutter the space. Not overwork the customer. Simply streamline communication and make it more helpful.
Conclusion
The use of restaurant digital signage is on the rise due to its practicality. It assists restaurants in updating menus quicker, eliminating confusion, advertising significant items and making the ordering process smoother.
To the customers, it implies more definite options. To employees, it implies that they do not have to explain things again and again. To the owners and managers, it implies that they have greater control over the pricing, promotions and day-to-day communication.
It is not about the substitution of hospitality with screens. It would be wrong to look at it that way. People are still needed when it comes to good service. Yet screens will be able to deal with some of the repetitive data, allowing the restaurant staff to concentrate on food, speed, and customer service.
The restaurants which make good use of digital signage are not necessarily the ones with the largest screens. They are the ones that purposefully use the screens. Clearly displayed menus, proper location, helpful updates and information that really assists customers in making their decisions.
That is where restaurant digital signage earns its place.
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