It is very rare today to walk into a dining establishment and be presented with a printed menu. Most restaurants have embraced the use of digital signage due to its many advantages. Most diners have come to expect this as the norm, and they even rate the worth of a dining establishment based on its tendency to embrace this forward technology.
Besides the convenience of just ordering, advertising and entertainment, the use of digital signage in restaurants has more uses that extend beyond presenting menus in a convenient way. Digital menu boards for restaurants are just a component of the value added by digital signage to the food industry.
Other less-obvious value propositions include:
1. It’s a tool for presenting nutritional data for menu items
New FDA guidelines require restaurants and food establishments to provide caloric information for each item on the menu. These guidelines are applicable to food chains that operate using the same business name in 20 locations or more and offer the same foods on their menus.
This kind of information would be impossible to present on a static menu. If an establishment is using a static menu, this would mean having to make fresh printouts every day, sometimes even a couple of times a day.
More so, legislations change regularly due to factors such as lawsuits and health research. It therefore becomes more practical to use digital menu boards, where automatic updates about nutritional information can be made with the least amount of hassle.
For a customer, having access to caloric information will help you make healthy food choices.
2. Managing ambiance
Restaurants are defined by the mood and ambiance they create. Factors such as lighting, music and colors all serve to enhance a positive mood that improves the dining experience. Mood and ambiance can easily be created using digital signage. Some restaurants have taken full advantage of this fact by investing in multiple screens which are strategically located throughout the building to provide a suitable ambiance.
Depending on the occasion and time, the screens will display varying content to promote an upbeat, a casual or relaxed mood. During evening hours, you should expect the mood to be highly interactive and merry, and this mood is created by clips that tempt you with colorful displays of cocktails.
The success of any dining establishment is in the mood. Restaurants that have mastered the art of using digital display to create the mood experience more customer traffic per day than other food establishments.
3. Usage outside of service hours
When not catering to customers, restaurants can use their digital signage screens for other purposes. For instance, managers can pass information such as announcements, display shift change schedules, notify when cleaning and maintenance is in progress, or announce upcoming corporate events that employees need to prepare for.
A restaurant with digital signage display does not need projectors or flip charts to train its employees. Employees can simply interact with the screens, and if they want more information, they can transfer it through Bluetooth or wireless connection on their smartphones.
Based on the above, it is clear that the powerful nature of digital signage extends beyond just providing information on menus.
Sujain Thomas
About the Author:
Sujain Thomas has 4 years’ experience as a marketer. Her specialty is is designing digital menu boards for restaurants. Visit her site to learn more
Besides the convenience of just ordering, advertising and entertainment, the use of digital signage in restaurants has more uses that extend beyond presenting menus in a convenient way. Digital menu boards for restaurants are just a component of the value added by digital signage to the food industry.
Other less-obvious value propositions include:
1. It’s a tool for presenting nutritional data for menu items
New FDA guidelines require restaurants and food establishments to provide caloric information for each item on the menu. These guidelines are applicable to food chains that operate using the same business name in 20 locations or more and offer the same foods on their menus.
This kind of information would be impossible to present on a static menu. If an establishment is using a static menu, this would mean having to make fresh printouts every day, sometimes even a couple of times a day.
More so, legislations change regularly due to factors such as lawsuits and health research. It therefore becomes more practical to use digital menu boards, where automatic updates about nutritional information can be made with the least amount of hassle.
For a customer, having access to caloric information will help you make healthy food choices.
2. Managing ambiance
Restaurants are defined by the mood and ambiance they create. Factors such as lighting, music and colors all serve to enhance a positive mood that improves the dining experience. Mood and ambiance can easily be created using digital signage. Some restaurants have taken full advantage of this fact by investing in multiple screens which are strategically located throughout the building to provide a suitable ambiance.
Depending on the occasion and time, the screens will display varying content to promote an upbeat, a casual or relaxed mood. During evening hours, you should expect the mood to be highly interactive and merry, and this mood is created by clips that tempt you with colorful displays of cocktails.
The success of any dining establishment is in the mood. Restaurants that have mastered the art of using digital display to create the mood experience more customer traffic per day than other food establishments.
3. Usage outside of service hours
When not catering to customers, restaurants can use their digital signage screens for other purposes. For instance, managers can pass information such as announcements, display shift change schedules, notify when cleaning and maintenance is in progress, or announce upcoming corporate events that employees need to prepare for.
A restaurant with digital signage display does not need projectors or flip charts to train its employees. Employees can simply interact with the screens, and if they want more information, they can transfer it through Bluetooth or wireless connection on their smartphones.
Based on the above, it is clear that the powerful nature of digital signage extends beyond just providing information on menus.
Sujain ThomasAbout the Author:
Sujain Thomas has 4 years’ experience as a marketer. Her specialty is is designing digital menu boards for restaurants. Visit her site to learn more
