A digital menu board is an electronic and modern display of your menu, normally on a digital screen. They’re normally mounted to the wall so customers coming in can see the menu right from the door. Digital menu boards show customers what their options are to order before they reach cash.
It offers a host of benefits not found with static, printed menu boards.
If you still use static menu boards in your multi-unit operation, here are three of the biggest reasons to finally switch to digital menus:
1. Control Your Digital Menu Board Remotely Anytime Anywhere
In growing QSR and fast-casual restaurants, digital menu boards make managing multiple stores and locations simpler and much more efficient. Keeping messaging consistent across all locations can be a daunting and difficult task. Digital menu boards eliminate that uncertainty and display the same branding, design, and content across all stores.
Digital menu boards also make it easier to engage customers by changing price points for one or all locations through a central software system. Shining star provides the software free of charge for your digital menu board. This saves your employees time and effort in manually updating static menu boards and frees them up to focus on more important things, such as the food and the customers. You can also highlight national advertising messages to promote recollection and brand loyalty with your customers.
2. Lower Costs and Increase Restaurant Revenue
Static menu boards need to be manually updated. This requires both time and money. Printing and shipping menu boards with every season or campaign change are noteworthy costs to consider. In addition to that, there are payroll costs associated with needing an employee to install the menu boards manually. Unlike static menu boards,
digital menu boards cut down on time and money spent making menu changes.
Along with reducing the cost of printing static menu board materials and the labor to put them up, digital menu boards can help lower food costs as well. Wasted product eats away at the profitability of any restaurant. Digital menu boards help control food costs and reduce waste by allowing you to easily highlight items close to expiration,
remove items that are out of stock, and achieve a higher margin per transaction.
3. Improve the Customer Experience with Digital
Today, consumers have come to expect a digital experience. The last thing a restaurant operator wants to do is create the impression that their business is old or outdated.
Digital menu boards offer the opportunity to deliver a brand’s message in new and exciting ways. Digital menu boards are more visually appealing and easier to read than static menu boards. They engage with customers in a way they value and help you tell the story of your restaurant. You can use your digital menus to call out signature dishes
and high-margin items and to showcase your brand’s personality. Digital menu boards allow you to truly engage with your customers and put your brand on display.
4. Keep Your Business Open 24/7
A digital menu takes your restaurant outside, too. Not only can you say goodbye to the host offering menus to passersby outside your restaurant, but you also get to tell your story during off hours. Is your restaurant in a busy area? Set up an evening schedule using your digital signage software so your evening digital menu is tailored to those night owls who might be wandering by.
5. A Digital Menu is Worth a Thousand Bites
A digital menu board replaces your traditional signs and posters. It shows a more realistic expectation of what your food looks like, giving you the opportunity to draw people in and make them hungry. A digital menu gives you better control over where your customer’s eyes go. Take advantage of video and animated gifs. Entertain and educate
people waiting in line or walking by your restaurant.
Sure, a calligraphy-filled chalkboard menu looks great (if you use a great artist!), but that’s a whole lot of information to get across on a platform most found in daycares. What happens when you want to update your menu or promote a new feature? And neon fonts aren’t the easiest for everyone to read. Digital menus are bright, and clear, and allow you to make smart use of negative space, making your signage easy and fun to look at.
Take a look at the templates below, which you can customize and add to your display in less than five minutes!
With all the above-listed reasons, it’s safe to say that digital menu boards are way better compared to traditional chalkboard menus.
Reach out if you are looking for a smart digital menu board solution or have any queries regarding a digital menu board at sandy@shiningstarltd.com.
