In this article, we will look at two main aspects of the application of digital menu boards. First, what are the costs, and second, lessons from an example of an installation for a large restaurant chain.
Professional digital menu boards: what are they and what is their cost?
Digital menu boards are taking over the restaurant world, and for good reason. In the digital age, companies are looking to reach their customers with digital content and provide better services. And it’s not just restaurant owners who want more digital board menus, they’re preferred by customers. 74% of diners to fast food restaurants say that effective display of menu is their top priority. If you’ve noticed a steady increase in the number of establishments updating their menu boards, and want to experience excitement, but you are confused by the cost of digital menu boards, this article will help to develop your doubts.
how digital menu board add value to restaurants and cafe service
Cafes, canteens, fast food restaurants and coffee houses use electronic menu boards both outdoors and indoors to display menus to patrons.
But the benefits of digital menu boards go way beyond just displaying menus.
They can be a tool to enhance your restaurant menu by capturing attention, implementing marketing strategies, localizing the message, dynamic customer interaction, displaying different types of content, and more.
Even with all the proven benefits of digital menu boards in restaurants, you may still feel unfamiliar with the technology and wonder if the investment is worth it. You probably have questions, for example, will you end up with remorse, blaming yourself for the unreasonable purchase? Our answer is a resounding no.
You get what you paid for
Prices for professional digital menu boards are high for a good reason. You don’t just pay for a new menu, you pay for all the long-term benefits, dynamic features, professional support and warranty.
For example: Let’s say you have a coffee shop that uses free software to display menus on a regular TV instead of buying a professional-grade digital menu board. Of course, there is an appeal to this life hack, especially if you are a new establishment trying to minimize costs where possible.
While this seems like a useful alternative that works for some businesses when they are just starting out, we do not recommend it as a long-term solution for digital menu boards.
This is because in the end you get what you pay for. menu board, DIY is good until it breaks, and when you use it around the clock, you’re bound to run into crashes and other technical issues that will delay customer service and make them dissatisfied.
This is not to say that professional digital menu boards never have technical problems.
But if you invest in professional digital menu boards, problems are much less frequent, and you get 24/7 manufacturer support with an extended warranty. You also get a high quality product designed for commercial use as opposed to a consumer TV or computer monitor. You get what you pay for with professional digital menu boards, so the final cost includes the value of what you pay for.
But this is just one example.
The same concept applies to any restaurant equipment. If you compare digital menu boards to traditional menu boards, you can see the many immediate and long-term benefits of investing in digital menu boards.
One obvious benefit is the convenience of not having to retype a new menu each time it changes. Static menu boards don’t offer many options for targeted messages or any dynamic features, whereas digital menus have advanced software that comes with graphic templates, a media player with built-in content storage, a content remote control system, additional features, and more.
High payback
As the popularity of digital menu boards has increased, it has become possible to collect significant statistics to see how digital menu boards can actually bring financial value to a business and provide a return on investment. And researchers have found a lot of evidence supporting the positive conclusion in favor of digital menu boards.
Sales
Diners tend to view digital content on a restaurant menu when ordering and find it influences their decision making. Digital menu boards open up more upsell opportunities and actually speed up service.
Promotion
Digital menu boards allow you to advertise specials of the day, seasonal products, new menu items, healthy eating information, etc. In fact, almost 30% of customers believe that digital menu boards have some impact when ordering.
Also, advertising is much easier with digital screens than with a traditional menu because the content management system allows you to make instant changes to the digital content you display. No more waiting for a new menu to be printed when you need to change something.
Improving the quality of visitor service
The restaurant’s convenient and fast customer service encourages them to come back again and again, and there is reason to believe that digital menu boards play an important role in creating such a positive customer experience.
One example is the feeling of shorter queue times that customers experience with digital displays. Especially if the screen shows exciting content that entertains customers while they wait in line, who tend to associate your restaurant with faster service.
Faster service
Not only do digital menu boards affect perceived wait times, they actually help your restaurant provide a much faster service experience. Whether you’re a fast food restaurant or not, an easy-to-read and accessible menu allows customers to make decisions faster, reducing waiting times for those queuing.
Smart marketing
Once you invest in a digital menu board, there are so many opportunities to target messages and personalize offers. Many restaurants implement features that use content to target customers who typically arrive at certain times of the day, based on region, time of year, weather, or even target customers when they order.
The benefits outweigh the cost
Depending on how much you’re used to spending on your business, a digital menu board may or may not seem expensive. For some, investing in a game-changing product like a digital menu board is easy, but we understand that not everyone is in the same boat. But the bottom line is that the benefits of investing in a digital menu board far outweigh the amount of money spent on it, and it’s a more cost-effective product than traditional menus.
You may feel like you’re spending a lot of money when you decide to buy one for your restaurant, but digital menu boards are more than worth the money you spend on them.
Installing outdoor digital menu boards are ideal for quick service restaurants (QSRs) that need to improve customer service.
Advances in outdoor display technology have led to the creation of digital menu boards that dramatically improve the customer experience and deliver high ROI in fast food restaurants.
Content management software offers more responsiveness, flexibility and customization options for displaying digital content. The ability to display menu items with a design that matches the brand of the restaurant, is a huge improvement over the limited customization options of traditional menu boards.
Centralized content management systems give businesses the ability to quickly and easily update digital menu items based on inventory, price changes, new promotions, and more. They allow businesses to display menus and promotions based on the time of day. Restaurants can target and change content in real time based on who arrives at what time of day and automate the menu that should be displayed at that time.
Digital Signage is an ideal choice for companies that care about image, development and efficiency. The new technology used to create professional digital menu boards is designed to be more energy efficient than traditional light-boxes, as they are designed to last longer with minimal power consumption. The technology allows you to reduce energy costs.
McDonald’s Installed Digital Menu Boards
What We Learned When McDonald's Installed Over 5,500 Digital Menu Boards
Back in 2018, it was big news in the industry when McDonald installed thousands of new digital menu boards. Within almost two years, digital menu boards were installed, both indoors and outdoors, it was a huge change.
Read to the end to find out what happened in the end and what became clear.
Why did McDonald restaurants switch to outdoor digital menu boards?
McDonald is a leader in its industry, so its no wonder they are constantly introducing new technologies that improve the quality of their service. The company has installed thousands of outdoor digital menu boards that are ideal for quick service
restaurants (QSRs) that need to improve customer service. Advances in outdoor display technology have led to the creation of digital menu boards that
dramatically improve the customer experience and deliver high ROI in fast food restaurants.
Content management software offers more responsiveness, flexibility and customization options for displaying digital content. The ability to display menu items with a design that matches the brand of the restaurant, is a huge improvement over the limited customization options of traditional menu boards.
Centralized content management systems give businesses the ability to quickly and easily update digital menu items based on inventory, price changes, new promotions, and more.
Digital Signage is an ideal choice for companies that care about image, development and efficiency. The new technology used to create professional digital menu boards is designed to be more energy efficient than traditional light-boxes, as they are designed to last longer with minimal power consumption. The technology allows you to reduce energy costs. Content management software allows businesses to
display menus and promotions based on the time of day. Restaurants can target and change content in real time based on who arrives at what time of the day and automate the menu that should be displayed at that time.
As a result of such a large-scale project, it became clear that the rollout of digital menus in McDonald chain restaurants was the beginning of a broader shift in the digital signage industry, which means that such solutions will be in great demand in the coming years.
We, at Digital Signage Today, have all the necessary knowledge, experience and competencies to implement projects of any scale, from installing one digital menu board in a small coffee shop, to creating a centralized management system wherever they are.
tell us about your Digital Signage project and we’ll implement it together!
