Restaurant menu boards are in need of an update. With the transition to digital menu boards within many leading quick service and fast casual brands, the industry is reaching a turning point for mass adoption. Many restaurants are still relying on printed menus in light boxes or stand-alone chalkboards outside the front door, and the ways in which restaurants present their menus to consumers have not widely been adjusted to engage modern consumers. While some restaurants display simple menu boards that align with their identity and brand, this approach does not meet the needs of the high-traffic and promotion-driven world of quick service and fast casual restaurants. To meet the daily demands of managing menu content and commanding the attention of today’s consumers, more QSR brands are making the switch to digital menu boards. For many restaurant brands, once they start the process they end up going completely digital due to the significant benefits offered by digital menu boards. To understand some of the driving forces behind the adoption of digital menu boards, let’s examine 3 ways that digital menu boards are better than static menu boards.
With the vivid, high-definition graphics of digital menu boards, restaurant brands can create menus that display and showcase their menu in ways that could never be accomplished with static menu boards. Digital menu boards, for example, can deliver video-based content that takes the visual experience to a new level. Rather than a static image of a combo meal, brands can show the condensation drip down a cold soda, for example. For outdoor digital menu boards in the QSR drive-thru, this presents a new, engaging experience that replicates the welcoming atmosphere of the indoor ordering experience.
Displaying menu items in new creative ways increases your suggestive selling capabilities, but digital menu boards go beyond this with high-level customization. With DMBs, you can tailor menu board content by location, season, and day part. As restaurant brands and franchisees grow and expand, this level of customization is absolutely essential. Not only do geographical locations present different tastes and preferences, but specific day parts represent specific consumer preferences. Adjusting your menu board content for day parts, for example, instantly gives restaurants more visual real estate. When a certain day part is done, such as breakfast, your menu boards can reflect this change and give more space to your lunch menu. The ability to adjust your menu board content for these changing needs is the next step in engaging modern consumers with your QSR restaurant signage.
A Content Management System is what makes all the magic possible for digital menu boards. When menu items need to be added or removed, changes can be made and synced across all restaurant locations or a subset of locations in a matter of minutes. This level of content control allows restaurants to execute Limited Time Offers (LTOs) in unprecedented ways. For example, Xenial’s digital menu boards are easily managed through a web-based portal that includes restaurant hierarchies and user permissions. This allows brands to give operators more control within brand-defined guidelines as to when menus are updated for LTOs. With this level of control, restaurants avoid guest frustration by not offering food they’ve run out of and reduce waste by not removing menu items before the product is depleted. Brands establish and enforce their standards while still allowing a level of control for restaurant operators. Crew members and guests avoid the frustration of running out of food that’s still on the menu.
As a data-driven signage solution, Xenial menu boards employ a scalable data framework, business rules, and advanced suggestive selling functionality to create dynamic digital experiences that grow engagement and sales inside and outside the restaurant.
