Table of Contents
Digital menu boards are becoming more common in restaurants and grocery stores. This article will help you understand how they work, which is a necessary step before using one at your location. You’ll also find tips on creating an effective digital signage strategy for your business.
The “digital menu boards for restaurants” is a new way to advertise your restaurant or grocery store. The digital menu boards are easy to use and can be customized in many ways.
Menu items, prices, and photos are shown on digital menu boards, which are electronic displays. Overhead displays, kiosks, and wall-mounted screens are just a few examples. Quick-service restaurants, coffee shops, grocers, delis, and food halls all use digital menu boards. These displays may also be modified to display video, instructions, weather, or entertainment.
Nutritional information, current specials, new goods, and information that helps consumers navigate your business may all be shown on digital menu displays in a simple, high-impact fashion. The displays themselves are expensive, ranging from $325 to $1,400, while software costs as little as $20 each month.
Setting up digital menu boards and displays has never been simpler thanks to advancements in smart TVs and streaming devices. If you’re considering adding any to your store, here’s how to go about it:
1. Gather your tools
In recent years, televisions and media players have gone a long way, and most small restaurants and businesses can simply put up a digital display system. All you’ll need is a screen, a digital signage player that’s compatible, mounting hardware, and connections to bring everything together.
Screens
Smart TVs are used by the majority of digital menu boards. LCD or LED displays will work; the only need is that the screens have HDMI connections, since most digital sign players connect through HDMI. It’s totally up to you how many displays you’ll need. The size of your menu, what you want to show, and how much space you have will all influence this. Check out a nearby McDonald’s for a comparison; you’ll normally find four to six screens there. However, your local coffee shop may just have one or two.
Projectors are used in certain large-scale, wall-size displays. You should not DIY the installation if you want signs that are bigger than conventional television sizes or if you want to project signs onto glass. Instead, have a look at our list of service providers below.
Player of Digital Signs
A digital signage player is required to convert a television into a digital menu board. These are little boxes that look like a Roku or an AppleTV. Many firms that specialize in digital signage have their own signage players. Frequently, the cost is included in your monthly price, or you will pay in advance. Alternatively, numerous cloud-based digital signage solutions, such as SignPresenter, ScreenCloud, and Xogo, use Amazon FireSticks, which cost around $40 apiece. Each menu screen will need a digital sign player.
You can use a thumb drive containing your menu picture instead of a digital sign player for an extremely low-cost digital menu board. To use the drive, make sure your television has a USB port. Some menu design tools, like as DSMenu, provide free menu design templates to basic USB users. If you’re on a limited budget, this is the most cost-effective option. Your menus will be restricted to static pictures, however this may not be an issue for genuinely tiny businesses.
What If I Told You…
According to many studies, the cost of digital displays is well worth the increase to your company. According to a Nielsen poll, 80 percent of grocery shops that implemented digital signage saw a 33 percent boost in sales. According to another survey, digital displays enhanced client engagement for 64% of retail enterprises. The average transaction rises by 29.5 percent when using digital signage.
Peripherals
To install your TVs, you’ll need mounting hardware as well as relevant connection cords. To guarantee that your digital signs never lose connection, you may require internet signal boosters, routers, or wireless access points, depending on your layout and other cloud-based technologies.
2. Selecting Software
You can’t go wrong with one of the various software alternatives that run on a Firestick or USB flash drive for the most basic, do-it-yourself menu boards. SignPresenter and ScreenCloud are two popular choices with an easy-to-use, cloud-based design interface and a number of pre-loaded themes. DSMenu’s free design tools may be used to create basic, static menu pictures for anyone who utilize a simple USB disk configuration (dynamic menus with animated functions require an annual subscription).
The majority of digital sign software suppliers cater to a wide range of businesses, from restaurants to doctors’ offices. However, a select handful focus on specialized businesses, such as real estate, or display types, such as large-scale video walls or outdoor digital displays.
Providers of Digital Display
3. Make Playlists and Menus
You may submit your own photographs, menus, and other information to the program if you have design knowledge or have a designer working for you to produce menus and other material for your digital menu. Most digital signage solutions, on the other hand, feature a library of photos and content widgets to let you generate dynamic graphics, animations, and even films to animate your displays.
If you don’t have the administrative resources to create your own displays, you could want to use a platform like Reach, which offers design services to subscribers. Alternatively, you may engage a Fiverr freelance designer to build reusable templates.
Choose which media to show.
Most digital sign players provide a variety of content widgets. You may show trivia questions, films, weather forecasts, and maps to nearby attractions in waiting rooms or bars, in addition to basic menus. You may show a single static picture or create a playlist with numerous images that cycle through current specials, deals, or other promotions.
Customers are alerted to specials or new goods via digital displays at grocery shops. (Photo courtesy of Enplug)
For take-out clients, computerized menus are used at coffee shops, diners, delis, and other brick-and-mortar restaurants to show food, pricing, nutritional information, food images, and order status. (Photo courtesy of ScreenCloud)
Digital menu boards are used by multi-location restaurants to keep all of their locations on the same page. Restaurant companies with many locations may consolidate their digital signage operations by connecting digital menu boards with their point-of-sale (POS) system. This ensures that all locations have the same information. (Photo courtesy of Next Restaurants)
Digital screens are a natural match for hotels. They may promote happy hours in their bars, welcome conferences, provide the location of the conference space, and provide check-out timings. Local attractions and weather forecasts may also be shown on digital screens. (Photo credit: Reach)
Spas, gyms, salons, and other service-based businesses can simply adjust pricing for holidays, advertise popular bundles, and highlight vital services and prices on a digital display. (Photo courtesy of LobbyTV)
Realtors might use an eye-catching, street-facing window display to show off available homes to potential buyers. (Photo courtesy of LED Window Display)
A digital display board may be used by retailers to advertise bargains or to display size and fit information. Customers may buy right now or get additional information by scanning a QR code. (Photo courtesy of ScreenCloud)
Repair services, car accessory packages, and weekend or holiday promotions are all things that auto dealerships may promote. (Photo courtesy of the Digital Dealership System)
Scanning QR codes on display screens at grocery shops, delis, and other counter-service merchants may position clients in an order line. (Image courtesy of Ombori)
Customers may watch social media feeds or other forms of entertainment while waiting at a business with a waiting room. (Photo courtesy of Xogo)
A digital display put in a waiting room in a healthcare facility may indicate predicted wait times for patients or give essential information. (Photo courtesy of Enplug)
Recognize Menu Styles
The benefit of a digital menu board is that you can use vibrant colors and eye-catching images to draw in consumers and lead them through your menu. Various menu styles may be ideal depending on your service style and company type. These are some of our personal favorites.
4. Install Your Display
You’re ready to attach your displays to the wall now that you’ve got your hardware. Before you get out your level and power drill, decide where you want your screens to go. Sure, you want your digital menus to be visible to your clients in high-traffic locations. However, there are a couple other factors to think about.
Locate the Perfect Location
Your digital menu boards should be put in the following locations, in addition to being in a customer-facing location:
- Electrical outlets are close by. You’ll need to plug in your displays (and maybe your sign player) to for them to work. Screens should be placed within 3-6 feet of a grounded wall outlet.
- When you’re near a Wi-Fi signal, you’re in luck. This will not be a problem if you use a USB thumb drive. However, the majority of digital signage providers use the cloud. You’ll need a reliable internet connection to guarantee that your content appears on your screens consistently.
- Away from the spotlight. Glare from light fixtures and windows may generate glare on your displays. Purchase anti-glare displays, move light fixtures, or alter the angle of your panels to minimize this.
- Away from water and heat. Restaurants and other service organizations should keep an eye on the temperature around their television sets. There’s also the issue of water and steam.
- In a solid structure. The most sturdy arrangement is to mount your screen to wall studs. It’s also possible to use brick or concrete (though it may require specialized tools).
Mounting your screens from a ceiling or soffit may make the most sense for your shop’s layout. Poles that connect to the floor and ceiling could be the best option for window displays. The slideshow below depicts numerous mounting choices to assist you in making the best decision for your company.
Call an electrician to connect a new plug if your screen is more than 6 feet from an electrical outlet. You may be tempted to use extension cables, but this may provide a fire danger as well as a trip hazard.
When Should You Hire Professionals?
Smart TVs are becoming lighter with each passing year, but they are still pricey, delicate devices that may cause serious harm if dropped. Call a qualified expert if you are even the smallest bit concerned about installing screens yourself. If you purchase your screens from a big-box store like Best Buy or Home Depot, you may utilize their recommendation services to locate a local, independent installer. You may need to shop around for more intricate, ceiling-hung installations since these providers prefer to specialize on simple wall-hanging installations.
Local installation specialists may be found at stores like Home Depot. (Photo courtesy of Home Depot)
Professional installation is available for a price from all of the large-scale digital sign systems, including as Samsung, Peerless AV, and WindowAgent. The cost of your installation will vary based on its intricacy. It is critical to confirm that your experts are licensed and insured when selecting a professional installation. Using an unauthorized installation might jeopardize your lease or liability insurance, as well as invalidate hardware warranties.
Costs of a Digital Menu Board
There are clearly a variety of expenses connected with digital menu boards. For a single digital menu board with all of its essential components, most small companies may expect to spend between $400 and $1,700. The most significant pricing difference is according to the kind of screen you choose. Your setup will be more expensive if your TVs are bigger and have a better resolution.
When acquiring digital menu boards and accompanying software, keep the following in mind:
- A media player’s price varies greatly based on the brand, amount of memory, and whether you buy it directly from the supplier or via a third party; prices range from $40 to $300 per. In most circumstances, each screen will need one media player.
- Screens: Prices vary based on the manufacturer, specs such as LCD or LED, size, and volume discounts; prices for 43-inch to 65-inch screens range from $325 to $1,400 apiece.
- Software: Cloud-based software has a monthly subscription, and some of them need a contract; average pricing per screen vary from $8 to $30 per month. Free basic memberships are available on several platforms that appeal to small enterprises.
- Mounting gear is required, and costs vary from roughly $30 for a simple flat wall mount to $550 for a complicated ceiling setup. Antennas and mobile access points cost $50 to $350 per if you need to improve your Wi-Fi signal.
- Installation charges might range from $300 to over $1,500, depending on the intricacy of your setup and whether or not you need to connect additional electrical outlets.
Digital signage may be a cost-effective update from your current paper or plastic sign solution. It might be a significant expense if you’re furnishing your area with several displays. A full-scale, multi-screen restaurant installation costs roughly $12,000 on average. Many small firms, on the other hand, discover that their systems pay for themselves in as little as 12 to 18 months. This makes sense since you’ll save money on printing and design services while also increasing your upsell opportunities.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Digital Menu Boards
When it comes to the advantages and disadvantages of digital menu boards, the advantages swiftly outnumber the disadvantages. A digital menu board may boost sales, is more handy, and allows you to simply show calorie counts, which is necessary in certain circumstances. Yes, it is more expensive than print, but it is an investment that will most certainly pay for itself within a year.
The following are some of the advantages of turning green and adopting a digital menu board:
- Increase sales: After installing digital signs, the vast majority of small companies (over 80%) saw an increase in sales.
- Customer engagement: According to 64 percent of merchants that employ digital signage, their customers are more engaged, with enhanced branding, shorter perceived wait times, and fewer walkouts.
- Convenience: Printed menu boards are tough to modify, and there’s also the time issue to consider; with a digital menu, you can change it as frequently as you want, and it’s as simple as filling out online forms.
- Save time by switching menus, ordering meals, and waiting for them to be delivered.
- Nutritional information: With a digital menu board, it’s much simpler to show nutritional information on your food menus; you won’t have to reprint a menu with the new calorie count if you make any modifications to a menu item.
There are less drawbacks to using a digital menu board, such as:
- Cost: To get started with digital menu boards, you’ll need to invest a significant sum on televisions, monitors, and media players, as well as pay a monthly cost. You’ll also need to employ expertise if you want quality images or graphics.
- Outages: If your internet connection goes down, your menus will be unavailable; it’s a good idea to have a mobile hot spot on hand as a backup, although this may incur additional expenses.
Conclusion
Customers may be enticed to interact with your restaurant, retail shop, or other company by using a digital menu board. These boards are simple to utilize and a less expensive alternative to static menus, directories, maps, and in-store advertising that you may already use. Digital displays not only add a touch of class to your establishment, but they’ve also been found to enhance sales and client loyalty. You may choose from a variety of stand-alone options or link with your existing POS system.
Digital menu boards are a great way to help your customers navigate through your restaurant or grocery store. With digital menus, it is easy to update and change prices at any time. Reference: digital bar menu.
Related Tags
- how to make digital menu boards free
- digital menu board ideas
- fast food digital menu boards
- free digital restaurant menu software
- menu screen tv display
