Gone are the days of pulling out the phone book, looking through the yellow pages and trying to find what you are looking for. The masses are taking to yahoo, bing and mostly Google to search for the goods, services or information they want. When it comes to menu boards and all other ancillary signage this process can be both easy and difficult. Why is that the case? [Read more...]
Tips for Online Menu Board Searches
Menu Board Customization Helps Differentiate
Selecting a menu board system to meet your needs can become a frustrating process. With more and more options becoming available it could be overwhelming. Personally, I am all about variety being the “spice of life,” but let’s face it, sometimes it just makes it easier when there are less considerations to make; like what cable company to go with. [Read more...]
Going Cheap Usually Isn’t Your Best Interest
Do you have anything cheaper? Is that the best you can do? Do you have any refurbished or used an equipment? Can you send me an email with all of this information and do a little bit better on the price for me? I can go on and on with these types of quips that we get from prospective clients. Heck, I do the same thing when I am out and about acting the role of consumer. After all, it is in everybody’s best interest to get quality at a reasonable price. The operative word in this case is, QUALITY. It is one thing if someone is committed to the purchase but is looking to haggle on price. It is something completely different if someone is just looking for CHEAP. [Read more...]
Avoid Sticker Shock When Buying Menu Boards
It happens all the time when you go to buy something online, over the phone or from something you see on TV. You know, when “you can get all this for $99.99.” Well then tack on taxes, surcharges, shipping and handling (S&H) and next thing you know it is almost double. Then there are those “deals” that require credit checks. I probably don’t have to tell you but if your report doesn’t come back sparkling you won’t be getting that car for a “low monthly payment of $199.” [Read more...]
Menu Boards, Etc: Uncommon Questions That Should Be Asked
What I am about to talk about isn’t unique to the menu board industry; it is done time after time when making purchasing decisions. Assumptions are made based on things you have read, seen or heard, but the personal experiences aren’t known until the process is complete. Unlike buying a loaf of bread or a new pair of shoes, buying a menu board, drive-thru, communications, or digital signage system is either a first-time occurrence or something done rather infrequently. [Read more...]
Menu Board Examples & Their Lack of Purpose
The title that you read above may be a little too aggressive. To be clear, I am not suggesting that menu board examples serve NO purpose. In fact they can be helpful when trying to get the creative juices going and for you to envision how something would look in your location. After all, how else would you be able to see if something will work for you other than by ordering a system sight-unseen? The instances that I am referring to are those where the consumer has seen examples but want more; usually by going to see something in person or through additional layouts that are specific to their niche (i.e. Pizza, Ice Cream, etc). [Read more...]
Monitor & Media Player Combined? Not So Fast…
The majority of digital signage installs that you walk across are comprised of three main components: 1- The monitor/screen, 2- media player and 3- software. However in the last couple of years, LG and Samsung come to mind as providers that have attempted to circumvent the traditional set up with “all-in-one” options. What they have promised is ease of use, and lower start-up costs. Depending on what you are looking for, this couldn’t be further from the truth. [Read more...]
Summer is Here! Adjust Your Signage Accordingly
Your menu boards have been designed, produced and delivered. They are the shiny new object for your restaurant. Days turn in to weeks, weeks turn in to months and sometimes those months, they become years. Over the course of time the menu boards get dusty, stickers are placed over prices, and the strips become sparse. [Read more...]
Digital Signage for Non-QSR Restaurants
Over the course of the last handful of years the digital signage industry has grown immensely. It still remains a mixed bag of true solutions and pretenders. The ability to sift between the two becomes more difficult by the day. People will often skip to the bottom line and quickly cast a side functionality for a lesser cost and lip-service from a salesperson- “of course you can change your content easily.” With that said, I’m not here to talk about the companies that provide digital signage, nor where these systems are popping up. What I’m going to discuss is a relatively untapped segment where we’ve seen the most impressive impact. After reading this blog my my assumption is that your thoughts will be the same as mine, it’s a no-brainer. [Read more...]
Recent Goings-On in the QSR Industry
In order to help you stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the restaurant industry, we have dedicated this week’s blog to scouring the QSR Magazine, Fast Casual Magazine and Digital Signage Today’s of the world to provide you with what we see as some of the most interesting and recent industry news. A lot of times, reading articles like the ones below can help take your mind to areas you had never considered for your own concept. Take a read, our hope is that you’ll get some takeaways. [Read more...]