When it comes to digital menu boards most share the same ideas on how they can use them effectively at their location. You know the ones I am talking about: price and menu changes, promotions and specials, day-parting, dynamic content, etc. Of course these are all reasonable ways to deploy your system in order to see your return on investment, however what I am going to submit to you are four other ways in which you can use a robust system to not only increase profitability but also enhance the overall customer and employee experience.
#1- Inventory Control- One of the most challenging parts of running a restaurant is managing the inventory of ingredients. This is particularly the case when you first open when you aren’t sure what is going to sell or what isn’t. There is nothing more detrimental to the bottom line than pure waste of ingredients that have surpassed their given shelf life. Shed in another light, in restaurants where the items (i.e. pizzerias) are made and put under heat lamps, ideally you can unload the vast majority by closing. Digital menu boards can help in both these cases. Take the pizzeria that closes at midnight; at 11ish the menu boards change to “Any prepared slice $1.50.” Quick service salad locations serve as a good example on how to minimize ingredient waste. If the current batch of salmon is reaching expiration, digital signage is an effective way of creatively promoting that particular topping.
#2- Price increases (not in the way you’re thinking)- When digital signage was first considered for menu boards the overwhelming value was the ability to change pricing whenever you wanted. As many companies continue to do today, thousands of dollars were/are being spent on reprints of traditional menu boards so digital was seen as a long-term money saver – which it is. Today, with the ability to integrate these systems with the POS it makes it even easier to do blanket price increases on a semi regular basis. Rather making substantial increases every year, many of our clients raise all of their prices a nickel every few months. The change is so subtle, that hardly anybody notices.
#3- Company & Community morale- “Content is King” is a phrase that you hear quite often when it comes to digital menu boards. The only problem is that a lot of the time this content is limited to food images and menu items. Utilizing the dynamic ability of a true solution you are able to touch on other areas unrelated to the food you serve and depending on how playful you want to be you can have some fun with it. A few examples that I have seen and really liked:
- If you see this guy (picture of employee) be sure to congratulate him on becoming a first-time uncle!
- Congratulations to the Cowichan Valley Capitals on their first round victory against the rival Nanaimo Clippers
- Doesn’t this place look fun? Come join us – WE’RE HIRING!
We’ve also seen employee birthday announcements, customer shout-outs to the company they’re with (“will you marry me?”) and in-memoriam pieces for local icons.
#4- Promote other marketing mediums- Much like #3 you can interrupt your “regularly scheduled broadcasting” to do some cross promoting of your other marketing mediums. Direct them to your facebook and twitter pages for special offers, tell them to submit pictures of them eating your food on Instagram for the chance of winning something, inform them of your online ordering and catering capabilities. Really, the possibilities are endless.
There are other creative ways to utilize your digital menu boards than what we have listed here. As a matter of fact, I am sure there are a lot of folks out there that are doing things that we haven’t even considered. We’d love to here them. Please leave a comment below or email us at info@origindisplays.com. | 888-235-2579
