There tends to be a decent chuck of time that passes from when you begin to think about a new menu board system until the time it is ready to ship. You have to identify the company, the product, get the design done, revised and then ultimately approved. They it hits the production queue and waits until it is ready to get manufactured and assembled. In most cases, you’re looking at 4-6 weeks depending on product type and scope of product. 
Why do I bring this up? Well because as you can see, you have ample time to prepare for your install, however a lot of people don’t. A week or two after shipping the product (which we’re often told was needed “yesterday”) we’ll call to check in to make sure everything arrived in good standing only to find out that it is still sitting in the crate or boxes because the concrete isn’t poured, or the wall isn’t painted or…. To prevent this, there are five areas that you can address in the 4-6 weeks you are waiting for your signage to arrive.
1- Make sure the power is in place
This takes on a different look for different products. For digital signage, you’ll need an outlet for each monitor and media player placed in the general area of where the screens will be. For drive-thrus, the conduit will have to be run to where the base of the sign will reside. Once the sign arrives, you can run the electrical wire through that conduit and connect it to a switch inside; often directly on the breaker. Your illuminated menu boards depend; some can be daisy chained and some have individual transformers. You should find this out ahead of time.
2- Find the know-how
Of the products we provide, we get involved in the install only some of the time. There are a handful of reasons for this. For example, the customer already has a GC on-site, the customer has the expertise themselves, or they have a “friend” that can do it for next-to-nothing. For some simple Z-bracket type of installs there isn’t a ton of knowledge that is required. However when it comes to drive-thru menu boards and digital signage you’ll want to make sure you have someone with the know-how, assuring the job is done correct.
3- Identify the area
Sometimes the area identifies itself. You have a counter with an open soffit above you- pretty obvious. When you head outside and are looking to add a drive-thru, specifically to a location that has never had one, there is a lot more thought that has to go in to it. How many cars do you want to queue up? At what angle should the sign be place for the best site-line? Do you have room for a speaker post or does the speaker and mic have to be on-board the menu board? These are things to consider.
4- Mark the studs or rafters – put the anchors in place
Now that you have identified the general area, make it easier on yourself for when the items arrive and mark where the studs are in the wall, ribbon or mark the rafter where you’ll bring down the chain, cable or ceiling mount. For the drive-thru, grab the bolt pattern from the supplying company so the concrete and anchors are ready to accommodate the menu board.
5- Best time of day
This is more applicable to existing locations. Nobody wants to shut down operations to erect some new menu boards. The time it takes to install the signs ultimately depends on how many you receive. It can be tricky to evaluate how much time to allot but we always suggest overestimating. Most installation companies are willing to do it during off hours but you’ll pay a premium for this type of service. If you can operate while the switch is made then this is a non-issue.
Bonus- Get approval / permits
For the most part, township approvals and permits are only required for drive-thru menu boards. There is other signage such as your road-side sign that would require a permit as well but as far as menu board items the drive-thru is it. Collect the appropriate drawings so that you can present them to the local board or city office.
We’ve named five ways to prepare for your installation. Can you think of anymore? If so, please leave a comment below. You would be helping everyone. info@origindisplays.com | 888-235-2579
