Menu Board Costs Defined

Not too long ago I was approached by a gentleman who was interested in some custom menu boards. Each panel would have been larger then what most would consider a standard size. We have a wood frame option but he wanted double the width on it, the stain was to be different from what our stock options would be, he wanted lug-ons for headers and a tilted wall mount. For the record, all of this is VERY doable.  After taking this all in to consideration, I gave him a ballpark idea on price.  His budget was almost half of the price I provided. [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...]

Menu Boards: Functionality Versus Budget

For a moment, imagine drawing a graph with “Functionality” on the Y axis and “Budget” on the X axis.  From the bottom heading north on the Y would be a list of menu board capabilities and functions that continues to grow.  Clumped within would be a series of menu board systems that could accommodate the capabilities.  Along the X would be dollar amounts starting at say $250 (per panel) that increases as you venture right.  The “Functionality-Budget”  line would be drawn on a 45 degree angle from the corner of the Y and X axis point. [Read more...]

4 Less Talked About Effective Uses of Digital Signage

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. [Read more...]

Custom Menu Boards Becoming New Standard

Over time, menu board companies have designed and produced systems that they felt the market was looking for.  A lot of times the “next big thing” was simply an iteration on something that previously existed and if something stuck it became a member of the standard product line.  In some of these instances we have actually seen blatant re-engineering of products that were flourishing; Stainless steel panels with magnetic graphics come to mind.  These panels were all the rage between 2005-2008.  However, like many other systems they slid back in to “just another option” territory as time passed.

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Menu Boards & the Lost Art of Loyalty

You may have read the title and thought to yourself, “this guy is about to unload some sour grapes on us.”  Well you’d be incorrect, in fact it’s quite the contrary. [Read more...]

Digital Signage Monthly Fees & What it Gets You

The dreaded monthly fee;  the chief concern when it comes to digital signage for some.  When it comes to pricing, it isn’t uncommon for this to be the first questions asked, “are there any monthly fees?”  I am not here to tell you that the only viable and true solutions are those that carry monthly fees, not at all.  In fact, there are file management-type systems that should be used for those who make changes “once in a blue moon” or for those with the internal manpower to manage a network and content on a day-to-day basis (although in this situation just keep in mind that companies are not paying a monthly fee but are paying a human being instead- guessing it is more too!). [Read more...]

A “Costly” Menu Board Mistake

A lot of the conversations start the same; “hi, I am looking for an idea on cost for digital menu boards. “Well of course the chat continues on to determine their particulars, budget and most importantly their objectives. The twist in a lot of these instances is when the price is presented for a system that checks off all of what they are looking for.

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