Origin Displays Installs Digital Signage at 3 Scotto Brothers Restaurants

February 15, 2013 Long Island, NY –Origin Display Group Inc., a leading supplier of indoor, outdoor, and digital menu boards, in conjunction with Brainstorm Studio, have installed digital signs in three of the renowned Scotto Brothers Restaurants in Long Island NY.  Located in the foyers of Blackstone Steakhouse, Rare650, and Insignia Steakhouse, these displays are being used to advertise Sunday specials, holiday specials, and gift cards, as well as welcoming screens for preferred parties.

Blackstone is considered by many as Long Island’s premiere steakhouse and, true to its name, the décor is resplendent with quarried stone and rich natural wood that is lightened by chandeliers and fireplaces.  In addition to serving their meaty staples, Blackstone has their own authentic sushi chef and raw seafood bar. Visitors can also select wine from their award winning wine list.

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5 Reasons to Use a Menu Board Company for Your Menu Boards

As a person on the business development side of our company, I spend my days on the phone, meeting with people, hosting demos and webinars, replying to emails and drafting proposals – the typical day of many salespeople.  No matter what the sales approach, the ultimate goal is to sell, sell and sell some more.  I have always enjoyed sales because of the rush I get from any sale, big or small.  It is also like running your own little business without the risk.  This isn’t to say that there is no risk; I mean what use am I to the company if I am not selling anything?  Inherently, this lingering fact tends to stir up stress and frustration at times.  As a result, I’ll find myself trying new techniques, overly digesting conversations and ending up in “paralysis by analysis” mode.  [Read more...]

Origin Displays Installs Menu Boards at 3 Football Stadiums and 2 Arenas

November 27, 2012 Long Island, NY – Origin Display Group Inc., a leading supplier of indoor, outdoor, and digital menu boards, today has announced the successful installation of digital and traditional menu boards as well as graphics at a series of collegiate football stadiums and arenas.  The 6 week project included 130 menu boards, seventy-five 40” Commercial Grade LCD screens and twenty-four magnetic graphics.  These systems were integrated at the University of Kentucky, United States Naval Academy and Rutgers University.

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Menu Board Glossary – Part I

Traditional Menu Boards

Backlit- Menu boards that have light that shines through translite graphics from the back.  More and more of these types of boards are moving from florescent based lighting to LED to save energy and money.

Rail System- Many of the traditional menu board systems have a rail system for hanging.  These are especially helpful when your system has 4+ panels.  Leveling off a single light-weight rail system versus each panel individually is much easier and takes a lot less time.

Static Menu Boards- This is a synonym for “traditional menu boards.”  Magnetic, backlit, non-illuminated, illuminated, chalkboard, etc. are all examples of static menu boards.  When it comes to movement, “static” means that there is none.  Therefore, anything other than a digital or LED type menu board system could be considered static.

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How to Determine How Many Menu Boards You’ll Need

When the time has come for you to address your menu board needs there are a number of factors for you to consider.  Some may read this and think to themselves, “isn’t it just one big board?”  Well it could be, although we wouldn’t recommend that.  Having separate menu boards serves two purposes: 1- You are able to more easily categorize your menu items, and 2- It makes it much easier on your customers to find what they are looking for, thus getting them through your line quicker.  Another reason for avoiding one large board is because of the initial shipping costs and ongoing maintenance.  Unlike smaller, modular menu boards, a larger panel would have to be shipped via freight carrier.  Inevitably the cost is greater.  Now consider if you had to make changes to your menu items or pricing in the future.  Would you rather replace the entire, large board or a small piece of a menu system?

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Menu Insights from Quick Serve to Sit-Down

Today we are going to borrow some great information from my home and native land and the great white north. Our friends at Restaurant Central are  Canada’s version of QSR Magazine, Fast Casual Magazine, etc. They offer news and trends for all verticals of the restaurant industry. I spent some time on the blog section of their site and found four submissions that are particularly relevant to our customers. Everyone’s goal in business is to make money. The following four blog posts will help you address your menu and offer ways to increase profitability. These posts also make suggestions that will help you avoid the pitfalls that many owners find themselves in. Whether you own a quick service restaurant, fast casual or dine-in, the development of an optimal menu is equally important.

Should you not have the time to read all of these in one sitting, I would suggest bookmarking this blog. My hope is that me telling you that these entries will help you make/save money will be enough to catch your attention.

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4 Lived and Learned Menu Board Experiences

Living and learning from experiences are a part of everyone’s life.  Even my father who “jokingly” claims that he is right 90% of the time allows himself 10% room for error. It is simply a fact of life - no matter how much or how little thought you put into something, there is always that possibility that it doesn’t work out the way you expect.  Shed in another light, there are instances when people choose to duplicate actions they have done in the past because the result was exactly what they had hoped and expected. This is usually done in blind faith without considering what other options may be available to them.  In each scenario, we have come across instances that we have been able to rectify and/or guide in a more effective way. The purpose of this blog isn’t to pound our chests but to point out goings-on that we see all the time goings-on that you would probably like to avoid.  The following four situations have come up in the last 2 months.

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Random Menu Board Thoughts

As I sit here on a crisp Friday morning trying to collect and organize my thoughts for this very blog I have quickly realized that I can’t.  I have some random thoughts going through my head about menu boards, drive-thrus, digital menu boards, and design but I cannot seem to put together enough about any one of them to write an entire blog about it.  So what is a guy to do?  (Insert light bulb over my head.)  I have decided that this week I am going to touch on an array of unrelated topics.  I think this should turn out to be useful information, but I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.  Here goes nothing…

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10 Ways to Increase Your Bottom Line in 2013

2013 is upon us; the time of year where people analyze their lives and make resolutions.  People become reinvigorated and a sense of motivation fills the air… for about a week.  As for businesses, many take the New Year to take a look at the past and plan for the future.  Here at Origin Displays we have our own laundry list of items to tackle in hopes of reaching that allusive “next level.”  One of our habits that we agreed to continue was our blogging.  Not only do we enjoy passing along our knowledge to our readers but it also forces us to stay on top of the industry, keeping us keenly aware.

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Year End Industry News

With us all but ready to tie the bow on another year, I thought I would scour the Internet looking for interesting articles to get the expert’s take on 2012 and what they expect in 2013.  In fairness, it didn’t take too long to find four articles that I found compelling and definitely worth the read.  If you have read any of my blogs by now then you already know they are very opinion based (what a blog is in its essence).  Anyways, we all form our opinions in a variety of ways and I challenge you to read these articles and take a stance on what the “experts” are projecting.  Do you agree? Disagree? Do you have something to add?  Let us know!

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