Digital Menu Boards: The First Taste is With the Eye

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? And which do you think your customers would prefer—a tantalizing, realistic image of what’s on your menu, or a text description. Face it, even if you are a maestro with adjectives, images win the promotion game.

Digital menu boards are quickly replacing traditional versions, and that’s because the technology to create them has become affordable for just about everybody. You don’t have to possess an advanced degree in psychology to know that showing people what they want helps them make buying decisions. Multiply that many times over when you turn an image into a delicious video. Here are the main benefits showing why digital menu boards for your restaurant are amazing revenue generators.

Seeing is believing

Sure, the chalkboard with the cool calligraphy and original art is an attention-getter. And you’ve got somebody on staff who can do that for you whenever you need to make any changes. No? Well, good luck with that.

These are attention-getters, but you’ve got to go big with what you put up there so everybody can see it. Does your entire menu fit? What about any specials you’re offering? Do you replace the entire chalkboard when you switch from lunch to dinner?

They’re attention-getting, but shouldn’t the attention be on your offerings? Digital menus are bright and clear. High-resolution images or video of the food show people exactly what they can order and inspires them to order it. You control what they see and when they see it, while boosting engagement and receipts.

Massive time-saver

Digital menu boards do away with all of the time and effort you have to put into physically changing signage. You no longer have to worry about frustrated customers who ordered something from a menu board that shouldn’t have been up and offering things you aren’t currently making.

All the up-and-down physical requirements are replaced by software. This software was made for busy restaurant workers, so there’s no worry about complicated data entry or a steep learning curve. It can even be automated. And yes, there are even mobile apps to help you make tweaks and changes. The cherry on top of this digital menu board dessert is that you can use this software to run and update digital menu boards throughout multiple restaurants across other physical locations.

Go beyond the expected

Ho hum, description, and price. So goes the life of a menu board. That’s pretty much what you’re stuck with unless you go digital. Then it’s an entirely different story.

Why just stick with the expected? Use your digital menu board to promote your whole business. You can flash upcoming specials or even a calendar of events. If you play in the social media space – and you should – you can display your Instagram or Facebook feed to remind your customers to be your brand ambassadors. And hey, maybe there’s a reward in that for them in the form of a discount or a free menu item. Digital menu boards let you expose your customers to far more than just a list of what they can order.

Keeping you in compliance

Calorie content and other nutritional information is something you might be required by law to display. Are you following the guidelines? You can worry about it, or you can let the software that controls your digital menu boards take care of that for you. Calorie counts will probably be displayed far more tastefully than your chalkboard artist could ever render them, too.

In addition, the information enhances the customer experience. Patrons get to see what they’ll be ordering, and besides the price you can also tell them how it’s made and with what. There’s a reason why you see so many food demonstrations at your local grocery store. Seeing how something’s made and what it’s made of increases sales. Let your digital menu boards do that for you.

Extend your business hours

Digital menu boards don’t punch the clock. They’ll keep working for you even when your business is closed. Put one in your storefront window and let it tell your story during your non-business hours. Snag their attention as they walk by with some tasty video temptations and a can’t-resist offer if they stop in when you’re open.

Consider what it’ll replace: “Sorry, we’re closed.”