In today’s economic climate, restaurants are faced with supply chain issues and ever changing food costs. These factors can put pressure on margins and greatly impact customer satisfaction. One way that operators have begun to deal with these issues is by moving to a digital restaurant menu board. Having a digital menu can help your restaurant in a number of ways – read on to find out more.
Why You Should Go Digital with Your Menuboard
There are many reasons to go digital with your restaurant menu. First, it’s more efficient and can save you time and money. With a digital menu, you can make changes quickly and easily, without having to reprint and republish your menu. Secondly, a digital menu is more flexible and can be updated on the fly to reflect seasonal changes, special promotions, or new dishes. Third, a digital menu is more engaging for your customers and can help increase sales. Finally, a digital menu is more eco-friendly than a paper menu, which is important for many restaurants who are looking to reduce their environmental impact.
Converting Your Static Menus To A Digital Restaurant Menu
If you’re like most restaurant owners, you’ve probably been using static menus for years. But in today’s economy, being tied to pricing and items that cannot be easily changed is a liability.
There are a number of reasons why you should consider converting your static menus to digital. First, it’s is a more efficient way to market to your customers. You can change items based on time of day which allows you to make greater use of the space on your digital menu board. Second, it’s more cost effective to use a digital restaurant menu. You’ll save printing and labor costs by going digital. And third, it’s easier to update and change your menu items when they’re in digital form.
Design Considerations For Your Digital Restaurant Menu
If you’re thinking about going digital with your restaurant menu, there are a few design considerations to keep in mind. First, you’ll need to determine the number of screens as well as the optimal digital menu board sizes for the space. Each digital menu board can be positioned landscape or portrait although most installations pick one format for all screens. For help with determining what screens you should you use, check out our Digital Signage Screen Buying Guide.
Once you’ve decided on the format, you’ll need to start designing the menu itself. Think about what information you want to include and how you want it to be laid out. You will need to determine the optimal font size for your digital restaurant menu so your customers can easily read menu items and descriptions.
Pro tip: Leave the dollar (or currency) symbols off your menus. Studies show an increase in sales for menus that do not use a currency symbol.
Consider using photos or illustrations to make your digital restaurant menu more visually appealing. And make sure to proofread carefully! Simple spelling mistakes can distract your customers and look unprofessional. The good news is that mistakes on a digital restaurant menu are easily fixed.
Using Templates vs Hiring A Designer
Note: The following points are a general analysis of digital menu board templates and designers and are not specific to SmarterSign. Our in house expert digital menu board design team can help you create and customize your menu boards quickly and in a cost effective manner.
There are benefits and drawbacks to both using digital menu board templates and hiring a designer. Here are some things to consider when making your decision:
Benefits of Using Digital Menu Board Templates:
-You can find templates for just about any type of restaurant, so it’s easy to find one that will fit your needs.
-You can customize the template to match your brand’s colors and style.
-Templates are typically very easy to use, so you won’t need to spend a lot of time learning how to use them.
Note: You can browse some digital menu board templates and see how you can edit them with SmarterSign’s cloud based digital signage software.
Drawbacks of Using Digital Menu Board Templates:
-The design of the templates can vary greatly, so you may not be able to find one that meets your needs.
Benefits of Hiring a Designer:
-A designer can create a completely custom menu board that is exactly what you want.
-A designer will have the experience and knowledge to create a high-quality menu board.
-You can work with the designer to make sure the menu board meets your specific needs.
Drawbacks of Hiring a Designer:
-Designers can be expensive, so this may not be an option if you’re on a tight budget.
-It can take longer to get a custom menu board from a designer than it would to use a template.
-You may need to provide the designer with specific instructions and feedback in order to get the results you want.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to switch to a digital restaurant menu board, but the three main ones are that they are more efficient, more customizable, and more engaging. Digital menu boards can help you increase your sales and boost your customer satisfaction. Schedule a call with our digital menu board expert today!
