13 Ways Restaurants Can Use Digital Signage to Stand Out

You might typically associate digital signage with fast food restaurants only, but lately, digital signs have been making their way into fast casual and even independent restaurants, thanks to their many benefits. Read on to learn more about this versatile form of restaurant displays.

Benefits of Restaurant Digital Signage 

Digital signage creates opportunities for engagement. According to a study done by Long Range Systems, LLC, the average wait time per party at a restaurant is 23 minutes. Imagine the brand awareness and loyalty that could be built during this time. With digital signage, you can display social feeds, offer fun and interactive quizzes and games, advertise specials, or discover various other ways to educate customers about your establishment. 

Digital signage is flexible and allows for versatility. Changing up your restaurant LED display is simple and easy, meaning you can switch things up in minutes. This gives you the freedom to address current trends or shake up your menu on a whim. 

It's also economical. Printing flyers and changing menus costs money. While buying screens for digital signage may have a higher upfront cost, you’ll end up saving major marketing dollars by bypassing the need to print or buy new signage. 

13 Ways Restaurants Can Use Digital Signage

Easily Update a Menu Board. Restaurant operators have a lot on their plate. With digital signage integrated with your POS, you can eliminate the headache of manually changing your daily specials and menu items. Update the POS, and your digital menu will automatically update as well. 

Share Social Feeds. Looking to engage customers as they wait? Use a digital display to show off your dynamic social feeds. This not only highlights your restaurant brand, voice, and culture, it can encourage customers to get in on the fun by posting a pic of their insta-worthy orders (and tagging you!)

Spotlight Your Staff. Invite your customers to be a part of the family by introducing them to your team. Use digital signage to show off the smiling faces of your team members and share a bit about them. Your team will feel appreciated too. 

Showcase Deals and Promos. Got an unbeatable deal going? Let your customers know by using a digital display, allowing them to get in on the action. Bonus: you save money and the planet by not having to print flyers or temporary signage. 

Show off Your Playlist. Save your customers the trouble of Google searching or Shazaaming to find that catchy tune playing over your speakers. Display your playlist in real time and your customers will feel more connected to your brand — and appreciate your shared musical taste.

Incorporate QR Codes. If you want to direct your customers to your menu or instagram feed, supply them with QR codes. You can put them up on your restaurant signage, and take them down easily when they’re no longer relevant. With fresh content to consume while they wait for their food, customers will feel entertained and engaged...all while getting to know your brand more. 

Highlight Profitable Items. Restaurant managers often find it helpful to feature their highest money-makers front and center on their digital displays. Whether you use a rotating screen scrolling through your greatest hits, or showcase them via featured images or colored boxes, this will help draw customers to certain items, and allow you to rake in more money. For more specifics on how to design your menu for optimum profitability, check out our menu engineering course.

Connect Your Online Brand with Your In-Store Look. Digital signage makes it simple to keep branding cohesive throughout your website, social media, and in-store displays. You can create a visual throughline through certain templates, dedicated brand colors, and specified fonts.

Create Consistency Amongst Locations. Maintaining clear branding between multiple locations can be tough. With digital signage, updating the menu and displays at numerous locations can happen with a few clicks.

Keep Guests Updated on Safety Policies. COVID has shown us that safety regulations are always changing. You can keep your safety signage regularly updated with a digital display that highlights your current protocols.  

Create a Drive-Through Screen. If it’s digital, your drive-through menu can be updated in real time. You can also use your display to show current wait times. 

Update Curbside Pickup and To-Go Menus. Say you launched a new to-go menu and the chicken sandwich is wildly popular. So popular, in fact, that it sold out before the end of the day. Instead of having to tell every hopeful customer that it’s sold out, simply update your digital to-go menu. By allowing patrons to decide on their alternate order before getting to the front of the line, you’ll have shorter wait times. 

Display Instructions for Third-Party Delivery Drivers. Whether you use one third-party delivery service or multiple, helping delivery drivers navigate your order process takes organization. Rather than adding this task for your FOH staff, use digital signage to let delivery drivers know what they should do when they arrive to pick up orders.

Digital Signage is the Future

Incorporating digital signage into your restaurant can be a learning curve. But it’s well worth the investment of time (and money), since it allows you to better cater to your staff and customers. We can’t wait to see what you design!