For Quick Service Restaurants to survive, it is very important to stand out in the crowd. They need to employ a wide range of strategies to grab the customer’s attention and upsell their products. Earlier these functions were performed with the help of a menu, but now customers are not interested in looking at old-school printed menus. The latest trend is digital menu boards which open a wide range of opportunities for restaurants to market their products to customers.
The Digital Menu Board is a form of evolved traditional printed menu. It uses a digital format to display menu items which are sometimes interactive. You can find good examples of fast food chains and multiplex theatres. It also in a way works as digital signage. It is very easy to update digital menus and display pictures along with, providing a potent tool to engage customers effectively.
Although digital menus can be attractive, it is imperative that certain mistakes which are prominent in the industry must not be repeated.
It is easy to have the false belief that the digital menu board is just a digital version of printed menu boards.
Based on a recent study conducted by 3rd-party individuals, more than 60% of today’s digital menu boards are done wrong. Not only is it embarrassing, but it can also cost the restaurant to shut down.
Let’s look at the 5 common mistakes in designing a digital menu for a restaurant which should be avoided.
1. Overcrowding
Over 70% of new digital menu board owners wish to save some startup costs by over-filling the screen, which leads to a totally ineffective menu. It is recommended not to have more than 24-36 items to be displayed on a single screen.
2. Static Menu Image
Many quick-service restaurants will implement digital menu boards by only showing a single static image. However, not only is this a false way of using digital signage, the fact is that it will be less effective than a regular lightbox menu board. It’s better to add some animations to showcase your menu items, as well as specials. It will significantly increase audience interest!
3.Disappearing Menus
In contrast to point number 2 above, there are quick-service restaurants that excessively animate the entire digital menu board such that the menu will temporarily disappear. This makes it inconvenient for the customers to order. It doesn’t matter how much animation you want to incorporate; your menu should appear on the screen at all times.
4. Text over Digital Menu
Many small businesses believe in just displaying their menu in simple text on a digital menu. Today’s audiences are excessively exposed to multimedia content. Therefore, when your digital signage solutions are limited to displaying mere text without engaging elements, it risks becoming mere background noise—a distracting presence that your audience will instinctively tune out.
Even if you don’t want any pictures to be displayed, at least include some animations in your digital menu board so that it can provide some motion to attract your audience’s eyes and imagination.
5. Constant Menu
Changing the digital menu board and giving it a fresh look on a frequent basis is widely overlooked by restaurant owners. The digital signage will initially attract a lot of audience and gradually be ignored. Consumers will not spend time looking at the same thing repeatedly.
Although digital menus for restaurants provide a unique look to the menu, it is important to customize and create a unique menu which not just captivates the imagination of the consumers but also doesn’t do the cardinal mistakes mentioned above.
