Outdoor menu boards have been a part of fast-casual and quick-service restaurants since the drive-thru phenomenon began. These listings made it easy for customers to decide on their meals before pulling up to the window to pay. While traditional menu boards still promote efficiency, food and beverage businesses need more advanced drive-thru solutions in today’s increasingly digital world. Discover the benefits of digital drive-thru menu boards and how they enhance productivity and quick-service restaurants.
Why Use Digital Drive-Thru Menu Boards?
Using modern technology to digitize menu boards enables quick-service restaurants and similar establishments to leverage the advantages of conventional listings and attain new conveniences, yet many businesses are reluctant to implement them. According to a recent Drive-Thru study conducted by QSR Magazine, many of the nation’s most recognizable drive-thru chains have digital menu boards at less than half of their operations.
Not having easy to read drive thru menu boards, digital or static could possibly impede efficiency, such restaurants could be missing out on accelerating the ordering process. The following are other benefits that come with employing digital drive-thru menu boards:
Customizable Menus
A common request among people who frequent quick-service restaurants is the ability to personalize their meal selections. Digital menus may include notifications that let guests know where they can customize their order, such as substitutions for side dishes or options that meet dietary restrictions. Giving guests a personalized ordering experience is likely to elevate their satisfaction, as well.
Enhanced Visibility
While restaurants can use bright, bold fonts to make listings on traditional menus more pronounced, they cannot adjust them for different outdoor conditions. Digital drive-thru menu boards tend to be better illuminated, and you may alter their brightness level depending on the time of day or weather. For instance, at night, you may tone down the illumination to be easier on the customer’s eyes. This simple feature is significant for boosting the guest experience.
Increase Sales
Although digital signage is sometimes more expensive than standard illuminated menu boards upfront, they tend to be a more cost-effective investment long term. With a digital drive-thru menu, you can pair the items that guests frequently purchase together to increase cross-selling opportunities. You can also advertise for promotional, seasonal items, or limited-time offers (LTOs). Coupled with the augmented customer experience that digital menu boards afford, your restaurant could see a higher return on investment in approximately one year.
Streamlined Editing Capabilities
While not necessarily difficult, switching out conventional menu boards can be a time-consuming task. You need to edit changes on the computer, reprint paper copies, and situate the new listings in the drive-thru case. With digital drive-thru menu boards, you can seamlessly make modifications for weekly promotions, seasonal offerings, and price changes, in real-time.
Modernize your Brand
Digital menu boards can help modernize a brand by providing a new technical edge to your brand’s messaging and visibility. Menu boards, especially digital menu boards, help to promote your restaurant’s unique brand by allowing it to be more visible and ever changing. Being able to change the menu with the click of a button for breakfast, lunch and dinner can further engage customers and peak their interest with new menu items. Digital menu boards can help your brand stay technically savvy and current, while looking unique and different from other brands. Lastly, digital menus can be highly customizable as far as functionality to engage further with customers, such as camera interaction, auto messaging and more.
Trust DSA Signage for Digital Drive-Thru Menu Boards
If you want to reap the benefits of using digital menu boards at your fast casual or quick-service restaurant, turn to DSA signage for high-quality, sleek products. Our drive-thru solutions engage guests, encouraging them to make quicker decisions and speeding up ordering times. We tailor digital menu boards to meet the unique needs of various restaurants and offer countless features, such as directional signs and order point canopies.
At DSA Signage, our diverse team of engineers, fabricators, and customer services experts draw on over 45 years of experience to develop durable and beautiful next-generation signage systems. Contact us today to learn more about our drive-thru solutions or receive a quote on restaurant signage.
