Drive-thru digital menu boards need to be rugged, weatherproof and damage-resistant.
Adding business value
Today’s commercial-grade digital displays allow restaurants to present accurate brand images and colours with strong visual clarity, even in less-than-optimal viewing conditions.
Outdoors, for example, drive-thru digital menu boards need to be rugged, weatherproof and damage-resistant. And given the reality of restaurant kitchens, even indoor displays need
to be able to withstand high levels of heat and humidity. For these reasons, digital menu boards should be equipped with real-time temperature monitoring and heat dissipation capabilities, so their displayed images are not compromised by the nature of their location.
While rugged technology may seem prohibitively expensive upfront, it can be surprisingly affordable in the long run because of the added value it entails. When restaurant managers can control menu boards remotely and update content on the fly, there is no more waiting for new static materials to be printed, shipped and installed. Changes can even be made quickly throughout an entire restaurant chain, thanks to networked communications.
So, when it is used properly and creatively, digital signage not only helps restaurants make an already-welcoming environment even more inviting for customers, but also offers an attractive return on investment (ROI).
Further, as the technology continues to become more advanced, customers will eventually come to not only enjoy it, but expect it—and they may be disappointed if they do not see it in the restaurants they visit. With this in mind, sign shops are well-positioned to serve the QSR industry with digital signage hardware and services that benefit their clients’ brands.
Ben Hardy is a product manager for NEC Display Solutions, which manufactures large-screen public-information displays. For more information, contact him via e-mail at bhardy@necdisplay.com.
