How Many Digital Menu Boards Do I Need?

Wondering “How Many Digital Menu Boards Do I Need?”

We sat down with WAND project manager Garon Rowland, and we got the inside scoop on how she gets clients best set up for success with new or existing digital menu boards (DMBs). We first addressed the most popular question: “How many digital menu boards do I actually need?”

“The short answer is, there’s no magic number,” Rowland says. “That idea of ‘such-and-such a store or menu needs X number of DMBs’ is outdated information. Like most everything else, customization is the only way to go. Our goal is your success. We look at the space available, number of menu items, promotions, quarterly limited-time offers (LTOs), marketing, and of course budget requirements. Then I can help determine the best use this digital menu investment to for the greatest ROI, immediately and over the long-term.”

Some other factors Rowland always includes in an evaluation for best digital menu solutions include:
1) What your strategy tactics are or strive to be.
2) Ensuring your static sign replacement doesn’t look like a shabby retrofit but a purposeful use of space.
3) What customer purchasing habits you want to drive throughout day-parting, the week, or other time frames.

On that third point, Rowland expanded, “We can use animation and video across all the boards or use them limitedly, but we’ll never do anything just for the sake of doing it. We always have a purpose behind the design & layout advice.”

Even just switching the orientation of your DMB from horizontal to vertical (Rowland admits she prefers vertical as it mirrors natural reading habits and feels “cleaner”) can have a drastic impact. This is especially noticeable when adding a solo register lane apart from your main customer service lines and further promotes that uniformly professional look. The digital menu board not only serves as an effective and efficient tool in selecting items to purchase, but also builds brand equity with customers by decreasing perceived wait times.

Ultimately, the point of any item in your restaurant is increased sales. That sacred bottom line. Digital menu boards can help achieve financial goals, while giving your customers that improved satisfaction experience, cut out almost all labor of static boards, and help drive customer behavior to match your overall strategy from one location to several.

Plus, all DMBs are easily and remotely manageable anytime you need to check what’s running or make any updates at any location in real time. WAND Digital’s menu solution enables you to do a lot from increasing revenue to cutting operating costs, all while being on the cutting edge of the restaurant industry.

Learn more about digital menu strategies that will drive sales.