The restaurant industry forever remains a competitive one. Getting customers inside your restaurant instead of a competitor proves challenging. The challenge extends beyond bringing them into the eatery. You want their experience to leave them with a positive, memorable impression. A combination of excellent food and customer service works towards this goal. A little promotional advertising helps, too. And no, advertising goes beyond drawing people into the restaurant. Brand advertising geared to people seated at tables can affect patrons. And digital signage could drive branding success immensely.

Branding Vs. Promotional Advertising

When someone walks past a restaurant, digital signage in the windows can bring people inside. An animated sign revealing cost-saving lunch specials gets the information across. While valid promotionally, such displays don't get across information about the restaurant. Advertisements intended to define a business create a brand image. Branding could create a connection with customers that advertising material might not. For example, digital signage showing video imagery of an upbeat server bringing pancakes to smiling children promotes something different. Imagine if the video image featured a close-up of pancakes decorated with a smiley face made with whipped cream and pieces of fruit. 

Based on such video signage, the restaurant establishes itself as a family-friendly place. By branding itself as welcoming to families, the eatery may become the preferred place for moms and dads to take their kids. And who says such digital signage belongs exclusively in the window?

Integrating Signage Inside the Restaurant

Installing digital signage involves little more than mounting video monitors at strategic places in the restaurant. Even one or two monitors could deliver impact as long as people see them, and the video display proves compelling. The signs can provide the following functions:

Highlighting Food Choices: Sometimes, people want to try something new, but a photo on a menu doesn't move them. A live-action video image of various food choices could motivate them to order an atypical option.

Mentioning Catering and Other Services: Patrons might not know the restaurant could provide food and drinks to parties and corporate events. Digital signage may tell them it does.

Pointing Out a Good Cause: Does the restaurant promote a charity or other philanthropic cause? Maybe the digital signage could get across ways patrons can participate, such as telling them about a toy drive drop-off.

Every restaurant seeks to advertise and brand itself. Thoughtful interior digital signage could help deliver results.

Share