Digital Signage: The New Trend in Boutique Cafes and Restaurants

Digital signage is trending in a big way in the restaurant industry, specifically in boutique locations such as family cafes and tea rooms. Engagement is a big part of attracting customers and getting them to come back for more. Digital signs, particularly the premier options from Kitcast for Apple TV, offer new and modern ways to interact with customers and advertise your cafe or restaurant at the same time. Here’s how to make digital signs work for you.

Update Your Menus

According to last researches, when menus are updated on a digital sign, 77 percent of dining establishments report an increase in sales. Further, 75 percent of diners report that digital signs improve their experience. As your menu changes, whether it’s with seasonal dishes or specials, it’s fast and easy to update your digital signs, as compared to the time and effort (not to mention cost) of reprinting the entire menu to reflect the changes. You can make changes in just a few minutes, giving your guests information about everything your bar and kitchen has to offer.

Showcase Specials

If you’re offering a special deal, a limited time menu item or it’s happy hour, your digital signs make it so easy to let your customers know. If you have more than one special going at the same time, your digital signs will slide through the various options in real time, giving your customers a taste of what’s being served. Like menu updates, you can make changes with very little time and effort involved. Whether it’s weekend cocktails, mid-week brunch or an exciting new menu offering, it’s so easy to let your guests know about their choices on your digital signs. 

Share Feedback and Reviews

Often customers choose a place to eat based on the reviews of other diners. Your digital signs let you showcase the best feedback from your customers so that others can see what makes your restaurant so great. You can place social media comments and travel website reviews on the screens for anyone visiting or passing your restaurant to see. When potential customers see what others have to say about your food and drinks, you may find yourself with a steady stream of first time visitors, who can then become repeat customers.

Put Yourself on Social Media

It’s no secret that social media is here to stay. By having social media pages for your restaurant, you can appeal to a wider audience and bring in new clientele, thereby increasing your bottom line. Digital signs allow you to show off your social media posts, share images of your best menu options and more. Engage your customers further by allowing them to upload their own social media content about your restaurant or share their photos of their time in your dining room, proving just how great your place is to your followers and their followers. 

Offer Advertising Space

What could be more lucrative than selling advertising space on your digital signs? Allowing other nearby businesses to advertise can bring in customers from other local establishments. This is called cross pollinating and can be extremely effective for bringing in new business and having an additional revenue stream at the same time. 

Digital signs in the food industry have a huge potential to revolutionize the way you interact with your customers. In addition to these benefits, you can also use your signs to show sporting events, offer interactive games and other entertainment to keep them happy while they wait for their food. If you own a restaurant, it’s never been a better time to make digital signs part of your dining space. 

Charlotte Giver

Charlotte is the founder and editor-in-chief at Your Coffee Break magazine. She studied English Literature at Fairfield University in Connecticut whilst taking evening classes in journalism at MediaBistro in NYC. She then pursued a BA degree in Public Relations at Bournemouth University in the UK. With a background working in the PR industry in Los Angeles, Barcelona and London, Charlotte then moved on to launching Your Coffee Break from the YCB HQ in London’s Covent Garden and has been running the online magazine for the past 10 years. She is a mother, an avid reader, runner and puts a bit too much effort into perfecting her morning brew.