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As the first-century Roman gourmand, Apicius, claimed, “We eat first with our eyes.” The moment a server sets a dish before us, we assess it, judging its aesthetic, the aroma and if it’s cooked as requested.
With restaurants using digital signage to showcase their best dishes, display their menus and more, signage has quickly become a new kind of amuse-bouche for restaurant-goers.
The benefits of digital signs for restaurants work both ways, too. Research shows that 82% of restauranteers who use digital signage report increased sales, but how you use digital signage will keep your diners satisfied and hungry for more.
The benefits of having digital signage in restaurants
For decades, sports bars and cafes alike have used TVs to show sports games, local news, music videos and anything else their patrons wanted to stay in the know about. Digital signs for restaurants evolved naturally from this, replacing static paper displays with an engaging and interactive alternative.
Paperless customer communication
Your menu options and prices never remain the same. Some restaurant owners continue to order customized paper signage whenever they want to inform their customers of a new deal or special. Not only is this tedious and impractical, but also expensive — starting with outsourcing to a printing company for a continuous flow of ads, updated menus and more!
Besides, digital signage is far more engaging and appealing than paper ads. In fact, research tells us that “digital signage captures 400% more views than static displays”. It allows restaurants to communicate and engage with their customers in real-time, whether through upselling or sharing their social media feeds–creating endless opportunities for engagement and patron loyalty.
Promote new menu items and deals
The best digital signage for restaurants can display menu specials and items as they change, more often than possible (or financially feasible) with print. By combining live-action video that shows the juiciness of a steak with audio functions — as it sizzles during preparation — digital signage allows you to appeal to all of your patrons’ senses.
Plus, you’re giving your visitors a glimpse of what their palettes are in for and how your cuisine stands apart from the competition. Even more, unlike paper ads, you can use digital signage to co-display more than one special or campaign with fixed panels and multi-panel displays. It ensures that essential announcements always remain on-screen while rotating other patron must-knows as you see fit.
Entertainment keeps guests around for longer
When your customers visit, they’re not just looking for a bite to eat — they’re looking for a dining experience. Part of that experience means creating an atmosphere that relaxes, inspires, and keeps them there longer. And the longer they’re in your establishment, the more likely they are to continue ordering food and drink.
With consumers on the hunt for “eatertainment dining” opportunities, digital signage for restaurants is meeting their demand. All types of restaurants–casual to fine dining–can leverage it to boost their patrons’ dwell time.
You can use digital signage to offer a selection of restaurant and bar entertainment channels, including hyperlocal and live stream content. Or, if your ambiance is a bit more on the quieter, romantic side, digital signage can help you narrow down the music you should play in your restaurant. You can easily customize your patrons’ eatertainment experience with the right digital signage solution.
Driving business with digital signage for restaurants
UPshow’s digital signage for restaurants is the leading on-premise marketing cloud that can transform your establishment’s screens into powerful digital dining experiences that will drive business in innovative ways.
Hosting trivia nights
Alcohol service is a significant selling point for restaurants–making up at least 25% of their revenue. Owners and managers are always looking for ways to keep their patrons ordering more rounds and retaining their loyalty.
One of the best ways to do this is to host a trivia night with UPshow’s restaurant digital signage. While there are countless ways to host a trivia night, you can use digital signage to:
- Customize your trivia questions (food and drink related, general knowledge, etc.).
- Keep access to the rules and trivia questions in your patrons’ hands or create mobile team sign-ins via UPshow’s QR-code technology.
- Tabulate and keep track of each team or patron’s score.
- Advertise and market your trivia event, so your patrons can plan for the next event.
- Co-display trivia night drinks specials on your screens.
- Encourage the teams to post their favorite pictures from trivia night to your restaurant’s social media feeds.
Planning a beer & wine tasting
We all know how beer and wine can elevate the taste of our cuisine. Some restaurant-goers, however, aren’t confident in selecting the right beverage for their dish. You can use digital signage to enhance your next in-person beer and wine-tasting event by:
- Showing wine tutorials about aeration, proper glass choice, and other dos and don’ts.
- Displaying your restaurant’s complete beer and wine menu.
- Offering food-and-wine pairing tips.
- Displaying aromatics and flavor notes for participants to keep in mind after each tester.
- Encouraging flight-tasting feedback.
- Giving your patron access to your beer and wine storefront so that they can continue sampling at home.
Feedback is everything
If you want to know what your customers really want, you need to ask them and track their engagement. You can use UPshow’s digital signage solution to solicit feedback from your patrons. Incentivizing their participation with a complimentary cocktail or appetizer will sweeten the deal for them and you–a quid pro quo for their thoughts and insights.
What you do with that feedback is a different story. Combined with UPshow’s detailed digital signage analytics, you can study and evaluate what your customers tell you alongside what their engagement shows you. With these insights, you can optimize your on-screen content to increase engagement and scale your ROI.
Get more out of your restaurant's screens with UPshow
Creating a memorable dining experience takes more than just dishing up delicious cuisine or offering a world-class wine selection. UPshow’s digital signage for restaurants will cater to your patrons’ eclectic tastes and keep them coming back for more.
Schedule your free custom demo of UPshow today, and discover how you can keep your customers hungry for their next dining experience.
