Digital menu boards offer valuable features beyond basic menu display, but many restaurant chains have been slow to utilize these additional capabilities. Features seen as gimmicks when overused can disrupt customer ordering. Positive trends include using analytics to gather customer data and fine-tune operations. New technologies like beacons and facial recognition allow boards to communicate intelligently with customers' phones to improve the customer experience and business operations through services like order pickup alerts and customized content. Further technologies will continue enhancing digital boards' intelligence.

1. Hot Trends in Restaurant Digital
Signage/Menu Boards
Test data that proves the value of digital menu boards has
been available for several years. However, you have to take
advantage of the many features of the digital menu boards in
order to obtain their full value. I say that because, for various
reasons, restaurant chains have been very slow to take
advantage of many of the primary features of digital menu
boards. Even some of the major chains that have rolled out
indoor digital menu boards continue to use them much the
same as they did their old style boards. They have not use the
additional features to their full extent. This is very frustrating
to me because I’ve been in the digital menu board business for
so long assisting in the development of these features.
On the other extreme, I’ve seen many of these features used
as gimmicks just to show the new technology and overused to
their detriment. Examples of this is when I see a digital menu
board going into a full takeover mode (a random message
covering all the screens) when customers are trying to place an
order. Other examples are too much video or movement in the
wrong places that disturbs the flow and purpose of the menu
board.
On the positive, side I’m starting to see some restaurant chains
use digital menu board features we did not think of when we
developed them. An exciting new trend that has emerged very
quickly with the use of digital menu boards and digital signage
is what we categorize as “analytics”. Digital menu boards and
digital signage are great communication tools that can be used
to manage restaurants much more effectively. Analytics is an
example of that. Collecting and analyzing information from the
menu board system about the purchasing habits and
preferences of your customers or identifying trends allow

2. restaurant owners and operators to fine-tune their operations
and manage their restaurants much more effectively.
Another exciting new technology that’s growing very quickly is
new technology products and applications that are being used
to make digital menu boards and digital signage more
intelligent. Since they are important communication tools it
just makes sense to develop their intelligence to keep up with
the communication tool that has dramatically changed the
world – the cell phone. Top management of one of the major
restaurant chains recently made a statement that they have
lost touch with the last two generations and that is a major
reason for a drop in their business. The cell phone has been the
primary communication tool of the last two generations and
has quickly become the same for all other generations. Today
digital menu boards and signs are now intelligent enough to
communicate with intelligent cell phones or smart phones.
A technology that has aided in digital menu board and digital
sign intelligence is the development and use of beacons.
Beacons placed in or near digital menu boards or signs can
alert the menu board and management when a loyalty member
(frequent shopper) is in the restaurant or near the board.
Beacons allow the menu board to recognize and communicate
with the customer through their cell phone. Recently there has
been a major improvement in the effectiveness of beacons and
at the same time a major cost reduction. The new beacons will
work in any appliance with speakers. An application must be
downloaded on the customer’s cell phone in order for the
boards to communicate with it. There are also generic
applications developed that will do the same so customers
don’t have to install applications for every restaurant or retail
chain they visit.
It does not take a vivid imagination to see the value of
intelligent digital menu boards and signs. They can do many
helpful things to improve the business operations and the

3. customer experience. Examples are to show the last order
and/or preferences of the customer when they approach the
board. Others are to pass on coupons and specials, aid in credit
card payments, plus many other useful options.
I was recently told by a member of management of a company
that manages multiple concession stands in sports arenas they
want their customers to have the capability to place orders on
their cell phones from their seats and go to the concession
stand nearest them to pick up their order. Beacons will allow us
to do that.
Another major technology developed several years ago that
can make digital menu boards much more intelligent is the use
of small cameras in the boards with facial recognition software.
That system in digital menu boards and signs would allow the
board to collect information about customers viewing the board
such as sex, age and ethnicity. The information could be
analyzed and become very valuable to the restaurant
operators. It can also be very valuable in managing the
content being played to approaching customers. However, this
technology has not yet been adopted in a major way in digital
menu boards and other digital signage.
Although I have only mentioned a few, I see many new
technologies being developed at an ever quickening pace that
will make digital menu boards and signs more intelligent and
useful. However, we have to test and prove each of them
before they are released.
Following are some examples of where the new beacons can be
used.

4. Following is a link to a typical beacon layout that could be us