Driving Food Service Profit
One menuboard at a time
 Food service is everywhere now – and if you aren't currently doing it, you are likely considering it and its impact to your overall business. In order to drive your message to the consumer, you need to have the mainstay of a good food service program, the menuboard.
There are many options available in all shapes and sizes. It is critical to ensure you have the "right" one however, as it will improve sales (typically 10-15% increase) and dramatically improve product awareness (and trial).
Without doubt, there are many challenges as you approach the implementation and rollout of a menuboard project. QSR magazine suggests 7 rules to great menuboard design:
1) Conduct sales analysis – know what sells and your profits per item
2) Allocate menuboard space based on sales – best sellers should be visually more impactful
3) Leverage hot spots – consumers look at one area first – focus on it
4) Optimize navigation – think like your customer. What will they order next?
5) Analyze hardware – can you easily change dayparts?
6) Strive for graphic excellence – your customer has to be able to read it
7) Analyze results and continually improve – make changes as required
 Retailers must work to ensure that the design of the menuboard is flexible enough to accommodate the various size spaces – from the largest to the smallest areas across the chain. Modular designs help to ensure that costs can be kept to a minimum while providing maximum graphic and daypart flexibility.
Many consider a digital menuboard a way to increase sales yet there no empirical evidence that digital menuboards improve sales over a traditional, well designed menuboard system.
Driving food service profits rely on several factors from product selection, service levels and overall program quality. Once these are in place and working, you need a place to shout out to your consumers about your product selection and value. A well designed, cost efficient menuboard will help you communicate this and build consumer loyalty over the long term. Bon appétit!
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