The role of digital media in the restaurant

This article is excerpted from the guide "Digital Signage in the Restaurant Industry."

Strictly speaking, digital media in the restaurant environment is nothing new. For years, wall-mounted television sets have been staples in certain types of restaurants, usually tuned to a news or sports station.

Sports bars in particular are known to boast about the number of screens they have, and how many satellite dishes can snag how many Sunday games.

As digital signage evolves, this phenomenon is expanding beyond breaking news and football games. As digital media becomes a pervasive part of the customer experience, it is being used not only to entertain diners but as an integral building block of the building design.

"In today's world, everyone's conditioned now to see digital media," said Mike Zmuda, director of business development forNEC Display Solutions. "The final frontier was the digital billboards out on the road. What they're tuned into is the entertainment factor. And I don't think it's a negative. Once it's there and the placements correct, people will expect to see something."

Customer expectations are, as always, a major factor, and those change drastically over time. Any restaurant — be it a QSR, fast casual or casual dining — needs to be reassessed from a customer experience standpoint every few years. And at this juncture, the audience is one that has grown accustomed to digital media in almost every aspect of their lives.

"For a restaurateur, the question is not what customers expect, but rather what will maximize their experience," said Thomas McFeeley of EK3. "Having a TV screen gathering dust and showing a football game or CNN will keep the attention of some customers and may or may not generate more revenue for the time that customer has occupied that very valuable piece of real estate in the restaurant. Digital narrowcasting engages all customers with information they need and want, while they are making their purchasing decision. That allows the restaurateur to maximize the valued real estate."

The benefits of in-restaurant digital signage networks

The business case for digital media in restaurants is powerful — it not only impacts profit on a number of levels, it also introduces operational efficiencies that make life and work better for everyone in the enterprise.

"Digital signage is an effective way to inform and entertain in any venue," said John Remmler, vice president of ChyTV. "In restaurants, such signage can be used to inform customers of specials and preparation techniques, general branding information about the restaurant, as well as providing entertaining distractions that can reduce perceived waiting time."

Let's take a look at each of those benefits individually:

Inform customers of specials

Simply put, the discounting of products works — people respond favorably to what they perceive is a good deal being offered to them.

For QSRs, this has traditionally come in the form of a combo meal; for sit-down establishments, daily specials are the norm. In either case, dynamic signage can be used to tell customers what is available, without them having to look it up on a menu or day-of-the-week placard.

The ease of rotation of content also makes it possible for restaurants to offer many more specials than they normally might, with only a minimal amount of effort.

Branding

Few things are more important to a foodservice company than its brand assets — when dealing with visual representations of food, it is essential that the feeling conveyed is overwhelmingly positive. Then there is the lifestyle aspect of branding — smiling faces, happy families, dancing children — that triggers just as many emotions as the food itself.

Smart restaurants already understand how crucial this is; in many ways, it is more important than the food. Digital media takes branding to a whole new level, increasing both the quality and potential quantity of brand messaging.

Self-service ordering and tableside media

If a restaurant decides to make the move to digital media, it's only a short step further to add another component, one that introduces some incredible operational efficiencies: self-service ordering.

"If given the choice, people appreciate the ability to take control of their environment," said Dean Reverman, director of business development for digital signage network provider TradePRO Network. "A key to success is engineering a solution that is user-friendly for a broad audience. If systems are intuitive and usable, the customer gets control and convenience."

Entertainment and ‘wait warping'

Customers who are entertained while waiting are less likely to be bothered by the wait. This is sometimes called "wait warping," and it is an established retail fact — and the reason lurid magazines are placed within eyeshot of check-out lanes. Digital signage gives customers something to look at; tableside interactive signage gives them something to do. In either case, the perceived wait time is shortened, and the customer remains happy to be where he is.

"We've seen some really neat things done in eating areas involving mobile integration with screens, cell phones and video jukeboxes where you can actually build a database of who is interacting for marketing use later, and making that part of the entertainment in the area," Zmuda said.

An added benefit: Internal communication

While the primary benefits of digital signage come from its relationship with the customer, the screens bring an added appeal to store management: Outside of normal business hours, the screens can be used for employee communication and training. It can be analogous to a corporate intranet, but more far-reaching and valuable.

"This kind of channel could have far-reaching implications for communicating corporate goals, culture and internal marketing messages," said David Little, director of marketing for Keywest Technologies. "A corporate intranet is suitable for some of this communication, but multimedia is preferable when dealing with employees who are less dedicated to the company or are at a greater distance from the corporate grapevine."