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Panasonic testing integrated drive-thru digital menu board solution

Panasonic recently unveiled its new fully-integrated drive-thru digital signage menu board solution featuring proprietary displays designed to weather the elements and eliminate the need for enclosures.

September 26, 2014

Digital signage display provider Panasonic recently unveiled its new fully-integrated drive-thru digital menu board solution featuring proprietary displays designed to weather the elements and eliminate the need for enclosures.

The new solution also includes integrated audio and video capabilities, an on-screen order confirmation and content management from the cloud, the company said.

Jeff Pinc, Panasonic's director of Food Services, said the turnkey solution has been in development for several years. He said he thinks Panasonic is the first to market with the solution's announcement, which coincided with the FSTEC food service technology conference in New Orleans earlier this month.

"With this release, we solved a few challenges that some early adopters had experienced with outdoor digital displays," he added. "We're at the beginning stages of having wide adoption of outdoor digital displays. I'm excited to see people get excited about this."

The biggest challenge so far for outdoor digital displays comes from the hardware side and the need for sturdy, costly enclosures to offer more protection. Panasonic's new system includes panels that are self-heated and self-cooled to withstand temperatures ranging from minus 4 to 120 degrees.

"We built them so they could take the weather and the sunlight, and to keep the dust and snow and sleet out. We also built them with vandal-proof glass, so you can take a baseball bat to it and not damage it," Pinc said.

He also touts the system's brightness, which prevents content fade in direct sunlight.

Key features of the new solution include:

• Integration of order confirmation, which has typically been a separate feature;
• Audio integration, to help eliminate communication breakdowns between crew member and customer, and to ensure order accuracy and smooth throughput;
• Video integration, to allow marketers to visually present their menu promotions. "Eye-catching, eye-popping video influences buying decisions," he said. "We eat with our eyes."
• Camera integration, to let the cashier to see the customer placing an order, or as a two-way feature, allowing the cashier and customer to see each other for a more personal interaction;
• POS integration, to help generate data about purchasing trends and demographics, and to allows operator to offer suggestive-selling messaging based on check trends; and
• Cloud-based content management, to help operators control their marketing and menu from anywhere at any time.

Panasonic is currently in testing with the new solution, and expects three to five restaurants to be in pilot by the end of this year. Once those pilots are able to report analytics and data, Pinc said he expects adoption to pick up. "I suspect once the pilot sites prove that the ROI is there, there will be adoption. It's not going to be overnight, though; we have to prove this story," he said. "Indoor has been widely accepted. I scratch my head sometimes as to why outdoor isn't done first, with 70 percent of business coming from the drive-thru."

Because of the necessary ruggedness, outdoor digital displays remain more expensive than indoor digital signage solutions, although Pinc said the cost has and will continue to come down as the technology becomes more common. Panasonic's solution is available both as a turnkey solution and a la carte (customers can also choose from one to four panels and different mounts), so the cost ranges from about $10,000 to $40,000.

Pinc also expects a quicker return because of the higher drive-thru volume, as well as the individualized marketing potential.

"Everything's naturally going to come down in price, but the uplift will maybe be better because you have that one-one-one interaction — and the opportunity to influence the purchase in a more personal manner in the drive-thru is going to open up avenues that indoor digital dining displays don't have today," he said.