Economical Menu Board Options
When opening any new restaurant there are a tremendous amount of “boxes to check” in regards to equipment, furniture, signage, etc that you need to acquire prior to opening.
Origin Digital Signage
When opening any new restaurant there are a tremendous amount of “boxes to check” in regards to equipment, furniture, signage, etc that you need to acquire prior to opening. It is not uncommon that the menu boards are one of the last things to be looked at prior to “cutting the ribbon.”
Operators get hung up on the menu options themselves and have a mindset that you cannot begin with the menu boards if it is not 100% complete. This is a false narrative.
When beginning your menu board search, yes, you should have some collection or idea of what your menu is going to look like. However, it is always wise to allow for more time than not enough when looking at the design and setup of your menu boards. Put another way, if your menu is 75% of the way complete, it can be started on in terms of design, concepts, and overall layout. The pricing can be populated at the 11th hour prior to approval and items can be added or omitted along the way. Now with that nugget out of the way, I’ll bring up another common occurrence.
As stated, menu boards tend to be something that gets handled closer to opening. This should not be the case however they are a frequent afterthought. As a result, owners begin their search for menu boards have blown way past their initial budget and working with minimal capital to get “something up.” Regularly the wish/want of digital menu boards or a custom board shifts to “do you have any cheaper options?” The answer is ‘yes’ and we’ll take a look at three reasonable alternatives.
1- Snap-frame Menu Boards- these are often used on walls throughout retail and restaurant locations for brand reinforcement, beauty shots, and promotions. However, these non-illuminated frames are an effective route for menu boards as well. Offered in black, silver and bronze, each of the four sides of the frame snap open. You place your approved and printed poster graphic in, cover it with a clear protective lens and snap each side closed. When it is time for updates it is a matter of an inexpensive poster reprint.
