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Choosing the Right Illuminated Menu Board for Your Restaurant

Whether it's for early-morning commuters or midnight cravings, nearly all restaurants and food vendors must determine how to best make their menu viewable when natural illumination isn't available. Needless to say, interior lighting is a must for any business location, but making these systems work in conjunction with an illuminated menu board is an important component of your restaurant. Mobile food vendors have their own illumination considerations as determined by the venue in which they operate. Either way, there are many different kinds of solutions, and choosing the right one for your business is a considerable advantage in both the near and long term.

Different Types of Illuminated Menu Boards

• Exterior Lighting: Some illuminated menu boards are simply that—boards that are illuminated by exterior lighting. Typically, overhead illumination provides the most aesthetically pleasing effect, though under- and side-lighting can also be used. It's important to consider how the exterior lighting looks at different times throughout the day and at various viewing angles. Often, a commercial contractor will provide sound advice and guidance for restaurants who are installing this type of illumination for their displays. Moreover, some lighting design calls for constant illumination, while others call for timed or sensor-triggered fixtures that operate only when necessary.

• Backlit Signs: These are more common than exterior lighting schemes and have substantively more design options. They can also be engineered with various image-quality, energy-efficiency, and durability standards. Likewise, replacement image sheets and lettering can allow managers to switch out different menu displays, though the content itself is static and new information will still require a new display installtion. Moreover, some of these signs are vulnerable to decreased visual appeal over time, as dirt and grime infiltrates the area between the backlighting and the image display.

• Dynamic Display Solutions: This is the new kid on the block, but already this type of illuminated menu board is demonstrating benefits that other signage systems can't deliver. Specifically, the ability to readily modify the bill-of-fare without additional signage costs is a huge marketing asset. High-quality photos also do a superior job of selling specialty dishes and limited-time menu items. Highly visible and easily readable, increased sales and improved operational efficiency are frequently the result of making this attractive investment in your business.
  
  Another very real risk for owners is to drop several thousand dollars on a new system now, only to find the signage is outdated in just two or three years. Between greater consumer assimilation of digital technology, new labeling laws, and more aggressive marketing strategies in the restaurant industry as a whole, digital displays offer the type of long-term versatility that restaurants need to stay competitive.

Products and Services from Four Winds Interactive
It's not uncommon for owners and managers to initially consider a more conventional illuminated menu board only to realize the substantive benefits of a dynamic solution. We can show you exactly what these display systems can do. Our iDS^® software solution and versatile applications provide all the features needed to design, operate, and manage your digital board. You can make changes easily and quickly from the back-of-house computer or a Web-enabled device, including automated display scheduling. Plus, our experienced team of service professionals will ensure a hassle-free implementation and ongoing operation of your digital menu. If you have questions about how our software can fit your needs or would like to set up a time to demo our products, please feel free to Contact Us.