Menu board design sets the tone of your branding

Menu board design establishes your restaurant's image

Menu board design—with high quality graphics--is a key element in creating the important first impression.  Restaurants, like everything else, only get one chance at gaining a positive first impression.  The challenge with a bad first impression is that it can last forever.  Of course, great food and terrific service can establish any restaurant's strong reputation, but first impressions that welcome new patrons begin with menu board design and other signage.

Signage creates the first, first impression

The effort any restaurant puts in the signage and in creating a positive first impression is a reflection of every other expectation in the restaurant.  Likewise, your motivations and directions in your restaurant business often become reflected in the menu board design. 

As you visit other restaurants, you may become aware of the seemingly small items that form together and have a lasting impact on the mind's eye.  Think about the graphics and signage around the establishment.  Is it unusual or ordinary?  Is it coordinated or disjointed?  Does it reflect a permanent and consistent menu of specialties or does it change with every meal, being wiped away and re-written for the next group?  Such things are often easier to see in other's establishments than it is in your own. 

Different service styles need different approaches

Take into consideration that how you handle your food service business may dictate how you present your menu board designs.  For example, if your clientele is loyal and your environment is non-competitive such as in a small town or you are a restaurant in an isolated office building, you may be presenting one or two specials that change every day.  If you are in the center of a competitive, dine-out area, then your menu may be quite diverse but may not vary.  If you switch your items often, then your menu board is going to have to be versatile, easy to alter, yet still pleasant and appealing.  That can be a challenge.

Primary point-of-purchase

Menu boards comprise your first line point-of-purchase sales material.  Usually we think of that type of sales material as paper sales aids or brochures, but in the restaurant business that primary point of purchase material should be right up there in front of the patrons.  The more competitive the environment, the more expense investors and owners will put into establishing the right theme and ambiance around the eating establishment.  A great deal of that investment will go toward the theme, the decorations, the fixtures and furniture—and even the floor covering.  With so much large scale investing, it can be easy to forget the importance of the menu boards and any other printed or displayed selling materials.

Different signs for different applications

Pictures sell.  Great, clear, high-definition pictures sell better.  Whatever the application you are looking for in your restaurant, Image Craft can help you design a system of menu boards that combine a finished, permanent-looking display that still can be economically adjusted for prices, and other details.  Image Craft also has the ability to recreate photographic art in extremely high-quality and high-resolution.  We can also produce them in larger formats.  There are a number of examples of menu boards we have created at popular establishments around the country. You can review these by visiting our Menu Boards page on our website.

The most brilliant and eye-catching of the menu boards  are the backlit menu boards.  Combined with high-quality, high-resolution graphics, backlit signs can really show-off the artistry in your food products.  The effectiveness of the signage isn't always just about the sign—it is also about the lights that illuminate the sign.  The success of a menu sign is directly translated into fast, efficient transactions of products for income.  When the signs are clear and easy-to-read, efficient transactions are possible.  The use of bright colors draws attention to the menu boards.  Ultraviolet-resistant laminates and plexiglass also helps maintain the brightness and "just-new" look of your menu board design.

First impressions first

The lesson here is to pay attention to what is right in front of the patrons' eyes.  Continuing to use faded, stock photos, tattered or amateurish signage or stained menus may seem frugal and cost effective, but they may actually be turning off your potential return customers.