Normal business hours menu:
 

Late night hours menu:

Last weekend, I visited a new eatery called, “Chacho’s.”  From the outside, Chacho’s looked like any other Mexican restaurant.  Once inside though, my eyes were drawn to four large high-definition digital screens that were being used to display the restaurant’s menu; even highlighting certain dishes with various flash animations.

Now for the coolest part - My friends and I happened to arrive pretty late (1am-ish) and before I could decide what to order, I watched the manager in charge instantly update the menus with a press of a remote (like clicking through the next slide of a PowerPoint presentation) to reflect their “late night menu,” which had substantially less items to choose from than their main business hours one.

Take a moment to think about the time and money saved, as well as the future earning potential behind this type of application.

Chacho’s can instantly decide to roll out a new menu item (or nix underperforming ones) grab your attention with special value meal offers displayed by the hour or even eventually provide consumer interaction where the menu can show the % of people who have bought each item for the day–IN REAL TIME!

My friends, this is just the beginning.  I believe every restaurant (Yes, that is correct, I mean Every single one) will eventually ditch their old static menu boards for digital signage version like Chacho’s.

We are already seeing a trend like this taking place at concession stands in movie theaters and sporting arenas.  The Chacho application merely provides us with another glance into our digital signage future.

Have you seen digital signage applications like this in any restaurants where you live?

-Matthew Olivieri