No matter what the future of quick-service restaurants looks like, it’s safe to assume drive thrus will be a major player in the landscape. Statistics have long shown that at least 70 percent of sales occur at the drive-thru window, and that number jumped upward of 90 percent for many brands during the pandemic. Now, drive thrus are being used to help facilitate other off-premises channels like third-party delivery pickups.
This is all great news for operators who already have experience in facilitating efficient drive-thru transactions, and one of the tools helping to drive that efficiency is the digital menuboard. Once a luxury for some brands, digital menuboards are becoming the standard, says Jeff Blankensop, senior director, central region at Peerless-AV.
“Digital menuboards not only maximize sales revenue, but they also boost profits and improve upselling conversion as the boards are able to be updated in real time to influence customer decision making at the point of sale,” Blankensop says.
A first and major advantage digital signage has over static signage is the ability to quickly update as many menus as a brand might have. That helps ensure up-to-the-minute brand continuity across locations, as well as showcase things like new menu items or LTOs.
Digital menuboards also help speed up service. According to the 2021 QSR Drive-Thru Study, drive-thrus with digital menuboards had an average service speed that was over 38 seconds faster than locations that were not equipped with digital menuboards. Total time at the drive thru—from the moment a car enters, to the moment it leaves—was about 33 seconds lower at stores with digital menuboards than at stores without them.
And while overall cost has been a roadblock in making the transition from static to digital signage, Blankensop is happy to report that digital signage has become more affordable of late. He adds that the money saved not having to regularly replace menu items and other graphics make digital signage an investment worth making.
Furthermore, the days of signage that may be compromised by the elements are over, Blankensop says, thanks to Peerless-AV’s new Outdoor Digital Menu Boards. The displays are weather resilient, easy to install, and pop with vivid graphics.
“Peerless-AV has the experience, expertise, and capability to manufacture a single unit, or thousands of units to the leading brands in the quick-service world,” Blankensop says. “We’ve worked on such projects for brands that include McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Dunkin’. With best-in-class universal outdoor digital menuboards to catch customer attention, your restaurant is guaranteed to benefit from reduced wait times and increased order efficiency and customer satisfaction—a winning combination to stay ahead of the game in the competitive fast-food landscape.”
For more information, visit peerless-av.com.
