Aug
22
Written by:
host
8/22/2011 11:10 AM
The modern school cafeteria includes everything from vegetarian offerings to international cuisine. Students today have more choices than ever and with nutrition being on the forefront of many food service adminstrators’ minds, they need to be even more unique in the way they market food.
Kids today are also extremely technologically savvy with their smart phones and laptops; they are a generation that has grown up in the age of multimedia.
Finding a way to get kids interested in their own eating habits can be quite the quandary. Linking technology with healthy options can be easily solved with digital menu boards.
Crisp pictures of salads and fruit could make that adolescent change his mind about what he’s putting in his mouth. With digital menu boards, schools can also add nutritional facts like calories, fat grams and protein. If students are aware of their dietary intake prior to putting in on their plate, they can start making better choices. Studies have shown that with the addition of digital menu boards, a diner’s attention is immediately captured. This immediate engagement improves recall, allowing diners to have a better grasp on options and what they want to order.
This is just one way that digital menu boards are revolutionizing
serving lines. Because there are more stations and ever changing menus, digital menu boards allow for quick and easy updates. Digital menu boards allow you to quickly change menu items and prices on a daily basis. You can also schedule different menus at specific times. Run your breakfast menu in the morning and have it automatically switch to lunch at a designated time.
Another great advantage of digital menu board is the continuous loop of the menu content decreases perceived and actual wait time. Because students are captivated by the animation of the menu boards, the line seems to move faster. Queue lines actually do move quicker because students are better informed and order quicker.
Besides the great benefits of engaging students, digital menus can increase sales on promoted items. Case studies have proven that digital signage boards receive at least 10 times more eye contact than static signs. Increased sales on promoted items have climbed to 26% in a 90 day period when measured against sales from the previous year.
Menu boards can also contain so much more than just menus:
· Welcome
· Hours of Operation
· Rules
· Announcements
· Seasonal Information
· Recognition
Schools can also use digital signage to generate income:
· Product Placement: Manufacturers can help offset the cost associated with digital signage by purchasing screen space to promote their products.
· Birthdays, Graduation and Celebrations: Friends and family want to recognize students on birthdays or graduation. Allow them to do so through digital signage.
Digital menu boards are an investment for any school system to consider but with all these benefits and proven return on investment, they can pay for themselves within the first few years. And yet another added bonus is digital is green.
Are you using digital menu boards at your school? How has it impacted your serving line?
1 comment(s) so far...
Re: The Advantages of Digital Menu Boards In Schools
I hope that someday my my former school will have this kind of technology. But one thing for sure, nothing is impossible nowadays in this world of technology.
By John@Broadband Expert on
4/11/2012 5:48 PM
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