Digital signage is becoming more and more significant for restaurant operators to display their menu items because they engage the customer in an almost ‘interactive’ experience. The discussion “Going Beyond Digital Menu Boards” recently took place at the Fast Casual Executive Summit by a group of industry panelists who narrowed down four main reasons digital signage goes beyond menu boards: connection, content, cost and design.

Aside from the digital menu boards being a platform to create an integrated experience for the customer, it is also a way to connect across systems. Most digital signage platforms are able to connect to POS systems which gives the capacity to monitor inventory. This way, items that are running low can be automatically pulled from the menu boards which can avoid customer frustration. Most new technology platforms also have the ability to download data to the cloud, which is another opportunity for restaurants to integrate and connect systems.

Customization is also a large advantage of digital signage. Digital menu boards allow operators to produce engaging content to keep customers informed while customizing the information based on needs, context and even location. Operators are able to customize content based on what sells to a particular demographic and are therefore able to rapidly test responses to each customized message. Digital screens are also proving to be more cost effective for operators. Paul Flanigan, executive director of the Digital Screenmedia Association says, “I’m not joking when I say this – if you asked me to, I could go into your restaurant at 8:30 in the morning and I’d have you a network by 5 o’clock that afternoon, and it would probably cost a maximum of 1000 bucks.. I know where you get the software, I know where you can get the templates and I can get it all done quickly. The ability to get speed to market is just getting faster and faster.”

It goes without saying that the design options for digital signage are also countless. There is now a large range of design possibilities for both the on-screen materials and the architecture itself. Overall, digital signage significantly increases the customer’s experience which is at the root of operations. According to Flanigan,“The customer is the most important. The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter how much money you spend and it doesn’t matter where you put anything if that customer is not engaged, it just doesn’t matter.”

To read more about the benefits of incorporating digital signage, click here

The restaurant scene is consistently full of evolving trends such as the growth of mobile payments or different flavor profiles. Spicy flavors have been found to be increasingly popular; according to a study by FONA International, consumers have now come to expect a little heat in their dishes. Millenials make up most of this group, perhaps because they have been more widely exposed to Asian and Latin cuisines which have a higher heat level in their dishes. These flavor profiles are also popular in the beverage industry leading craft brewers to experiment with the heat levels in infused spicy beverages such as Aztec coffee, or spiced brown liquor. Also in the beverage industry, spirits are now competing with beer for young adult consumer preferences. A Technomic report showed that these consumers now range beyond beer to include spirits and wine as well which is mostly driven by cost and certain flavor attributes.

Another factor affecting U.S. restaurants is the notion of the governments involvement in food regulations. Food-safety scares and the focus on the nation’s increasing obesity issues have led many Americans to have a shift in their attitude towards the governments role in food. Sullivan Higdon reports that. ’34 percent of consumers believe the government is too involved in food regulation, while 36 percent think it has the right amount of involvement, and 30 percent say the government is too involved in what they eat.’

The mobile app frenzy is also very clearly a factor affecting U.S. restaurants. Restaurants are encouraging diners to download apps before dining to facilitate mobile payment sand exclusive loyalty rewards. Guests with a smartphone are able to pay with their device using mobile wallet or Passbook which stores the guest’s credit card details and payment information. To read more about factors that are affecting U.S. restaurants, click here

The cronut craze arrived in New York last year courtesy of Dominique Ansel Bakery, who still has a line out the door. This caused other food businesses to attempt to copy the infamous cronut such as Crumbs Bake Shop’s Crumbnut and Jack In The Box’s Croissant Donut. Although a bit late to the game, beginning November 3rd Dunkin’ Donuts will begin to offer its own version of the croissant and donut hybrid.

Dunkin’ Donuts told the Associated Press that their version is not a copycat version and that the cross of a donut and croissant has been around for decades. The Dunkin’ locations in Korea were even selling one which they called the New York Pie Donut last summer. The Korean version isn’t glazed, but this new croissant donut in the U.S. will be and consist of 24 layers of dough. If all goes well, perhaps in the future they may offer their croissant donut with cream filling.

According to the press release and similar to Dominique Ansel’s marketing strategy, the croissant donuts “will be made in limited quantities and served each day while supplies last.” To add a sense of uniqueness and ‘luxury’ the pastry will be packaged in clear boxes for $2.49. To read more about the launch of Dunkin’s Croissant Donut, click here