Article

Thai concept uses digital signage to portray 'zen, zest'

Diners follow a four-zone digital signage path in an award-winning fast casual restaurant deployment.

November 22, 2013 by Christopher Hall — writer, self

New York City-based Thai fast casual concept, Dee Daa Restaurant, is using digital signage to attract and teach customers about the concept before they even decide to enter.

The four-zone digital signage journey for customers of the "balanced Thai food to go" restaurant, dreamed up by Montreal's Arsenal Media, recently took home top honors in the point of sale (content budget less than $10,000) category in the Digital Screenmedia Association's 2013 Crown Awards for digital signage content. And that followed winning the food and beverage category earlier this year in the Digital Signage Expo Apex Awards honoring innovation in the development and deployment of technology in the global digital out-of-home industry.

According to Arsenal Media, the restaurant's digital signage features four zones, starting with (1) a storefront window display designed to entice passersby into the restaurant; followed by (2) a "visually appealing" four-screen menu board with social media integration to increase customer engagement; (3) an entertaining screen display featuring a content loop of specialty products for people waiting in line or waiting for their orders; and (4) an ambient two-screen wall art display intended to capture the "zen" of the resturant and to evoke the brand through cultural Thai imagery.

"My vision was to create a space where I could share my passion of Thai food and bring a little balance to our clients' day," restaurant owner Mallika Sukjaro said about the deployment on the Arsenal Media website. "It’s a mix of zen and zest; food that tastes great and makes you feel good. That's what Dee Daa's all about, and that’s what I wanted to share through our digital media. We wanted our clients to stop and savor the moment at Dee Daa, both through the food and digital experience."

And the journey through Dee Daa had an interesting beginning of its own, according to the Arsenal Media's creative director for the restaurant implementation.

"To a certain extent, the concept was inspired by Dorothy's journey in 'The Wizard of Oz'!" Pierre Del Duchetto of Arsenal Media, the project's creative director, said on the site. "Above and beyond increasing brand awareness, we wanted to maximize the restaurant experience for its clientele and felt that the best way to do this was to follow [the] customer's natural steps throughout the environment."

The deployment was "intuitive, clear and easy to understand," according to one of the judges for the DSA awards. Another judge said it was "nicely done!" and loved "the consistant graphic integration with the rest of the store."

"It's rare to get a project that involves such a comprehensive approach to digital signage; [it's] so exciting to see the multi-zone approach in action," another judge said. "Very well thought out and beautifully executed."

Take a tour of the Dee Daa digital signage journey in the video below:

Learn more about restaurant digital signage.