Technology

What's new with outdoor menu boards?

It's one thing to simply have an outdoor menu board, it's another to take advantage of the full potential of the technology. Let's take a closer look at what's new with outdoor menu boards and how LG is tapping into their full potential.

Photo: LG

December 4, 2024 by QSR Web

Outdoor menu boards are a staple of quick-serve restaurants and have only become more important during COVID-19.

According to David Boerlin, B2B retail and QSR sales at LG Electronics U.S., "the pandemic quickly showed that without a drive-thru, a QSR operator could largely not do business and many, without drive-thru, were forced to close. Coupled with the phenomenal increase in third-party delivery services (DoorDash, UberEats, etc.) and mobile-apps that place orders before arrival, operators are now doing upwards of 80% to 90% of their business in drive-thru."

However, it's one thing to simply have an outdoor menu board, it's another to take advantage of the full potential of the technology. Let's take a closer look at what's new with outdoor menu boards and how LG is tapping into their full potential.

Branding

Outdoor digital menu boards aren't just useful for displaying menu items. They can also deliver a good customer experience that aligns with the brand's overall vision.

Restaurants can tap into this value through many techniques such as utilizing brighter images or pushing marketing messages to the menu boards. They can also push content to other digital signage displays in the restaurant.

"Digital menuing and marketing signage are being used to extend the brand experience that was previously more often associated with static in-store trade dress. Digital content makes food photography and other brand assets more compelling and can be changed more often to keep the message fresh and relevant," Boerlin said.

Brighter, better

This technology has been around for quite some time and as a result, some restaurants still rely on older displays. However, these displays may at times develop yellow or black spots, or they might lack the brightness to accurately display items during bad weather conditions or at night.

As a result, restaurants need to embrace newer displays that offer a minimum of 1,500 nits, Boerlin said.

He also pointed out that larger displays such as 49-to-75-inches provide "3,000-4,000 nits where embedded ambient light sensors adjust for sunlight brightness, cloudy days, and dark nights."

In addition, newer displays offer other features such as "embedded Wi-Fi, bilateral HDBaseT, field-replaceable glass, and newer LCM panels that mitigate the yellowing and black spots that older technology has been crippled with," Boerlin said.

"Moreover, we can expect to see more direct-view LED displays, that will create a brand experience on par with America's favorite entertainment venues."

What about AI?

Several QSRs are integrating AI into displays mainly to take customer orders. Although there is still some resistance to the idea. For example, McDonald's took down voice AI in summer 2024 after customers pointed out several errors with the bot mistakenly adding items to orders, according to a report by CBS News.

Despite these issues, most QSRs are still testing out AI.

"AI is being tested by every major QSR brand in an effort to mitigate the rising cost of mandated labor rates in many large states. AI can effortlessly upsell and increase check averages and promote high-margin food items and add-ons," Boerlin said.

LG's innovative solutions

LG is delivering true innovation in the outdoor menu board space by rolling out Gen3 displays that deliver several features ranging from embedded Wi-Fi to a 5+ year life span without black spots or yellowing.

"The XE3P 49- and 55-inch outdoor display still includes the well-liked rich features of Gen2 to support bilateral HDBaseT and field-replaceable glass," Boerlin said.

These LG displays also utilize "'air curtain' technology which keeps the display cooler, allows for the glass to be easily replaced in the field, and decreases the Total Cost of Ownership through significant energy reduction."

Conclusion

Outdoor menu boards are becoming smarter, brighter, and more impactful every day. By successfully implementing these outdoor menu boards, restaurants have the opportunity to stand out and deliver a better customer experience. To learn more about menu boards and how you can take full advantage of the technology, click here to get in touch with the experts from LG.