Technology
McDonald’s franchisee boosts engagement with digital signage
While COVID-19 has begun to recede in a few areas, many restaurants will still have to deal with certain restrictions. From social distancing requirements to reduced indoor seating to safety regulations, there is a lot to keep up with. Digital signage has helped many restaurants make this transition more easily, such as one McDonald's franchisee.
April 20, 2021 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator
While COVID-19 has begun to recede in a few areas, restaurants in many regions will still have to deal with certain restrictions. From social distancing requirements to reduced indoor seating to safety regulations, there is a lot to keep up with. Digital signage has helped many restaurants make this transition more easily, such as one McDonald's franchisee.
Perry Krause, owner of the Krause/Barnett Organization and a McDonald's franchisee based in Louisville, Kentucky previously mainly focused on menu boards both indoors and outdoors to serve customers, but recently it has been expanding its digital signage into the employee side of things to help them stay afloat with safety regulations.
Krause worked with Mood Media, a digital signage company, which provided Crew Communication Monitors to aid with this task.
"Our focus today is our back-of-house digital signage platform, Crew Communication Monitors," Krause said in an email. "They are a tool that provides communication around key elements, such as food and safety reminders, reinforcing shoulder-to-shoulder training, managing food costs and celebrating employees."
Restaurants like Krause's McDonald's location need to be nimble in order to meet the needs for both employees and customers during COVID-19, and by utilizing digital signage, it can maintain a good level of customer service.
"COVID-19 has heightened the awareness of being able to speak directly with customers and employees in an agile manner. Digital signage is a tool that has proven its importance during the pandemic," Danny Turner, global SVP of creative programming, Mood Media, said in an email. "Situations within the past year have never been permanent. Restaurants needed a way to keep both their customers and employees informed and afloat. Digital signage lays out a solution of flexibility in a time when adaptation is crucial. With a press of a button, messages can change on digital signage to whatever is of most priority at that time. With new safety regulations and rules for restaurants coming out at a seemingly random pace, digital signage can be a holy grail for the industry in being able to remain nimble."
For Krause, digital signage hasn't just helped his business stay afloat, it's also improved it.
"Since we have implemented Crew Communication Monitors, we have seen a reduction in employee turnover as well as improvements in product and in speed of service," Krause said.
Turner said that the key benefit of digital signage for restaurants is enabling more creative content that can appeal to both customers and employees.
"Showing wait times, menu options and the staff's favorites picks are all great uses — out of many. In the age of the pandemic, digital signage can be utilized for reminding customers to wear their masks, describe what staff is doing for customer safety or even steps for ordering take-out," Turner said.
Of course, it's not enough to simply throw up a display and hope for the best. Restaurants need to be strategic if they want the signage to accomplish its true task: delivering a good experience for everyone.
"However [it's] used, it's essential that digital signage has correct placement with optimal and cohesive messaging for each individual screen," Turner said. "The playing field for digital signage is massive, and it's up to the restaurant to determine how to score."
The franchisee was unable to provide information on the price of the digital signage.
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