Optimizing your quick-serve restaurant is important, and using digital menu boards can be a powerful tool to reduce customer wait times and drive sales. The number of customers in your restaurant as well as their preferences changes throughout the day. To keep things moving smoothly and make sure your customers are happy, it’s important to use your digital menu boards wisely. One great way to do this is by using something called “day parting.” But what is day parting, and how can it help your restaurant? Let’s break it down.
What does it mean to day part your digital menu boards?
Day parting means changing what’s on your digital menu boards at different times of the day. For example, you might show a breakfast menu in the morning, switch to a lunch menu around noon, and then show a dinner menu in the evening. If your restaurant is open late, you might even have a special late-night menu. By doing this, you can offer the right food at the right time.
Why is Day Parting Important?
The main reason to use day parting is to help increase sales. But it also helps you guide your customers to choose food that’s quicker for your kitchen to prepare, especially during busy times. For instance, at lunchtime, it might be better to show items like salads and sandwiches that are fast to make. This way, your kitchen doesn’t get too overwhelmed, and your customers don’t have to wait too long for their food.
How to Day Part Your Digital Menu Boards
To get started with day parting, you need to figure out which menu items are most popular at different times of the day. You can do this by looking at your POS system. Once you know what people like to order, you can set up your electronic menus to show the right items at the right times. For example, you might feature hearty breakfast foods in the morning, lighter items like salads at lunch, and more substantial meals for dinner.
Even if your menu items do not change during the day, your customers behavior does and your menus should adjust accordingly.
Your Digital Menus Influence Customer Behavior
The way your digital menu boards look is very important. To get customers to notice certain items, you can use small animations or make some items bigger or bolder on the screen. Adding a “Popular” or “Favorite” label or showing pictures of the food can also help. The goal is to make it easy for customers to pick what they want quickly.
Challenges with Day Parting
One challenge with day parting is deciding which items to feature and deciding on the times you want to switch your menus. This is where your sales data can help. By checking it regularly, you can adjust your menu to keep it fresh and focused on what customers want. Restaurant staff will also let you know which items take longer to make and slow down the kitchen.
Getting Started with Day Parting your Menu Boards
If you are just getting started with day parting, we recommend you start small. Identify the menu items that may not be available all day and use that as a starting point. For example, your restaurant offers lunch specials until 3PM. You would create a version of your menu and then a similar menu without the specials that would automatically change over at 3PM. If your menu doesn’t change throughout the day, you would pick your busiest times and test out the approaches mentioned earlier. By offering the right foods at the right times, you can increase your sales because customers are more likely to order what they want.
Wrapping Things Up
Day parting your digital menu boards is a smart move for any quick-serve restaurant. It helps you offer the right foods at the right times, making your customers happy and your kitchen more efficient. With good planning and regular checks on your sales data, day parting can help boost your sales and keep your restaurant running smoothly.
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