As more and more people are cooking at home, and taking advantage of take-out and delivery services, restaurants are looking to increasingly offer a more unique dining experience that attracts customers into their restaurants and cafes. Signage is playing a major part in that transformation as restaurants incorporate indoor digital signage into their business. Now it seems everyone from boba tea shops to high-end fine dining restaurants incorporate some level of digital signage, whether it’s a kiosk to order from, a digital menu board to highlight pictures, video, and text of food items, or even just screens for atmosphere, digital signage has changed how many restaurants do business.

What types of Digital Display Signs are used in restaurants?

There are a variety of digital signs that can be used in restaurants from traditional display screens (TV monitors) to cloud based digital signage such as Electronic Message Centers.

One provider of Digital Displays, Vantage, offers two types of LED displays SMD (Surface Mount Diodes) and COP (Chip on Board) LEDs. SMDs can be stacked, wall-mounted or hung, while COBs are stacked or wall-mounted. SMDs are built for a wide-range of viewing distances, while COBs are preferred options for close viewing.

Vantage also offers cloud-based solutions for digital signage as well which allows for more dynamic offerings with regards to updating your sign.

How can I use these Digital Signs in my restaurant?

These types of signs can be incorporated into traditional displays or as indoor digital restaurant menu boards.

Digital Displays can help with branding. By incorporating branded videos, logos, or other graphics, they can help provide a sense of place.

Digital Displays can provide atmosphere. If you’re looking to provide a fun atmosphere you may want to use these displays to play music, or even music videos, or other such fun videos.

Digital Displays can help sell food or upsell food. Digital Sigs can be a part of your digital menu board solution, but they can also be placed in the restaurant to showcase additional food items such as desserts that customers may consider during or after their meal. Cafes and diners for instance often will showcase cake selection through digital displays.

How are kiosks incorporated into a restaurant or café?

Kiosks increasingly serve as the front-line for businesses, whether its to reserve your spot, or to order food, you may be greeted by a host or more often a kiosk. Depending on your preferred use of a kiosk, it may supplement your existing staff, or perhaps even relieve them of some duties in the same way that apps now increasingly have alleviated wait time notifications by providing them via text.

How pricey are digital display signs or kiosks?

Digital Display signs range from thousands to several thousand dollars, which is why the initial investment may scare away some potential buyers. However when integrated into your business model effectively, they can help enhance revenue and attract more customers.

I’ve seen more and more robot waiters at restaurants. Are they considered signs?

Not strictly no; however, robot waiters do often have digital displays that can provide a happy face – often literally – for the customer, or they even display your order, or your meal item, especially when they bring it around. Cat robots have become increasingly popular and they’ll often have cat-like faces along with robotic ears.

Future of Digital Signage in the Restaurant Industry

Though it’s hard to say how the restaurant industry may change in the future, we can say that right now its trending increasingly towards a more digital experience. As you look for more ways to ramp up your restaurant or cafe’s experience, consider digital signage and all its benefits. Then you can talk with us at Ortwein Sign and we can see if it’d be a boon to your business, and if so how best to implement it to help your restaurant thrive for years to come!

Each year we discuss broader trends in design and branding that we see coming in the future (or have already begun.) We highlighted this year’s signage and branding trends over at our flagship website www.OrtweinSign.com. This year we also want to discuss broader trends in Interior Signage especially as we’ve really bolstered our interior signage offerings this year with the creation of our new Interior Sign division.

Minimalist Design

One trend we’ve discussed in the past that’s become increasingly popular in branding is minimalist design. This means simpler, cleaner logos, simple color patterns, and clear, concise messaging. This works especially well for interior signs, especially ADA, since that’s already largely what helps these signs be as effective as they can be.

As we cater to more and more clients looking for room signs, bathroom signs, ADA signs, etc. to match their branding, we are increasingly being asked to fabricate signs with such minimalist elements as we described above.

Customization

Clients want the ability to customize signage for their needs, and at Ortwein Sign, your one-stop shop for interior and exterior signage, customization is what we do. Increasingly we’re working with clients to be able to provide methods for clients to request customizations online and over the phone, to more quickly and efficiently provide signage for our clients needs.

Digital Signage

Even before Covid changed the way many restaurants and stores interacted with customers, we had already begun to see an increased presence for digital signage in interior spaces. With kiosks, digital menu boards, and digital wayfinding signs, this trend has only increased. We don’t expect it to stop anytime soon.

Interactive Signage

As Digital Signage has increased its presence, so has the use of signage to present interactive experiences. Whether this is a QR code on an airport sign offering flight details, or an ADR (augmented reality) experience, increasingly we’re seeing digital signage in particular used to provide interactive experiences.

Sustainability

One trend we discussed in our 2024 Trends blog over at www.OrtweinSign.com that is just as true with Interior Signage is the push for sustainable signage. This can be a desire for processes that are more sustainable and economically friendly, but it can also be a push for more sustainable materials. In general, we see a move to reduce our impact on the world by improving our practices from exterior to interior signage.

Mixed Materials

Interior Signage may need to comply with rules, in particular ADA signage; however, there are still ways to get creative with signage and mixed materials is one such way. This can mean using acrylic with glass, metal with bamboo, or a number of other materials.

Future of Interior Signage

Ultimately as with all trends we will have to see what changes in 2024; however, these are all trends we’ve begun to see in 2023 and thus seem more likely to stay the course.

Whether you need custom ADA signs, or wayfinding systems, or any other exterior and interior signage, we at Ortwein Sign are here for you. So reach out to Ortwein Sign today at (423) 867-9208 or visit www.OrtweinSigninterior.com/Contact-Us to see how we can help provide your signage solution!

In the sign industry, we know that each sign type has their own unique important function to play in the role of a business. Some signs help provide landmarks that people then use to identify where a business or facility is located at. Others help highlight the function of the business and what services and products the business offers. Some signs are more temporary and help illuminate any ongoing sales or changes in hours. Together all of these signs in tandem are meant to help promote a business, to help encourage customers to visit, to encourage sales, and to leave a familiar mark in the mind of the consumers the next time they see the business’s signage.

Anecdotal evidence as to their effectiveness is important of course, and we’ve spoken previously about how to measure such success; however, we also like to delve into research that explores the benefits of signage further. In a paper by assistant professors Ms. Vishakha Joseph and Mr. Atul Parak, they look across an array of existing literature on the subject of promotional signage to better understand the effects on promotional signage on customer behavior.

Visual Merchandising

According to the authors of the study, “Visual merchandising is a key aspect of retail marketing that focuses on the design and presentation of a store’s merchandise and environment to attract and engage customers. Signage plays an essential role in visual merchandising, as it communicates important information to customers, creates a cohesive brand image, and helps guide customers through the store.”

They go on to explain that promotional signage, “can be in the form of posters, banners, or displays” that are placed in front of customers at various positions in or around the store. These signs can also help share information that the business would like the customer to see.

Is Promotional Signage Effective?

The authors pooled the existing research to answer four questions, among them “assess the effectiveness of promotional signage in increasing sales, brand awareness, and consumer engagement.”

Study’s Conclusion

Their conclusion is that, “Promotional signage has a significant positive impact on consumer behavior, including increasing purchase intention and sales. The design and placement of promotional signage are crucial factors that determine its effectiveness.”

Though the authors suggest more research is needed to more fully determine the impact of such signage, and how variability may change its effectiveness, this is already a positive look at the use of promotionals signage in a business and its ability to affect consumers behavior.

Joseph, Ms Vishakha, and Mr Atul Pathak. “BEYOND THE SIGNS: EXPLORING THE SUBCONSCIOUS EFFECTS OF PROMOTIONAL SIGNAGE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR.” https://journal-dogorangsang.in/no_1_Online_23/69_apr.pdf

As the leaves begin to turn, and the first snap of the cold begins to make its way in the wind, pumpkin spice and warm coffee is on the mind of many. For us as a sign company this means we’ve spent much of the summer helping coffee shops ensure they are ready for the Fall crowds, by servicing lighting and signs, and also helping provide branding and signage for existing and new coffee shops alike.

In this article, we want to highlight some of the many sign types that are often incorporated into coffee shops, in the hopes that we may provide any present or future coffee shop owners an idea of how to make your business stand apart and also feel welcoming.

Exterior Signs for Cafés

Perhaps what matters most for all businesses are the signs that adorn the front of the building, for these are the signs that essentially say ‘here we are’ to any passersby and potential customers. Depending on the property you own you may be locked into a certain sign type by your landlord, a common agreement we’ve discussed here; however, if you have flexibility you may consider channel letters, pan faces, or if you have a standalone building or a drive-thru a blade sign.

Channel Letters

Channel Letters are defined as sign that consists of three-dimensionals letter that may include a light source. Channel Letters are perhaps the most frequently used sign type for business facades, as they are functional, often preferred by property managers, and allow the incorporation of a brand’s logo, color, and design.

Pan Faces

Pan Faces are defined as a plastic sign face molded into a three-dimensional shape. Pan Faces may be second only to Channel Letters in their popularity, as they are an affordable option that likewise allows for brand customization for a businesses signage.

Blade Signs

Blade Signs as defined the Sign Research Foundation are a type of projecting sign mounted such that the face of the sign is perpendicular to the flow of traffic.

Though Blade Signs aren’t as common, they stand apart both in their uniqueness and their designs. We in fact have written an entire blog highlighting how blade signs attract customers, and thus we recommend you read that for a deeper understanding of the value of this sign type.

Now these are all excellent examples of common, and effective, sign types that cafés and restaurants use to identify a business.

Temporary Signage for Cafés

We should now discuss the various types of temporary signs that cafés use to highlight their hours, showcase specials, or highlight seasonal beverages such as the beloved pumpkin spice coffee options we see every Fall.

Banner Signs

Banner Signs are signs that are composed of lightweight material; often used in a non-permanent setting, such as to announce a grand opening, sale, or special event. These are often placed on the building itself; however, they may also be placed depending on your municipal code on pylon signs, monument signs, or other structures.

Flag Signs

Flag Signs are similar to banner signs in that they are often composed of lightweight material, and likewise may be used in a non-permanent setting. However their name comes from their unique shape which is often similar to a feather, and they are often placed on a sidewalk in front of the business to quickly identify a name or feature of the shop. For instance a popular flag sign for a coffee shop might has a graphic that looks like liquid coffee, or coffee beans, and the text would simple say ‘COFFEE’.

Sandwich Boards or Sidewalk Signs

Sandwich Boards (Sidewalk Signs) are signs that are not secured or attached to the ground or surface upon which it is located, but supported by its own frame, which is typically in the shape of an A. These signs are frequently used to highlight specials of the day, hours, or other timely announcements. There may be stipulations to the distance, and time, that these signs may be in place, so confer with your local municipal codes or ask the expertise of your local sign company such as Ortwein Sign to learn more.

Interior Signage for Cafés

Cafés often have as many signs in the interior of their business as they do on the outside, and these signs each serve their own purpose that complement the overall mission of the business. Here we breakdown four common types of signs that you will often see in restaurants and cafés in particular.

Menu Boards

Menu Boards are signs that display for customers the various menu items that are on offer at a cafe or restaurant. Though traditionally menu signs have been analog, using paper, or chalk, for rotating menus. More and more menu boards have gone digital, as restaurant and cafe owners have embraced the ease with which they can adjust the display, as well as its ability to better display photos of the drinks and food items available to patrons.

Logo and Statement Signs

Though many restaurants may have a logo on display in their restaurant, cafés have gone above and beyond by making their logo, and often their slogan, an Instagram or Tik Tok worthy attraction for patrons to photograph. Often these are LED signs; however, we at Ortwein Sign have also fabricated real neon signs in-house for businesses as well, which offer lighting and ambience as well as a centerpiece for photos or selfies in the café itself.

Wall Art and Environmental Graphics

Cafés are known for their ambience, and a component of the success is through the art and graphics that are implemented on the walls. Whether these graphics feature local artiss, local settings, or perhaps more generic coffee or cafe items, they help cafés stand out and feel all the more cozy for those in the establishment.

Digital Kiosks

In the past couple of years the use of digital kiosks have taken off, and though not every establishment or cafe chooses to implement these, more and more they provide customers a contactless way to order food while also seeing the myriad of choices up close and personal, as well as photographs of the food items they are browsing through.

Wrap-Up

Cafés and restaurants incorporate a significant amount of signage, perhaps more than you might have realized; however, we hope we have shown not only the types of signage on offer to cafés and restaurants, but also their uses and how they help engage with patrons to provide a better, more positive experience for the customer.

Signage is a crucial component of one’s business plan and marketing and brand strategy, and thus its important to give it the full consideration it deserves. After all it’s an essential component of your overall marketing strategy, as it helps passersby and customers recognize your brand, find your business, and ideally encourages them to shop at your business. If you’re working with an expert sign business such as Ortwein Sign, we’ll put all of our skills into designing, fabricating, and installing your sign to ensure its the most effective it can be for your business.

Even so you may still want to look at the ROI of your signage, to truly assess how your signage helps your business goals, whether that means more foot traffic, higher sales, or increased brand visibility. In this guide, we’ve broken down ways that you can measure the ROI of your signage.

Set Objectives

First of all before calculating your ROI, you must define your aims and goals with your signage. By understanding your goal you’ll know what metrics you need to calculate and assess to identify success.

Calculate Foot Traffic to Your Business

Perhaps you want to drive traffic to your business in certain hours, or at an increased rate overall. If for instance you want to increase foot traffic by 20%, then you’ll need to have the means to measure your clientele. You might need counters by the door, surveillance that assists, or perhaps you’ll need to manually count the number of visitors coming into your store.

Track Sales Before and After Signage Is Installed/Refreshed

If you’re looking at measuring the rate of sales, and hoping for an increase after the addition of signage, or signage refresh, then you’ll want to look at your sales before your signage is installed and after your signage.

Customer Surveys Provide Qualitative Data

Customer surveys can also assist you determine the effectiveness of your signage. You can query your customers on whether your signage drew them into your store, whether it impacted their purchasing decisions, and if you’re using signage to promote a sale or promotion whether they noticed and/or remembered that promotion from your signage.

Promotions, Sales, and Coupon Codes and Signs

If you are using signage to promote a specific sale, promotion, or item, you can track the mentions of said promotions or in the case of a coupon code track the uses of said coupon.

Tracking Signage Engagement with Website Analytics

Even if you have a brick and mortar business that you work out of, you may want to drive traffic to your website. By using signage you can implement this strategy, and with the advent of QR codes in particular you are able to track the engagements with these codes. Therefore you can implement these in your business, and look at your web traffic to confirm the number of times a QR code was scanned and thus drove traffic to the site or page you directed people to.

Social Media and Signage

Similarly you can either use QR codes to direct customers in your store to your social media, or you can use hashtags on signs, or use statement signs that customers will want to take pictures of, and you can track the posts and engagement online across a myriad of existing social media platforms.

Brand Awareness

You may be hoping to increase your brand awareness with your signage, in which case through surveys, and social media and website traffic analysis, you can get a better picture if your brand profile and familiarity increased and improved after the addition of signage.

Comparative Analysis of Signage

To do a comparative analysis of your signage, you will want to compare the cost of signage installation and maintenance against the revenue generated as a direct result of the signage. Calculate the ROI by dividing the net profit (revenue generated from signage minus signage costs) by the signage costs.

Consider the Timing and Time Frame

Remember that though your signage may seem dramatically different from one day to the next, if you’re installing entirely new branding, or refreshing signage, that its impact may take time. So consider the length of time too that you should calculate the effects of signage, as it may impact the results of your analysis.

A/B Testing of Business Signage

Though it’s not practical for all businesses, especially with permanent signage, if you have the opportunity you may want to consider A/B testing your signage to determine its comparative effectiveness. If this isn’t practical but you do implement temporary signage as part of your brand strategy and marketing, then perhaps implement A/B testing with this signage instead.

Call the Experts at Ortwein Sign

If perhaps this is too complex, or you simply do not have the time to fully assess your signage ROI, let us help. We use our expertise day in and day out to provide the best signage for our clients to fully capitalize on your branding and marketing to boost the objectives you want to help your business succeed.

During the pandemic businesses across the globe were hit with supply chain issues and increased inflation. Though our supply chain issues have been largely mitigated, thanks to the reopening of states and countries post-pandemic, we are still dealing with inflation even as the Fed tries to combat it with increased rates. This can impact different businesses and industries across the world, but we wanted to highlight in particular how it has affected manufacturing in America.

Supply Chain Issues and Lingering Inflation

Again these supply chain challenges have somewhat been diminished in 2023 thankfully; however, the lingering impacts can still be felt as supply and demand forces continue to push and pull. At first there was a drastic drop in demand for manufacturing products, as projects were canceled or delayed and businesses prepared for losses of income due to this drop. Once states and countries started to return to some semblance of normalcy, and pandemic rescue funds began flowing to companies and individuals alike, demand began to spike for products such as wood, metal, and other manufacturing goods.

What happened at this point though is that many companies had not been producing these materials to the same extent due to the lack of demand. Likewise companies like China, who had a much longer, more severe lockdown than most countries, were primary providers to companies across the world, and thus there were incredibly long delays for their goods. Thus prices began to spike, and since companies needed the materials and had more cash, they were willing to pay those higher prices. This is in effect what drives inflation, and so the costs of materials continued to increase. This is parallel with what was happening with consumer goods as well.

Supply chains have balanced out once again, though some have shifted for better, and for worse, but no longer do we see such incredible delays for products, goods, and materials anymore.

Inflation alas has continued to linger on, even as the sources of inflation have started to dissipate. Though Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and his cohorts, are continuing to fight inflation, while hoping to avoid tipping the country into recession, people, businesses, and yes manufacturers, are having to navigate this new world.

As such we wanted to highlight some of the areas that are most concerning to manufacturers now, and what continues to impact the industry and its pricing for all variety of manufactured products.

Hiring and Retaining Workers in a Hot Labor Market

At the start of the pandemic many of the most-at-risk workers were the doctors and nurses of course, but also included among them were the service industry workers, and essential industry employees, who day in and day out would continue working throughout much of the lockdowns.

As the risk lingered on, and companies struggled for employees, higher wages became standard for some businesses. On a micro level this is incredible for people looking for wages to support their families. On a macro level this can still be a positive; however, it also can further increase inflation as employers earn more money to spend on products, while also leading employees to move out of low-wage industries or low-wage jobs for higher wages. The shift in workers impacted some industries in particular, such as service and retail, and these shortages helped slow down the delivery of some goods. Even industries not as directly impacted though still had to raise wages to compete, and for manufacturing companies some of those raises could impact costs of services.

More recently the work of the Fed to increase interest rates appears to have cooled down the labor market somewhat; however, it’s still a gradual process and one that must be planned delicately so as to not tilt the country into a recession. What will result from these interest rate hikes ultimately is yet to be seen as of this writing.

Cost of Vehicles: New and Used

One cost increase that has been felt across the board, for consumers and businesses, is the high price of new and used vehicles. Story after story of consumers trying to take their car for every mile they can have become commonplace, and this is true for business as well.

However even an existing fleet of vehicles can impact a business, as the cost of repairs is not light either. Especially when running a business, such as a manufacturing company, where materials may need to be moved or installed with an existing fleet, those costs can add up.

Cost of Materials: Mixed

Steel Costs 2009-2022: source: tradingeconomics.com

One positive we have seen, though it can and has fluctuated, in manufacturing in particular is that we have witnessed the cost of certain products such as wood and steel largely returning to lower, pre-pandemic prices.

Cost of Fuel: Still High

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration the average cost of retail gasoline prices bottomed out at the start of the Great Recession and at the start of the pandemic only to then climb dramatically in the months since. Thus the price reached its peak height of 5.05 per gallon in June 2022, and though it’s gone down since it’s still higher than it has been since 2015. Fuel costs can have an impact not just on workers, who have to commute to their jobs, but also on the businesses truck costs. Even if they’re using a third party company to handle shipping these added fuel costs will often be passed on to the business.

What’s Next for Manufacturing

Currently as of this writing the debt ceiling debate lingers large on the economy. Whether America defaults may have a substantial impact on our economy.

In addition to that though we also have high interest rates, set by the Federal Reserve to lower borrowing, and we have continued international uncertainty with the war in Ukraine, the strained relationship with China, and always the potential for uncertainty around the world.

On the more positive side, for manufacturing in particular, there’s been a boost over the last two administrations to make products in America in a way that’s not been the case in generations. With recent bipartisan bills such as the CHIPS act, the revised NAFTA agreement, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the focus has been on prioritizing American industry and workers. This hopefully will have a positive impact on manufacturing and on the country as a whole.