Yesterday, I got a hankering for some Arby’s. I went in to order, and while I was waiting I noticed the manager and a couple of helpers engaged in an arts and crafts project in the middle of the lobby.
They were engaged in a menu change, and were updating all the overhead lightbox signs over the counter. They had received boxes with the new pocture panels, but had to manually apply the prices by hand themselves. They had sheets of sticky numbers they had to separate from the backer and apply the digits one by one.
I didn’t know that was the process, but I guess it makes sense. The menu prices likely vary by location, so the home office can’t order up every variant for any efficient price.
I guess that is why the numbers often look just a little sloppy, not quite aligned with each other.
And that makes me wonder about other fast food restaurants. Do they have the same arrangement?
Anyway, I had a pleasant chat while reassign for my food, and then headed home for dinner.
actually, many places use digital signage like Burger King, which can get obnoxious as the screens can change so while you’re trying to see what’s on the new sandwich a thing for the latest breakfast burrito pops up …
This is what I was going to say. I don’t visit fast food lobbies very often but I know both the local McDonalds and the local Burger King have menus displayed on digital screens – essentially large TV’s behind the counter. Both of them also have digital screens at the drive-thru as well.
And yes, it’s infuriating when the screens change as you’re trying to scan through the menu and decide what to order. I’m like bitch, I need more than 4 seconds to read the entire thing! If you don’t want me to see what you have to offer then to hell with you, I’ll go somewhere else! (Not really, but I feel like it).
I have noticed McDonalds had changed to digital signing. Arby’s hasn’t yet, and I don’t think a lot have. I seem to recall Subway is still conventional signing.
My gf’s coworker (ad agency) is the dude responsible for the Arby’s logo. The cowboy hat thing. Interesting job. He sits and doodles. Every so often he strikes gold.
Can I ask how old he is? There’s an Arby’s in the city where I grew up that had the big hat sign out front. A friend of mine mentioned once that those were getting scarce, and that was probably before I moved away almost 30 years ago, so the logo must be even older than that.
Digital signs make sense, just to be able to update information easily, but I agree that it makes the temptation too great to stick animations and such where they do more harm than good. What they should do is have some panels that always display the menu, and then some other panels in between that always display ads for whichever gooey piece of glop they want to introduce customers to today.
I’ll have to ask my gf. She’s the one who told me about it.
ETA: she is currently goat herding. Her agency does community service projects from time to time. Yesterday she helped with a project in Hazelwood where they were cleaning up a green space using goats to browse the shrubs. She enjoyed it so much, she’s back for day two.
Keep going to that Arby’s! The longer it takes them to change to digital signs, the longer it will take them to change to “dynamic pricing” where a sandwich costs $2.50 between 2 and 4 p.m. and $6 during lunch and dinner hours.
To nitpick a bit. Your link makes it clear that’s not what Wendy’s was planning.
so many took Tanner’s words to mean that Wendy’s would raise its prices at peak times of the day. However, Wendy’s clarified that it has “no plans to do that and would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most,” a spokesperson for the chain said in a press release. Instead of dynamic pricing causing a price increase during busy periods, it will be implemented in a way that will “allow us to change the menu offerings at different times of day and offer discounts and value offers to our customers” during slow periods, Wendy’s said.
Some chain somewhere will probably test out true dynamic pricing at some time, but given the blowback caused by the misinterpretation of Wendy’s announcement last February, it won’t be soon.
I’m another one who hates the digital signage that keeps rotating through many menu choices. I go into a fast food restaurant rarely and so never am quite sure of what’s on the menu now. Plus, if you need more than one giant screen to list your menu options, you have too many to do them all well. I know I’m not the customer you make your profits on but my credit card is as good as their credit cards.
I did notice that McDonalds. It is annoying to be looking for the big breakfast list and not be able to find it because they are showing three breakfast sandwiches. Just three items.
At least on the kiosk screens, you control the screens and have menus (ha ha) to help you find things.
Not a fan of digital signs that don’t have fixed displays to show all items. I want a static list, not a screen that changes while I’m trying to decide if I want that.
