The Evolution of the Menu Board?
Do I Want Front Lit, or Back Lit Menu Boards?
In the beginning,
The old school of thought was to go with the masses, and use back-lit menu boards
Why?..
Because Everybody uses them.....That's all that's available....... That's Why!
When I started designing menu boards, I did not want to be a "Me-To" company, designing and copying what everyone else was doing.
I did my research, and asked the user's of these old dinosaurs what they liked, and didn't like about what they were using. I called, visited, and documented hundreds of those users, and came up with many common frustrations they all experienced.
Here are some of those comments:
1- Menus look dark and unreadable when the bulbs go out
2- Dust collects everywhere
3- Menu Boards don't look clean and graphics don't look fresh
4- Menu copy has changed, now all copy colors don't match
5- The clear cover glass is not clear anymore
6- The white glass turned brittle and yellow
7- My graphics faded, and you can't make out the picture any more
8- I don't have a outlet for all of my menu boards, all you see is unsightly extension cords
9- The plastic boards are cracking, or the laminate is peeling
10- Tracks are coming loose, and all you see is light leaking around all the price tiles and photos
WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE PART OF THIS?
I took all the negatives, and Turned them into positives
Our menu board systems had to be made with something that would not break, last forever, and never look bad or aged.
Answer- I decided to use Sculpted Stainless Steel
Our menu board systems had to made with no tracks
Answer- I consulted with 3M and we developed the first Magnetic based Menu Boards
Our menu board graphics can't fade
Answer- We developed highly saturated color rich graphics that were printed on high contrast film, and then laminated with a non-glare heavy weight acrylic cover and finally bonded with a newly developed magnet material.
The menu boards had to be easy to Maintain and Install:
Answer- Our menu board system was designed so you can install 1 to 100 panels in a row and all look good and perfect. We use Stainless wall brackets, Easy to install. Each bracket holds 2 parallel brushed aluminum pipes that quickly connect.
The menu boards clip onto these parallel tubes in seconds, and are secured with our patented Sure-Lock so they can't come off unless you want them to. It is easy to add or subtract boards anytime you wish.
Lighting these boards is simple and elegant. We offer a low voltage lighting assembly that is attached to each board utilizing MR16 low voltage, Low power lighting technology or you can go to your favorite lighting or home store and get your choice of track lighting that matches your decor.
Years later whenever I visit a client's location, Our menu systems all look like the day we shipped them - clean and the graphics still look bright!!
In the beginning,
The old school of thought was to go with the masses, and use back-lit menu boards
Why?..
Because Everybody uses them.....That's all that's available....... That's Why!
When I started designing menu boards, I did not want to be a "Me-To" company, designing and copying what everyone else was doing.
I did my research, and asked the user's of these old dinosaurs what they liked, and didn't like about what they were using. I called, visited, and documented hundreds of those users, and came up with many common frustrations they all experienced.
Here are some of those comments:
1- Menus look dark and unreadable when the bulbs go out
2- Dust collects everywhere
3- Menu Boards don't look clean and graphics don't look fresh
4- Menu copy has changed, now all copy colors don't match
5- The clear cover glass is not clear anymore
6- The white glass turned brittle and yellow
7- My graphics faded, and you can't make out the picture any more
8- I don't have a outlet for all of my menu boards, all you see is unsightly extension cords
9- The plastic boards are cracking, or the laminate is peeling
10- Tracks are coming loose, and all you see is light leaking around all the price tiles and photos
WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE PART OF THIS?
I took all the negatives, and Turned them into positives
Our menu board systems had to be made with something that would not break, last forever, and never look bad or aged.
Answer- I decided to use Sculpted Stainless Steel
Our menu board systems had to made with no tracks
Answer- I consulted with 3M and we developed the first Magnetic based Menu Boards
Our menu board graphics can't fade
Answer- We developed highly saturated color rich graphics that were printed on high contrast film, and then laminated with a non-glare heavy weight acrylic cover and finally bonded with a newly developed magnet material.
The menu boards had to be easy to Maintain and Install:
Answer- Our menu board system was designed so you can install 1 to 100 panels in a row and all look good and perfect. We use Stainless wall brackets, Easy to install. Each bracket holds 2 parallel brushed aluminum pipes that quickly connect.
The menu boards clip onto these parallel tubes in seconds, and are secured with our patented Sure-Lock so they can't come off unless you want them to. It is easy to add or subtract boards anytime you wish.
Lighting these boards is simple and elegant. We offer a low voltage lighting assembly that is attached to each board utilizing MR16 low voltage, Low power lighting technology or you can go to your favorite lighting or home store and get your choice of track lighting that matches your decor.
Years later whenever I visit a client's location, Our menu systems all look like the day we shipped them - clean and the graphics still look bright!!
Labels: menu boards
posted by Dean Edelman at
11:24 AM
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