Digital signage can help restaurants better prepare for the holiday rush, thus improving workflow and setting the table for a successful season.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are two major holidays for restaurants. For example, parents bring their kids to restaurants after they have their holiday dinner, and customers come in from their day of Christmas shopping. These holidays could be a very busy time for restaurants, especially when they have a lot of walks. It is very challenging to keep up with the volume of customers and maintain the service standard. Fortunately, digital signage can help to reduce stress and maximize the chance of your restaurant’s success. The following are a few ideas of how digital signage can be used during both Thanksgiving and Christmas to make the most of the holiday season.

Speed Up Ordering with Digital Menu Boards

Long lines and high wait times are two of the biggest challenges faced during the holiday rush. Digital menu boards provide the most effective way to manage the ordering process. By displaying menus that are clean, dynamic and easy to read, they help to expedite the order process, as the customer can quickly make a selection. When the visuals and promotions of the season are highlighted in real-time, customer ordering is quicker and less cumbersome, mitigating the bottleneck often created during peak dining times.

Tip: Keep your digital menus fresh and exciting by adding seasonal specials and limited-time offers, putting your promotions in your diners’ faces.

Promote Seasonal Offers and Upsells

Flashing special dishes on your digital signage with a holiday menu item or two is a great way to upsell those holiday beverages, dessert or meal this time of year. Whatever holiday your restaurant is promoting – whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas – your screens are the perfect opportunity to showcase images and descriptions of meals that will enhance the holiday.

Tip: Add a countdown for holiday deals or use messages such as ‘Available for a limited time only’ or ‘Limited availability’ to encourage sales of seasonal items.

Enhance Drive-Thru Efficiency

If the restaurant has a drive-thru lane, holiday traffic might cause a backup and wait times for customers in line could grow impatient. Digital signage can improve efficiency at drive-thru windows by providing menu boards, cues to order quickly, and even by allowing customers to pay without cash. Some digital drive-thru systems can be connected to mobile apps where customers can order ahead and bypass the line.

Tip: Post estimated wait times on digital signage or offer mobile ordering incentives to encourage customers to use faster ordering methods during peak times.

Manage Reservations and Waitlists

During the holiday season, restaurants receive a surge in reservations and walk-ins; digital signage welcomes customers and can provide them with real-time reservation and waitlist statuses; it can even help guests check in and provide text notifications of a party being called, alleviating tedious manual work in both the waitstaff and the customers.

Tip: During busy times, give holiday sale spiffs or freebies (warm beverages) to guests who are waiting.

Reduce Pressure on Staff with Self-Service Options

As your restaurant gears up for the holidays, foot traffic is going to be up, and your staff will be feeling the crunch. Digital signage can lighten the load on staff on the front line. Self-service options such as touch-screen kiosks can allow your guests to order food, customize a meal, or even pay for their meals, without needing a staff member to help them, which can decrease wait times, and in turn speed up service during peak times.

Hint: Loyalty programs or festive rewards on digital self-service kiosks drive repeat business during the holiday season.

Boost Customer Engagement with Festive Messaging

The seasonal mood brightens the ambiance and provides a good opportunity for interaction: how about playing holiday greetings, seasonal animations, even seasonal playlists on digital signage to put diners in the festive mood, and thus create a better connection with customers who are in the holiday spirit, too.

Tip: Send thank-you messages to your guests for celebrating the season; or use the displays to promote gift cards, catering or holiday events.

Display Queue Management and Service Updates

In case of holidays, the peak hours might be very frequent and the restaurant’s capacity might not be enough for all the customers (for example, tables for eating in the restaurant). Digital signage will help you to control the traffic and the customers’ behavior by using the screens to show the queue status, available tables, and time of waiting. Your customers won’t be in dark about the situation and won’t get angry staying in the queue for an hour. QSRs can use digital signage to show the status of the orders (for example: ‘In a few minutes the employee will start preparing your meal’).

Tip: In waiting areas, display amusing facts or tidbits about a holiday to amuse guests as they wait.