Exploring the Trend: Why Food Truck Digital Menu Boards are In-demand?

Digital menu boards are quickly becoming a must-have for food truck owners looking to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving food industry. These high-tech displays offer numerous benefits.

From helping to establish brand identity and build customer loyalty to providing valuable data insights for optimizing pricing strategies, the digitalization of menus got the edge!

This article will explore the various types of digital menu boards available for food trucks and provide tips for designing practical and visually appealing displays.

Benefits of digital menu boards for food trucks

Food truck digital menu boards have several advantages. Some of these are:

1. Improved customer experience

Food truck digital menu boards enhance the customer experience with interactive displays, high-quality graphics, and customization options. For example, a burger-selling truck can digitalize its on-body digital menu board to showcase mouth-watering images of signature burgers and allow customers to select toppings.

2. Real-time promos

High-resolution displays increase sales by showcasing popular and profitable items and offering real-time updates and promotions. A food truck that offers seasonal specialties can highlight them on the digital menu board to attract customers.

3. Quick updates

User-friendly digital menu boards for food trucks improve efficiency by simplifying the ordering process, allowing easy navigation and go for quick updates to menu items and prices. For example, the seller can quickly update the ‘Today’s Special’ on-screen or schedule different ‘Today’s Specials’ daily.

4. Sustainable alternative

Food truck digital menu boards are a great way to promote sustainability and reduce paper waste. Traditional menus must be reprinted frequently, increasing costs and leading to environmental implications such as cutting down trees and pollution. However, digital menu boards don’t require these, making them an eco-friendly alternative.

5. Better branding

A well-designed digital menu board can help customers connect with the food truck’s brand and establish brand recognition. For example, using specific colors palette, logos, and fonts can help familiarise customers with the brand. This can lead to increased loyalty and retention, as customers are more likely to return to a food truck that is distinctive and recognizable.

6. Behavior insights

Food truck digital menu boards can use data analytics and creative marketing techniques to improve their menu offerings and pricing strategies. This can help understand customer preferences and behavior by tracking metrics such as most-ordered menu items, peak business hours, and promotions that convert to popular sales. With this information, food trucks can experiment with new variations that customers will most likely enjoy.

Types of food truck digital menu boards

The following are some examples of commonly seen food truck digital menu boards:

Truck-top digital menu boards

Perfect for catching the attention of potential customers, these digital menu boards are usually placed atop a food truck.

The bright, high-contrast screens and legible fonts from a distance make it more likely that people will notice the food truck and stop to check out the menu.

Since outdoor displays must be durable and weather resistant, they are built to withstand harsh conditions like rain and extreme temperatures.

Wireless digital menu board for food trucks

Wireless food truck menu boards are versatile since they can be mounted anywhere on your truck’s body. Wireless digital menu boards connect through Wi-Fi, cellular data networks, or Bluetooth, depending on the hardware, software, and available networks. So, if you’re at a busy festival or event, you can position your display closer to the crowd to ensure it catches more eyes. This flexibility is vital for food truck owners because it helps them adapt to different situations and maximize display investment.

Interactive food truck digital menu boards

Interactive food truck menu boards offer owners a powerful tool for revolutionizing customer experience. By allowing to interact with the menu, customize orders, and view crucial nutritional information or allergen warnings, these displays can create a more engaging and personalized experience for customers. This can lead to informed decisions while increasing your audience base’s trust and retention rate.

From a business perspective, interactive food truck menus can provide valuable insights into customer behavior. By tracking metrics such as most-ordered items and customizations, food truck owners can better understand customers’ preferences and optimize their menu offerings accordingly.

QR-based food truck menu boards

With digital menu boards, food truck owners can integrate QR codes that customers can scan to access additional information or promotions. Scanning a QR code could take them to social media handles such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, where they could follow the food truck for future updates and promotions. Additionally, they could place contactless and customized food orders as well. These features increase customer engagement and create a more interactive experience for their customers.

5 key features for an ideal food truck digital menu boards

Interactive, QR based, haptic touch-enabled, or more, here are five must-have features of a good food truck digital menu board!

• Food truck digital menu boards should be customizable and updated in real-time so you can easily add or remove items, update prices, or change the overall design if needed. This is especially important if your food truck serves unique dishes attuned to seasonal flavors.

• As food trucks are exposed to different weather, it’s essential to look for weather-resistant digital menu boards. This feature ensures that the menu board can withstand the elements, including rain, wind, and sunlight, without getting damaged. For example, a food truck in a rainy region needs a digital menu board that won’t malfunction when in contact with water.

• Digital menu boards for food trucks should be portable and mobile to be placed anywhere on the body, atop, or as a standee near the truck.

• Food truck digital menu boards should have reliable hardware and software supporting updation needs. This includes a fast processor, ample storage space, and cloud-based software, allowing real-time updates. For example, a business that frequently changes its menu items requires a digital menu board to handle the updates without leaving the system buggy or under the threat of malware.

• Last but not least, a food truck digital menu board must have a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. The interface should be intuitive and responsive, with clear and legible text, eye-catching graphics, and appealing images of the food items. For example, a truck selling desserts needs an interface that showcases attractive images of its menu items, such as cakes and pastries, to attract customers.

How to design digital menu boards for food trucks?

When designing food truck digital menu boards, it is essential to focus on the visual elements and legibility of what users see on screen. This can be achieved by using high-quality images, straightforward typography, and intuitive navigation. By considering these design tips and best practices, food truck owners can create menu boards that catch customers’ attention and make it easy for them to navigate and place their orders.

Delectably paper-less!

Digital menu boards have become an essential tool for food trucks in today’s competitive industry. From providing flexibility and sustainability benefits to building brand identity and offering data insights, these displays have much to offer. As technology continues to advance, future trends such as incorporating AI and augmented reality, could bring even more exciting developments to the field. Food trucks are set to ace the outdoor dining scene in the next few years, and so is the revolutionary paper-less ordering system here to pave the way.