Common mistakes large chains make with LED signs

When studying the industry of restaurant LED signs, it is quite noticeable that larger chains often struggle with successful digital menu boards while smaller chains thrive in this field. Surprising as it may seem, let us study why this may be so.
In the US, three major restaurant chains invested in a total of 1200 to 1800 digital menu boards all across their branches. Because digital menu boards were not yet fully developed at the time, even though immediate sales increments were seen, longer term results were not so great and eventually these LED boards had to be replaced with the traditional style menu boards. This failure lead to digital menu boards not being accepted for quite some time in the restaurant industry.
After some time, one of those chains, along with two other restaurant chains installed indoor digital menu boards in their system but left out the drive-thru area. These chains are seeing mixed results depending on their location and their supplier for digital menu boards.
So as you can see, these major chains are struggling with the success of digital menu boards. In the mean time, a small chain in Canada, who was one of the first to invest in indoor menu boards, has been thriving ever since. Usually, when it comes to new trends, smaller chains follow the industry leaders. However, with digital menu boards, that is not the case. Small chains are excelling in digital menus because most of them are doing it right. So why is it easier for the smaller chains to get it right?
In larger chains, it is the marketing department that develops the strategies and objectives of this system. But during the purchasing, there is pressure to reduce costs and hence the quality of hardware and content has to be sacrificed. Consequently, the end results of the investment are dramatically affected.
To make the most out of your LED sign investment, you have to look into its extra capabilities. They cannot be used in the exact same way as the old boards otherwise you will not see great results. Depending on the needs of every chain, the success of the investment will differ. A chain that provides indoor service, drive-thru service, a large menu and multiple day parts will have much to benefit from digital menu boards than a chain that only has indoor service and a small menu.