What We Learned Installing over 5,500 McDonald's Digital Menu Boards

Back in 2018, it was big industry news when McDonald’s installed thousands of brand-new digital menu boards. For a nearly two-year period, Keyser was heavily involved in this Outdoor Menu Board Installation Project, completing 5,500 McDonald’s digital menu board installations.

After working with the most enduring and successful fast-food chain in the US, we’re confident in saying that the installation of drive-thru menus is something we’re good at. Keep reading for the full details on how we did it, our process, and what we learned throughout this project.

Integrated digital display systems: The outdoor menu board project

Keyser was hired as an integrator for McDonald’s ODMB (Outdoor Menu Board) Project deployed nationwide starting in March of 2018. Over a 23-month time period, our team internally coordinated the entire installation process, where we installed menu boards in 2,807 drive-thru lanes. Our peak install month was in March of 2019, when we installed new signage at 126 stores. Our installations covered a lot of ground geographically, with store locations in over 850 different municipalities nationwide.

Scope of work

The installation process involves several phases and moving parts. Here’s a breakdown of what we did throughout the project:

• Site surveys: We sent technicians to client locations to take photos, notes, and make estimations for materials needed.
• Equipment ordering: Developed an effective schedule for orders and deliveries to facilitate a smooth installment.
• Construction permit acquisition: Traced the permit acquisition process efficiently and obtained over 1,500 permits.
• Contract onboarding: Chose trained installation partners to work with around the country, supervised their onboarding process, and provided ongoing support.
• Scheduling: Developed a master project schedule with real-time updates. Ensured any project delays were resolved.
• Site owner communication/coordination: Established reliable and consistent communication with job site owners.
• Completion reports: Had strict completion report protocols. Required photos from contractors throughout each step of the installation process to make sure it was correct.
• Post-install quality checks: Answered questions and addressed any issues that arose during or after the installation process. Keyser had a team available to address any concerns of site owners after installation.
• Boots on the ground: Keyser’s installation managers were onsite to train and supervise new crews. We also found that unannounced, random visits to job locations ensured adherence to our strict quality standards.

Why did McDonald’s restaurants upgrade to outdoor digital menu boards?

McDonald’s is a leader in its industry, so it’s no surprise that it consistently implements new technology that will improve its services. They installed thousands of outdoor digital menu boards, which are perfect for quick-service restaurants (QSRs) that need to add efficiencies to their customer service. The advancements in digital signage technology have resulted in signage that vastly improves customer experience and delivers a high return on investment (ROI) in fast food restaurants. Here are some of the other benefits associated with upgrading outdoor menu boards:

• Flexibility and customization: Digital signage software offers more flexibility and customization options in digital content displays. The ability to display menu items with a design that fits a restaurant’s brand is a huge step up from the limited customization options of traditional signage.
• Advanced CMS: Content management systems (CMS) give businesses the power to easily and quickly update McDonald’s digital menu items based on inventory, changed pricing, new promotions, etc.
• Efficient energy usage: Digital signage is an ideal choice for companies with cost savings and energy sustainability in mind. New digital signage technology is designed to use power more efficiently than traditional signage because they’re built to run for an extended period of time on minimal power. Technology makes it that easy to be environmentally conscious and save on energy bills.
• Targeted messaging: Digital signage software allows businesses to daypart, the practice of adjusting menus, promotions, and operations to cater to specific time periods of the day, optimizing offerings for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night customers. Restaurants can implement targeted messaging in real-time based on who’s coming in at what time of day and automate the menu items that should be displayed at those times.?
• Interactivity: Interactivity is also a major appeal for outdoor digital menu boards, much like self-order kiosks, which have also been widely implemented by McDonald’s restaurants as well.

What was our takeaway?

You don’t just come away from a massive project like this without any growth, and that was especially true in our case. The value of these installations was immeasurable for Keyser as a digital signage company. Here’s what we learned:

• Experience is everything, and the McDonald’s digital menu installation project only strengthened our previous 25 years of experience in the digital signage industry. Keyser was able to perfect and refine our process by doing thousands of installations as we worked with all kinds of on-site managers, contractors, etc. We gained an increased knowledge, know-how, and familiarity with the digital signage industry, a type of value that only experience can buy.?
• The McDonald’s installation project also solidified a high standard of services for Keyser. We’ve always had high standards, but working on these installations helped to further confirm and refine those standards.
• We learned that McDonald’s digital menu rollout was the beginning of a more widespread shift in the digital signage industry, which means that the experience and expertise we acquired would be much needed in the coming years. That lesson has held true since, and Keyser is ready to continue as an expert in the digital signage industry as it advances forward.

Contact us today for a free consultation

Interested in learning more about digital menu board installation and what the process might look like for you? Contact us for a free consultation on your next signage project.?