Everything in the education sector is going the digital way. Just a few years ago, assignments were a pen and book affair. Today, students are sending assignments via email. The chalkboard is being replaced by the screen.
The school cafeterias had to catch up. Some are yet to catch up. Digital signage is becoming popular not only in business and education matters, but also in school cafeterias. Being surrounded by technology all day, every day, students are quickly captivated by digital signage.
What will digital signage menu board achieve?
It will promote nutritional awareness
Printed material easily gets torn or damaged by water. Besides, storing and then retrieving it can be rather cumbersome. Furthermore, it is not easy to store it neatly. There is also the work involved in setting out the different menus every time the menu is updated.
With digital signage, nutritional information can be stored for a long period of time and displayed whenever it is needed. Whatever information is not needed can be stored in the cloud and retrieved on demand. Having nicely set up digital signage menu boards will definitely promote nutritional awareness and pique their interest.
The digital menu can be customized
It is easy to keep the information on the screen relevant and customize it to your institution’s requirements. The menu that is displayed is primarily what is offered at the institution and the nutritional information can be created around that. In other words, your digital menu will be designed and programmed to suit what is offered in your school cafeteria.
In addition, you can have the school colors and mission statement integrated into the menu board branded. That is a sure way of creating a sense of pride in being a member of that institution.
The different menus can be set to automatic
From breakfast to lunch to coffee break, the digital menu can be set to automatically be updated during the different mealtimes. It saves the cafeteria a lot of paperwork as well as time.
It also makes it easy to make any changes in the menu should there be need to do so. If you have run out of a particular item, for instance, and it is not possible to have more provided, you can simply have it deleted from the menu.
Important information can be communicated alongside the menu
You can keep the students and teachers updated on events and upcoming school activities. You can also make important announcements without necessarily having to call for emergency meetings. This would save the students and teachers a lot of time and avoid unnecessary meetings.
It can help in building up a positive image and loyalty for the school
Incorporating the school logo and colors, plus the school flag and mission statement greatly helps in creating that sense of belonging and pride of ownership amongst the students. You could also display information on the school teams and their achievements and drum up some needed cheer for the teams for upcoming tournaments. It is always a great confidence boost.
Also, there is something about seeing the name of your school running across the screen at intervals that reminds you that you belong and have an obligation to always represent it positively. A lot can happen in the few seconds it takes to run a name across a screen
Incorporate weather updates
Getting everyone informed about weather changes or conditions can keep everyone, from the students to the teachers, informed and well prepared for whatever changes that may occur. Imagine a situation where an announcement is made that a storm is imminent and everyone should leave early. That would be very helpful. You would not want to be stuck in school with students during extreme weather conditions.
A digital menu board can also be used to sound warning of approaching storms or cyclones. Sometimes, nature decides to throw a major tantrum and pays no heed to the puny humans in its path.
Sharing photos
This is some nice lunchtime entertainment. It also makes the students bond over photos of school events. You can sneak in a few photos of students and teachers caught unawares by the camera. A few laughs are always welcome.
Imagine a nice blowup of the most serious professor caught doing the cha-cha or your usually sombre school principal photographed in the throes of a good belly laugh, head thrown back. That would make for a great icebreaker in the school hallways after lunch! It is fun bits like these ones that create a fun atmosphere in the institution. It also helps to put a human face to the administration.
There is a lot that can be achieved by having digital signage menu boards in the school cafeteria apart from just displaying the menu and nutritional information on the food that is on the menu.
