Updated July 2026
Is Digital Signage Worth It? Start With Your Goals
Gary Kurtz, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, kicks off our digital signage strategy series with the question every operator should answer before buying a single screen: what do you want digital signage to accomplish?
Watch the full episode below, or read the recap:
Why Set Digital Signage Objectives First?
Before deciding to invest in any kind of digital signage, decide what your goals are. It sounds obvious, but it's the step most operators skip, and it's the reason some digital signage installs disappoint.
The biggest question we hear is about ROI. And as Gary explains, ROI depends entirely on what you put into the system and what your strategy is. If your plan is to make your static menu digital and then leave it as-is, you're probably not going to get the return you're hoping for. A digital screen showing unchanging content is just a more expensive static board.
Digital Signage ROI vs. ROO: What's the Difference?
Before you can measure success, you need to know what you're measuring. There are two ways to think about it:
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ROI (Return on Investment) is the monetary value: did sales go up enough to justify what you spent?
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ROO (Return on Objectives) covers the operational wins that drive that number: a higher margin per transaction, a higher average ticket, and faster movement through the line.
Both matter. A board that speeds up your line and nudges guests toward higher-margin items is earning its keep even before you tally the sales lift.
What Sales Increase Can You Expect From Digital Signage?
Done right, with a reputable digital signage company, operators should be able to see a 3-5% increase in sales. The "done right" part is the catch: that lift comes from actively managing the system, promoting your highest-margin items, and keeping content current, not from the hardware alone.
The Questions to Ask Before You Invest
Whether you're a mom and pop with one location or a thousand-location operation, the homework is the same:
- What is your investment going to be?
- How much work are you going to put into the system?
- How much attention will you pay to it after it's installed?
- How much work will the company you hire put into it?
- How many menu items do you have?
- How can you promote your highest-margin items?
The size of your business doesn't change the requirement: you have to put the effort in. The real decision isn't which screen to buy. It's whether digital signage fits how your business actually operates, and what your goals are before you start.
Keep Going With the Series
This is the first installment in our digital signage strategy series. Once you've set your goals, the next two episodes cover what comes after the decision:
- Episode 2: Digital Signage Content Dos and Don'ts - the media mix that sells and the flashy mistake that quietly kills your lift [LINK]
- Episode 3: Digital Menu Board Design - the board's real purpose, who should design it, and when designs should change during the day [LINK]
Looking for the fundamentals in one place? Our eguide, The 7 Key Elements of Digital Signage, is one of our longtime resources and still available for free download.
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