The Secret Ingredient to Success … Signs!

CARROLLTON, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Think about the last time you had a meal out. For a special occasion? Lunch with a co-worker? With competition among restaurants intensifying, it’s important for restaurant owners to find innovative ways to reach out to their existing customers as well as potential new diners. Signs and graphics are a great way to achieve this.

According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2007 Restaurant Industry Forecast, restaurant industry sales were expected to reach a record $537 billion in 2007. The report also states that the industry was heading into 2007 as an economic powerhouse and an essential part of Americans’ lifestyle, with Americans spending 47.9 percent of their food budget in restaurants. So what does this have to do with signs?

“What many business owners do not realize is that among all advertising mediums, signage typically brings a high return on investment,” said Drue Townsend, senior vice president of marketing for FASTSIGNS International, Inc. While most forms of mass awareness media still appeal to most restaurant owners, more restaurateurs are moving towards signs and graphics because of their cost effective price tag and eye-catching options. Signs direct the public to your location, inform them of new menu options or catering services and promote upcoming specials or events like “kids eat free” or a “grand opening.”

There are many new, innovative advances in the signage arena. Many establishments are incorporating full color digital graphics—a technology that offers restaurants the opportunity to show their product in an enticing and colorful way.

Casual eateries can make use of more direct signage by utilizing full color back lit menu boards displaying menu options and photographic images. They are also using a variety of interior signs to welcome customers like hanging mobiles, point of purchase posters and graphics, banners and floor or window graphics.

Upscale restaurants may prefer a more subdued type of signage such as elegantly produced signs on etched glass, signs placed on easels at the front entrance or scripted lettering on the windows.

Another prevalent trend among restaurant owners is the use of vehicle graphics. For restaurants that offer food service delivery and catering, vehicle graphics are an eye-catching way to create a billboard on wheels. Research studies show that displaying your message on your vehicle generates over 600 visual impressions for every mile driven.

Regardless of the size or style of a restaurant, good signage helps get your message across, and a reputable sign consultant can help in the design and execution of a winning graphic strategy.

FASTSIGNS® sign and graphics centers use innovation and technology to make the sign buying process simple by offering consulting, design, production, file transfer, delivery and installation for a full range of custom sign and graphic products. For more information, visit www.fastsigns.com.