If you’re a restaurant owner, you probably spend your time juggling many different things at once: making sure your menu is in good shape, keeping your kitchen stocked with ingredients, and ensuring your staff is working efficiently, just to name a few. Within this neverending list of tasks you’ve got going on, you may not have much time to think about how your restaurant looks from the outside. However, it’s vital take make sure the outside of your restaurant is as appealing and enticing as the inside. An important part of making sure your restaurant looks great is choosing a restaurant sign that stands out from the crowd. With so many different types of signs available, it can be difficult deciding which one is right for you. Let’s take a look at some things to consider so you can make picking the perfect restaurant sign a breeze.
What kind of restaurant are you?
The look and feel of your restaurant has big impact on what restaurant sign will be right for you. For instance, if you’re a high scale restaurant serving fine cuisine, you’re probably going to be looking at a different sign than you would if you were opening a fast food restaurant. Your restaurant sign is often the first point of contact potential customers have with your restaurant– they see it as they pass by your location and create an attachment in their mind about what kind of restaurant it is. That’s why it’s so important to have a restaurant sign that matches the atmosphere of your restaurant. A flashing neon sign probably isn’t the best idea for an upscale five-star restaurant. You want your sign along with the rest of your branding to align with your customers’ expectations. Doing so will increase the chance of them having a positive experience eating there and make it more likely they’ll return for another meal.
Looking at different types of signs
Picking the exact type of restaurant sign for your restaurant can be a difficult task, simply because there are so many options to go with. Carefully considering the location of your restaurant and the overall look-and-feel of your business will help narrow these choices down. Let’s take a look at some types of signs that would be great for a restaurant:
Awnings
Depending on the style of your restaurant’s building location, an awning may be a great choice. Usually constructed from vinyl or canvas, awnings provide a sheltered canopy over the entrance of your restaurant. This can really draw people into your restaurant– especially if it’s raining outside!
Channel letters
A sign consisting of channel letters can really make your restaurant stand out. These individual 3D letters are usually constructed from aluminum and are a great option if you need your sign to be lighted.
Pylon sign
If you’ve got space to work with, a pylon sign is a huge statement piece for your restaurant. Pylon signs can be constructed using a wide variety of materials to fit with the overall aesthetic look of your restaurant. They also serve as a great way to advertise your restaurant if it’s located next to a busy road.
Think about using graphics
If you’re proud of the food you serve, why not show it? Displaying a high-quality picture of the main attraction of your menu could go a long way to enticing people into your restaurant. Think of commercials you’ve seen for restaurants on TV– they put the food front-and-center, right? Ads for fast food restaurants show off their juiciest burgers with the freshest toppings. They do this because it works. Research shows people have feelings of hunger when they see images of enticing food. Using high-quality graphics as part of the design of your restaurant sign will help get people through the door.
Getting the right angle
Depending on the specific positioning of your restaurant, you want to make sure your sign is visible from all the angles passers-by will be coming from. Maybe your location is next to a major road, so of course you want a large stand alone or even a pylon sign that’s visible to drivers from their cars. However, if you’re lucky, you may also get a lot of foot traffic walking by your restaurant. In this case, larger signs might be a little overbearing or not fit within the space constraints you’re working within. An awning or channel letters could be the touch your restaurant needs– something that fits your space but also attracts the eye of hungry passer-by and entices them to come in for a bite to eat.
Think also about the angle your sign needs to be facing to get the most views from potential customers. You want your restaurant sign to fall naturally into people’s line-of-sight– that way, you’ll maximize the number of people who see it. Lighting is another important consideration for your restaurant sign. If your restaurant serves food late into the night, you want to make sure your sign stays visible into the small hours. In this case, you might think about something bright that catches the eye– maybe even an electronic or LED sign would do the trick.
Find the perfect restaurant sign
Finding the right restaurant sign is a question of doing your research and taking the time to decide what it is you’re looking for. With so many options out there, it’s easy to find the perfect sign that will be attractive and entice potential customers into your restaurant. Finding the perfect restaurant sign will give your restaurant the finished, professional look you and your staff can be proud of.
