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The Writing on the Wall
Promote your products and image with stylish signs.

By Karen L. Wagner

Maybe it’s a pink neon coffee cup hanging in the window, a sidewalk
chalkboard introducing drink specials, or a hand-carved piece of wood
hanging on a pole.

From magnetic menus to sidewalk swingers, retailers can choose from a wide variety of indoor and outdoor signage in different sizes, styles and colors. Retailers can also often include their own graphic elements, such as photos or pieces of artwork, to add that personal touch that’s so important for independent coffeehouses.

And, while highly customized signs can run into the thousands of dollars, for the most part outdoor signage and menu systems won’t break the bank. So, while the financial investment may be not be high, compared with the cost of espresso equipment for example, signage represents an important investment in the image of your coffeehouse—and it’s hard to put a price tag on that.

Stylish and functional
Aside from being one of the very first impressions of your business, signs also serve several functions. They can be decorative—think of “cappuccino” in neon yellow scribbled across a brick wall; informative—a “John’s Coffeehouse and Café” sign lets passersby know that this establishment serves coffee and food; or attention-getting—the pink glow from that neon coffee cup may attract traffic from blocks away.

For instance, while neon signs might add a splash of color to any coffeehouse, they’re actually also quite functional, says Lauri Legere, who helps her husband run Jantec Neon Products, Mount Airy, N.C.
“People use them in the window to attract attention,” she says. “They’re good for a variety of reasons.”

Jantec’s signs, some of which read “espresso,” “cappuccino,” “gourmet coffee” or simply “coffee” also let potential customers know what’s being sold inside the store. For example, Legere says, a bookstore with a coffeehouse inside may use a sign to relate that information. Sometimes, she adds, retailers come up with clever names for their coffeehouses, but the names don’t mention anything about coffee, so signs such as a picture of a steaming cup or variations on the word “coffee” are necessary.

“They work really well for getting the word out,” Legere says.

Jantec offers a full line of stock neon signs and can also make custom orders. The smallest stock size is 20 inches by 8 inches, while the largest is 32 inches by 20 inches, Legere says. Prices begin at $139 and can run into the thousands for custom signs.

No matter the function, all signage, says Dawn Pankow, marketing manager for The Howard Company, Brookfield, Wis., should do one thing—match the décor and ambiance of the coffeehouse.
“If it’s a dimly lit location,” Pankow offers as an example, “you want to have the menuboard fit in.”

For the past several years, Pankow comments, independent retailers have been angling for that more sophisticated indoor menu design, such as the style found in Starbucks coffeehouses. Pankow says their customers want that upscale, contemporary look in a menu system and are getting away from illuminated menus that are backlit.

“We see a lot of wood tones for the coffee shops, a lot of them also going from individual text strips for their coffee items and then the prices ... to a full poster that will list all their items on it,” she says. “Again, kind of a more upscale, softer look.”

Under the Mainstreet Menu Systems brand, The Howard Company offers a stock line of illuminated and non-illuminated magnetic modular menuboards. Retailers can personalize the product line in various ways, Pankow says.

“Even though it might be a stock shape and color, the entire guts of it is customized for each customer in color or text, or adding their logo,” she says.

Generally, the company’s menu systems contain three modules, each 18 inches by 24 inches, so the entire board is about 5 feet by 3 feet on average, Pankow says, noting that coffeehouse boards tend to be a little wider to accommodate drink sizes.

Low-end, non-illuminated menu systems range from $1,000 to $1,250 while higher-end systems begin at $1,500 and go as high as $2,000, Pankow says. Higher-end systems tend to be more decorative, she explains, and may include such elements as custom printed backboards, a logo or even wallpaper.
The company also offers customized menu systems under the Howard Menus segment, which services chain accounts such as Irvine, Calif.-based Gloria Jeans.

Pankow says that over the past year, the company has also been receiving many requests for an outdoor menu system for coffee drive-throughs. Currently, Pankow says the company is working on a prototype outdoor drive-through menu that is about half the size of its regular outdoor menu system, which can hold six 18-inch-by-24-inch panels.

“Truly, we are hoping to have a prototype available for the NRA show,” adds Pankow, referring to the trade show of the National Restaurant Association to be held May 21-24 in Chicago.

Easy-to-read
Whatever the purpose of the sign, style is important, but how a sign looks should never supersede its function—which, in the case of a menu, is to let customers know what’s available. Of course in any restaurant environment, but especially a coffeehouse, clarity is crucial.

“Good coffeehouse signage must educate clients without inhibiting transaction speeds,” writes Rob Winkler, for IDS Menu, Holbrook, N.Y., via e-mail. “Customers should be able to grasp pricing and product details quickly, without holding up lines while they read the menu. Quality images, concise descriptions and clearly marked pricing can all be helpful.”

The elements of a good sign, Winkler continues, include strong composition, effective use of contrast and intelligent alignment.

IDS Menu’s core products include indoor and outdoor menuboards, drive-through signage and point-of-purchase items, such as counter displays. According to Winkler, the company specializes in stainless-steel magnetic menu systems that offer flexibility, durability and affordability.

“All our menu systems can be customized,” he writes. “There are multiple panel sizes and layout options to choose from. Menu strips and price digits come in dozens of colors, and we offer thousands of stock food images.”

The menus come in eight indoor panel sizes ranging from 18 inches to 32 inches high. The panels, Winkler explains, can be added together to fit any length. Indoor displays start at $295. Stainless-steel drive-through menuboards are available in six sizes, and prices start at $295, Winkler says.
“We offer price ranges to fit any budget,” he adds.

To maximize speed of service, the most effective menuboards are structured by category, according to Brenda Rolf, who handles sales and marketing for Mentor, Ohio-based Signets, which makes the Menu-Quik brand of menu systems. Menuboards, she writes via e-mail, should be broken down into sections that are easy to follow and have a place where signature products can be showcased.

“For example,” Rolf explains, “if you own a coffeehouse that specializes in homemade pies, position your pie category at the top of the panel or in the middle of three panels.”

A great place to grab attention, she adds, is under a logo or photograph.

“Designs and photos will grab a customer’s attention and they will likely read what is near that object first,” she points out. “It is also a good idea to have your category headers a different color than the item and price strips. This will make it easier for customers who know what they want to locate an item.”
Rolf adds that it’s also good to include item descriptions, especially for drinks that require explanations or for coffeehouses in areas where educating the customer in the coffeehouse language is important. However, Rolf advises against being too complicated or cutesy with the descriptions.
“Just list the contents of the drink or food item,” she recommends. “Don’t try to make them fancy or catchy.”

Signets offers a variety of standard and custom menuboards in magnetic, non-illuminated and illuminated track systems, plus wet erase write-on or chalkboard style systems. Rolf writes that the average sign for a coffeehouse costs between $1,300 and $1,600 for a standard three-panel system with a logo. She adds that custom colors and designs are available for an additional cost.

Coffeehouse weaponry
Terry Siminski, who helps run the family-owned Arrow Neon, Georgetown, Texas, believes that signs are not merely fashionable and functional; she sees them as a competitive weapon.
“Neon signs brighten,” she writes via e-mail, “reinforce company logos, direct customers to departments and highlight services.”

Arrow’s neon signs are hand bent and patterns are created using a special Windows-based computer program, Siminski explains. Retailers can supply their own graphics or choose from stock patterns, some of which read “cappuccino” with the two “C’s” forming steam over a cup, “espresso” under a steaming cup, and “espresso” with the two “S’s” forming steam over a cup.
The largest size Arrow normally ships is 20 inches by 30 inches; larger signs require alternative shipping methods, Siminski writes. Prices range from $205 to $500 for standard signs and can run as high as $1,000 for those with custom detailing, she adds.

Thinking of signage as competitive weapons at coffeehouses may not appeal to more mild-mannered retailers, but using signs strategically can be one of the most cost-effective ways to market your products. Remember, be creative and use different graphic elements, but don’t go overboard with your signage, especially menuboards. Signs communicate with customers—and while they may be colorful, the message should always be crystal clear.

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Originally published - March 2005
Specialty Coffee Retailer.
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