3 great examples of interactive restaurant menus
We first produced this post back in 2017 and now in 2020 the information here still feels just as valuable (if not, more). With the restaurants suffering from the Covid19 outbreak in 2020, many are turning to creative ways to kickstart business again and these interactive menus for restaurants might just fit the bill.
Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies is often seen as the holy grail for marketers looking to pick up on the emerging ways in which consumers connect with brands.
With this in mind, it feels like the right time to look again at how augmented reality (AR) – now approaching the ‘Slope of enlightenment’ – might make an impact across different sectors, starting with the restaurant sector and augmented interactive restaurant menus.
During the early buzz around AR, restaurant chains were quick to pick up on the idea of bringing their menus to life with additional layers of digital content. The ability for consumers to view nutritional information or use AR to entertain children during waiting times were solid use cases although they were often implemented as ‘test and learn’ projects (including interactive restaurant menus) rather than longer term strategic activity.
100 million reasons for the restaurant sector to explore AR opportunities now
With advances in AR technology plus the now ubiquitous nature of smartphone ownership, we believe it’s time for restaurateurs to look again at augmented reality as a compelling and measurable way of adding value to the eating out experience. This timing is backed up by more research from Gartner who predicts that, by 2020, there will be in excess of 100 million consumers purchasing goods through augmented reality. Citi GPS go a step further by estimating that this new reality (AR, VR and MXR) is growing into a new trillion-dollar market with annual revenues of a whopping $692 billion expected by 2025.
Great examples of interactive restaurant menus
To help whet the appetite (yep, that pun was deliberate) of brand owners, we have compiled 3 great examples of interactive restaurant menus that have helped bring restaurant experience to life:
Robinsons Fruit Shoot augmented kids’ colouring menus
Robinsons Fruit Shoot has developed an AR experience that turns the kids’ colouring menus into a range of interactive games and puzzles designed to keep the little ones happy in that ‘difficult’ period between the excitement of ordering and the satisfaction of eating. The interactive restaurant menu is available in various restaurant chains including Harvester and Wimpy.
To view the video example click here.
Pizza Hut interactive restaurant menu
Dive into the Pizza Hut world to take the Trivia Challenge, browse through the menu and even place your order all through the power of AR. This early example of an interactive restaurant menu highlighted how Pizza Hut was able to integrate the power of augmented reality and social to create a unique and engaging digital experience for family and friends to enjoy.
Le Petit Chef projected AR experience
And finally, something completely different. Le Petit Chef turns the restaurant experience into a piece of digital theatre with this projected augmented story played out on the diner’s plate (before the meal arrives). Amusing? Yes. Useful? Maybe as it does provide a talking point for diners throughout the rest of the meal and is definitely something which they will remember and share.
With restaurants operating in such a competitive market, AR offers a unique way for them to differentiate themselves from the competition. The examples above are just the tip of the iceberg as most current interactive restaurant menus have focussed on entertaining their customers. There are also huge opportunities to use augmented reality to add value in different ways – through the provision of nutritional information, through bespoke offers or even through ‘product visualisation’ of the different meals on the menu.
Add value to your restaurant experience with AR
For more information on how to bring your restaurant experience to life with augmented reality, please call us on 01604 453 177 or drop us an email.
