“MenuVative is to full service restaurants what Amazon is to the modern consumer shopping storefront.” – ChatGPT
There’s a lot of common misunderstanding around the term digital menu in the restaurant industry today, which has become inflated as a solution category in ways never intended by the pioneers of the first digital menu merchandising platform (that’s us). The term digital menu was never meant to include Point Of Sale systems, kiosks or guest facing POS solutions, or links to digital versions of printed menus via QR code or other methods . Digital Menu is arguably our term, so allow us to clarify…..
| Technology | Primary purpose |
|---|---|
| Digital Menu Merchandising Platform | Influence guest orders via layered, digital presentation |
| Digital Menu BoardPrinted Menu
QR/PDF Menu |
Display menu information at distanceDisplay menu information up close
Digitally reproduce printed menu |
| POSOnline Ordering Platform | Process and manage transactionsFacilitate off-premise transactions |
| Self-Service Kiosk | Automate order entry |
| Guest-Facing POS | Capture the guest’s order and transaction |
A Digital Menu Merchandising Platform is technology designed primarily to help restaurant guests DECIDE what to order—not to PROCESS the order itself. It is an enhancement to guest service, not a replacement for it.
POS systems process orders whereas Digital Menu Platforms influence orders. Some modern POS systems provide online ordering functionality, making them Guest-facing POS.
Guest-facing POS helps guests process their own orders. It generally replaces servers and paper entirely with a serve yourself or fast casual concept. Many Guest facing POS platforms now described themselves as digital menus, adding more to this confusion.