So.......................................................................

[Gino]

About 3 or so months ago, this guy comes into the shop looking for a price on an electric sign for his new restaurant, which is opening up, directly across the street from our shop. He told me how big it was to be and I priced him on a brand new one, or a used one, I have out back. Nothing wrong with the used one and I priced it neighborly. He said, he'll be back. Saw last week, his new sign went up and it was just a little cutout acm board and ya can hardly read it. No big deal, but it kinda gets to me, when someone asks for a cadillac and they get a pinto.

Anyway, here's the reason for this thread. I told my wife to go over and get some menus for our shop, so we can look at it and decide on some lunch and have extras on our counter for our customers. She came back a few minutes later..... empty-handed. They said they don't have menus and started spouting off what they sell. I said to my wife, what the f*ck kinda restaurant doesn't have menus ?? THIS ONE. to me, that's just p!ss-poor planning. They told her, they're not sure if any were ordered. Just let us know what you want. How is that possible, if you don't know what they have ?? I can't listen to someone rattle off their items, if someone else is doing the same 5' away from me.

 

[Johnny Best]

So.... you think if they would have purchased the sign from you they would have had menus?

 

[Gino]

Nope.

 

[Boudica]

They just opened up, they didn't have the budget for a proper sign much less menus. They are waiting until they can afford a black board to write their menu on - then your wife can just take a picture of it, and viola - there is your menu.
A few weeks ago I went to a small little Chinese restaurant, I assume its a chain or franchise of some sort. Mr Wok. It's not new, I've noticed it before, just never been in there. Anyway - They had no menu - it was all written in chalk on a black board on the wall. Easier to update prices I suppose.

 

[Stacey K]

Look on the bright side...in 6 months they will be out of business and you will have the opportunity to put up a new sign!

I relettered a business downtown twice in the last 2 years, and I anticipate doing it again next year. This newest gal drove me insane. I gave her an estimate of $550-600 based on how long it took it remove and replace the old sign board. (small sign with a couple screws). She was fine with it but wanted an exact amount because she was doing this business all "in cash". I said I won't know to the penny until the job is done just incase we run into a problem that's why I give an "estimate". She put $500 down then asked me 5 more times in a week what her balance was and she came in asking me twice! I explained to her multiple times that until the job is finished I won't know to the penny but max is $600 and she gave me $500 so she can plan on owing me zero to $100. - she would not accept this! I finally ignored her the last 2 times - how many times can you explain it??? Got the job done at 5pm last night. I told her I would get the invoice finished up today by noon. She was harrassing me last night for the balance and again at 8:30 this morning because she needed to know how much cash to withdraw from the bank...?????

So you take out $120 from the bank and you have it more than covered then just put the rest in your wallet after you pay the bill or put it in an envelope??? Not to be mean but I anticipate relettering this sign again next year...geesh....

 

[Stacey K]

They just opened up, they didn't have the budget for a proper sign much less menus. They are waiting until they can afford a black board to write their menu on - then your wife can just take a picture of it, and viola - there is your menu.
A few weeks ago I went to a small little Chinese restaurant, I assume its a chain or franchise of some sort. Mr Wok. It's not new, I've noticed it before, just never been in there. Anyway - They had no menu - it was all written in chalk on a black board on the wall. Easier to update prices I suppose.

Quite a few around here have the chalk board also...I don't mind it.

 

[Scotchbrite]

You can tell a lot about how successful a business is going to be by how prepared they are for their sign.

 

[Gino]

Around here, a chalkboard can be used outside on the pavement, but not inside, unless it's one of those that light up and you use a liquid pen. Any eating establishment or where food is prepared, cut/sliced like in the deli in a grocery store, it is not permitted. Chalk residue can fall into the food, thus supposedly contaminating it.

I'd be Okay with a board like that, too, but they have nothing at this place.

Oh, when this guy was in about his main sign, he bragged that he was gonna get a digital monitor and hang it up on the outside wall. He wanted it to be 3' x 12'..... magine the cost of something like that. He said he could get one for $700.

 

[JBurton]

He said he could get one for $700.

I don't doubt it. Now would it be UL, multicolored, waterproof, and functional for more than two weeks? Nope.

 

[Stacey K]

Around here, a chalkboard can be used outside on the pavement, but not inside, unless it's one of those that light up and you use a liquid pen. Any eating establishment or where food is prepared, cut/sliced like in the deli in a grocery store, it is not permitted. Chalk residue can fall into the food, thus supposedly contaminating it.

I'd be Okay with a board like that, too, but they have nothing at this place.

Oh, when this guy was in about his main sign, he bragged that he was gonna get a digital monitor and hang it up on the outside wall. He wanted it to be 3' x 12'..... magine the cost of something like that. He said he could get one for $700.

You're probably right about that with the chalk. I'm guessing the ones around here used those liquid pens.

 

[DL Signs]

No menus, a sign no one can see... This place has success written all over it. Maybe Gino will at least get a few good lunches before they go down

 

[Gino]

Don't know how how I'll get some good lunches, if I don't know what the f*ck they sell ??

Now, here's another little added fun fact.

When he was in, I asked him what kinda food and he said hispanic. Oh, that sounds good. He said, there's nothing around this area like it. I said right up on the corner, there's a great mexican restaurant. Lucy has fantastic food. He said, that's mexican, not what we serve. Oh, I thought you said hispanic. I did, but this is gonna be haitian food. Oh, sorry, I didn't know there was a huge difference, but there's several spanish delis all around here. One down at the next corner, one about 3 blocks up the street and several about 4 blocks the other way. Yeah, but they won't be selling what we do.

Guess not, not if no one knows what the dickens you're selling. I trashed this guy enough or I'd show ya a picture of his sign.

 

[Boudica]

Now this is sounding sketchy... Can't be specific about what kind of food it is, and can't show you what they offer. Is it a front for something perhaps?

 

[gnubler]

You have the most obscure thread titles in the history of the internet.

I'm going through hijinks with several local restaurants as well. They're aren't my favorite type of business to work with. Many seem to be switching from physical menu boards to digital displays. I understand it from an economic stance if your prices or menu items are frequently changing, but they just look tacky. One of my customers decided to go all digital...the decor of the eatery is very rustic and steampunky, and now the front counter area is wrapped from wall to wall with these gigantic screens constantly flashing.

Not a fan.

 

[Gino]

My wife and I were at some casino a few years back and we went to the food court. Very nice and kinda upscaled, but the menus were all those digital boards about 30" tall and about 15' long, but the boards kept changing. There was so much writing on it and small, I had trouble reading it [as did everyone else]. Anyway, you'd just get to reading this board and it would change. Didn't come around again for like 2 minutes, cause of all the items on it. Talk about annoying. Then, you were supposed to go in and sit down and know what you wanted to order. What a crock.

 

[gnubler]

They always remind me of Idiocracy when I see them.

 

[Boudica]

dumb story about those digital menus... I was at the food court in the mall with kiddo. I was wearing my prescription sun glasses. With them on, I couldn't see anything on the A&W menu - just a black screen. I thought the menu wasn't even on until I took my sunglasses off. With my glasses off I could see there was indeed a menu, but too blind to read it. I just got a rootbeer float and fried cheese curds, because I knew they had that.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

They can't afford a sign or menus.. Gino, you better keep a close eye on your shop cats... or they will end up on the "menu"

 

[Gino]

 

[chester215]

Menu from a restaurant that was up the street, the menu boards were even more difficult to read.
I can't believe that someone thought it was a good idea to use this font this way.