— Contributed by Gina Pearce

The pandemic made me almost close down my food business. When the lockdowns started, we started offering deliveries and curbside pickups just to keep the business running. 

When the quarantine and stay-at-home orders were lifted off, we decided to accept dining customers again. Just as expected, the number of customers was low; it was half the number we were getting pre-COVID. We knew we had to do something.

I was aware of how LED signage benefits businesses. We didn’t have one, so we ordered an outdoor scrolling LED sign from Affordable LED. We programmed messages about our specials, some of our food promotions, and that we were accepting dine-in customers.

We were amazed by the results! I kid you not, the LED sign just made our food business — visible. After a couple of months of using the sign, here’s what we found:

It helps attract passers-by.

Because LED lighting is extremely bright and striking, it sort of piqued the interest of passers-by. We also mounted the sign at eye-level and used the red LEDs most of the time — which probably “excited” pedestrians and made them feel hungry. According to psychology, red increases a person’s heart rate and increases appetite, making them the best color to use for food business.

Our scrolling LED sign was versatile.

I love the sign we got from Affordable LED because it has so many features — LED colors, animation, and scrolling and flashing features. There are so many ways to make our messages visible and more eye-catching.

It offers us safety.

Unlike neon signs, LED signs do not have the risk of gas leakages that can result to fire and explosion hazards. Also, our scrolling LED sign doubles as complement lighting to our spotlights in the evening, making the area brighter and safer for pedestrians. 

Programmable LED signs are energy savers.

We didn’t worry about getting a higher electricity bill. Even if the sign was on for more than eight hours every day of the week, our monthly power bills the past two months didn’t burn a hole in our pockets. LED signage really is a good investment for any business.

As for Affordable LED, I am happy I came across their online shop. They offer a wide range of programmable LED signs of different sizes, as well as storefront signs, LED strips, and floodlights.