Chalkboards aren't just for classrooms anymore. In fact, chalkboard signs are today's hottest idea for growing a small business! Business owners are increasingly recognizing the unique benefits of using chalkboards for menus, sidewalk signs and in-store advertising.

Why Do Businesses Use Chalkboards?

So why is chalkboard signage suddenly so popular? First of all, chalkboards make it possible to dream up creative ways to introduce products and services, and to implement those ideas quickly. The flexibility of chalkboard displays gives businesses an edge over competitors using preprinted signs that can't be updated. As a result, we are seeing chalkboard art on store walls and restaurant tables everywhere these days.

Another reason for the chalkboard sign revolution is the ever-growing expense of cut vinyl or printed signs. All entrepreneurs love saving on advertising costs, and many are also striving to be more environmentally friendly by cutting down on their use paper and non-reusable signs. Affordable and reusable for many years, chalkboards are the natural solution.

Lastly, restaurant patrons and store customers nowadays love using chalkboards as props and backgrounds for the selfies and group pics they post on social media. That means chalkboard signage makes your establishment more fun for your clientele — and as a bonus, your business gets a boost to its social media following with every tag!

With all the benefits they have to offer for stores and eateries of all kinds, it's time to learn how to use chalkboard signs to take your business to the next level.

Exciting and Cool Ways to Use Chalkboards for F & B and Other Businesses

1. Chalkboard Menus Give Casual Dining Restaurants That Rustic Feel

Frameless chalkboards, kickstand chalkboards or hanging wood-frame chalkboards—you name the board type, there is a way it can help your business. One of the best uses of chalkboards in your restaurant is a chalkboard menu.

Chalkboard menus are perfect for casual dining restaurants and coffee houses, and for events and parties as well. Your chalkboard menu can feature the special of the day and the chef's paired wine selections for the entree and dessert. Check out our archive of great theme and design ideas for chalkboard menus for restaurants.

Chalkboard menus are easy on the budget. You don’t need to print copies and the boards are easy to erase completely and reset for the next day's special or a private event. That same easy erasability also means that your staff can take more risks when dreaming up designs and lettering styles, so your advertising will be more creative and memorable!

2. Bakeshops Use Chalkboard Menus for “Hot Stuff”

Restaurants are not the only ones getting in on the chalkboard game. Bakeries and pastry shops are always pulling something new out of the oven. You want to shout from the rooftops about your bakery's latest delectable delight. Yet because supplies are limited, it is impractical to invest in expensive, permanent signage.

It only makes sense for these food businesses to use chalkboard signs. When cheese croissants are available today only while supplies last, bakers can quickly whip up a sign encouraging customers to "get 'em while they're hot!"

Once those cheese croissants are gone, the baker can just as easily erase the item off the board and replace it with the next freshly baked treat. If there is a special cake you want customers to try, you can display the “Cake of the Day” for all to see: "Today – Divine Three Layer Chocolate Cake. Tomorrow – just wait, it’s a surprise!"

3. Chalkboard Signs Help Your Store Keep Up With Advertising Trends

It is amazing how quickly a sign that was the talk of the town when you put it up a few years ago can look outdated and forgettable. Tastes change at light speed these days. To keep up with the trends using printed signs would cost thousands of dollars or more every year. No small business can afford that kind of expenditure on signage, and by using changeable, updatable chalkboard signs, you will never have to!

If last year's trend in signage was simple, vintage tones and now you suddenly find the other stores in your district opting for bold colors, you only have to erase your chalkboards and get a new set of neon chalk markers to get out in front of the latest craze.

In addition to helping you stay in step with today's popular sign styles, chalkboard signage enables you to easily change with the seasons. If you operate a hardware store, how about decorating your A-Frame sidewalk sign with a fun illustration of a penguin pushing a snowblower for the winter months, and steaks sizzling on the grill for summer?

4. Show Your Establishment's Unique Personality

A great diner is a hot spot for locals, but it is hard for one diner to stand out from the rest. Lots of eateries serve up burgers, but you want to show the world that your diner offers a unique, themed atmosphere and the BEST burgers in town! A small chalkboard sign on every booth or table will ensure that your customers remember to tell their friends where they discovered burger heaven.

If you run a classic barbershop with a sense of humor, you could hang a chalkboard in the window bragging that OUR PATRONS BECOME CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE (EVEN IF THEIR HAIR DOESN'T)! with a funny illustration of a man at various stages of losing his hair.

You can also use chalkboard signs to let your customers know why they can feel good about spending their money at your counter. If your café uses only locally sourced ingredients, let customers know which local farmers grew the food they are enjoying today. If you sell home appliances specially chosen for energy efficiency, announce that you offer more refrigerators with a 5-star energy rating than any other store in the city.

5. Why Mobile Bars and Food Trucks Have Joined the Chalkboard Menu Craze

Operating a food truck or mobile bar requires quick thinking every single day. There is no big back room where you can keep extra ingredients and supplies in reserve. What fits in the truck is what you have to work with, period. Managers of these businesses know that flexibility is the key to survival.

Which is why chalkboard menus are the best base for advertising their food and drink options. A clean, professional, up-to-the-minute menu requires only moments to create, so your customers always know what's on tap or ready to drop into the fryer. Best of all, the creative, one-of-a-kind look of chalkboard menus and signs helps to remind mobile food and beverage service patrons that you are serving up delicacies they cannot find anywhere else!

Any eatery, specialty shop, local store or other small business can reap big benefits by using chalkboard signage to keep customers informed and build brand awareness throughout the local community and—thanks to social media—far beyond!

If you are ready to take your establishment's advertising game to the next level, check out our complete lines of chalkboards, chalk markers and other chalk art supplies today. Then get out there and get chalkin'!