How Sides supports rapid UK growth with digital signage
Founded in 2021 by YouTube collective the Sidemen, Sides has built a distinctive identity around bold flavours, high-energy restaurants and a strong connection with its Gen-Z audience. As the brand continues to expand across the UK, creating a consistent experience for customers across every restaurant has become increasingly important.
With new sites opening regularly, the Sides team needed a simple way to manage campaigns, update content and ensure every screen reflected the latest promotions, menus and brand messaging.
Managing digital signage across a growing estate
With multiple restaurants to manage, keeping digital content accurate and up to date can quickly become a challenge. Sides uses NowSignage to centrally manage its screens, giving the team complete control over content from one platform.
Campaigns can be rolled out across the estate in under 15 minutes, while maintaining 100% menu consistency across every site. The platform has also helped reduce promotional content errors by 90%, giving the team confidence that customers are always seeing accurate and relevant information.
Whether launching a nationwide campaign or tailoring promotions for individual restaurants, Sides can make updates quickly and efficiently without creating additional workload for the marketing team.
Creating engaging customer experiences with digital campaigns
Digital signage has become an important part of how Sides connects with customers, supporting everything from new product launches to limited time offers.
External displays help capture attention before customers enter the restaurant, showcasing the latest menu launches and promotional activity. A Minions-themed campaign was one example of how eye-catching creative on external screens helped drive awareness and increase footfall.
The flexibility of NowSignage also allows Sides to adapt campaigns for specific audiences and locations. At Lakeside Shopping Centre, the team promoted a 50% staff discount available Monday to Thursday between 12pm and 2pm. After initially relying on word of mouth, the offer was promoted across internal and external screens, resulting in a 60% increase in redemptions during the first month.
Across the wider estate, targeted promotions displayed on digital screens have also contributed to an 18% increase in sales of promoted menu items.
Saving time through centralised content management
Managing content across multiple restaurants has become significantly more efficient through a centralised CMS.
Rather than updating individual sites separately, the Sides team can manage all screens from one place, saving up to one hour per day when uploading and managing content.
As Georgia Hobson, Marketing Executive at Sides, explains:
“NowSignage has been a huge support as Sides continues to grow. As we open new locations, having a platform that is reliable, flexible and easy to use is really important.
The system makes it simple to manage content across our estate, whether we’re updating every store or targeting specific locations with different offers. The support from the NowSignage team has also been fantastic, especially Rebecca who has helped us keep everything organised and easy for the team to manage.
For us, NowSignage makes digital signage simple, and it gives us the confidence that our content is always working exactly as it should.”
Supporting new restaurant openings
With new sites continuing to launch across the UK, having an efficient approach to deployment has become increasingly important.
Working alongside installation partner Microman, each new venue is equipped with fully configured screens ahead of opening, helping the team launch with confidence from day one. Recent openings in Glasgow and Liverpool demonstrate a consistent rollout process.
The same flexibility extends to campaign activity. During National Wing Day, promotional content was deployed to selected restaurants in under 15 minutes.
Reflecting on the collaboration, Rebecca Benson, Customer Success Manager at NowSignage, said:
“Supporting Sides as they’ve expanded has been incredibly rewarding. From day one, our focus has been on making digital signage simple to manage, while helping the team deliver an engaging in-store experience that reflects the brand. We’re excited to continue working together as Sides grows and opens new sites across the UK.”
Ready for continued growth
As Sides continues to expand, having a flexible and scalable approach to digital signage will help the brand maintain the creativity, consistency and energy customers recognise across every site.
By simplifying content management, reducing administration and giving the team greater control over campaigns, Sides has created a digital signage strategy that supports both day-to-day operations and future growth.
