Billy Sims BBQ Standardizes Digital Menu Boards on Novisign CMS
2026-08-02 · via invidis
Billy Sims BBQ, the fast-casual barbecue chain founded by former NFL running back Billy Sims, has standardized its digital menu board management across all 30 US locations using Novisign's cloud-based content management platform.
For operators running multi-location menu boards, the deployment is a familiar template: one central dashboard for brand-wide updates, with enough flexibility built in for franchisees to hold different prices or menu items where local market conditions require it. Novisign says the setup lets Billy Sims BBQ manage menu updates, promotions and pricing changes centrally while preserving that franchise-level customization.
Each participating restaurant runs four displays: three menu boards and one dedicated promotional screen for featured products and limited-time offers. According to the announcement, the chain's creative team builds menu board designs in Adobe software before publishing them through Novisign's dashboard for distribution across the network.
Photography drives the pitch
The most concrete claim in the announcement is about food photography rather than the software itself. Sean Higgins, Senior Graphic Designer and Social Media Manager at Billy Sims BBQ, said the chain has seen sales increases on items featured with dedicated food shots. He pointed to a large hero photo of one sandwich that he says has become a fan favorite largely because customers see the image on the menu board.
That is a common argument for digital over static menu boards: dynamic imagery and hero shots for featured items are easier to rotate and test than printed panels. The announcement does not provide any figures on the size of the sales uptick, so the claim should be read as anecdotal rather than measured.
What is missing
The announcement does not say what system Billy Sims BBQ used before Novisign, whether the rollout is complete across all 30 locations or still in progress, or what hardware (players, displays) the chain is running underneath the CMS. It also does not disclose contract length, cost, or whether Novisign is exclusive to Billy Sims BBQ within the barbecue segment. For an industry watching how QSR and fast-casual chains balance central brand control against franchisee autonomy, those details would matter more than the vendor's own framing of the deal.
Novisign has previously positioned itself as a CMS aimed at multi-location retail and restaurant deployments, competing with players like Mvix, Rise Vision and Yodeck in the small-to-midsize restaurant and retail segment. This deployment reads as a reference case for that pitch rather than a technical departure from how digital menu boards are typically run.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
The US barbecue chain founded by former NFL star Billy Sims is using Novisign to centrally manage digital menu boards while giving franchise locations flexibility for local menus and pricing.
Billy Sims BBQ is standardizing digital menu management across its 30 US restaurants after deploying Novisign’s content management platform for menu boards and promotional displays.
Founded by former NFL running back and 1978 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims, the fast-casual barbecue chain operates 30 locations across the United States. The restaurant brand was recently recognized by USA Today as one of America’s best barbecue chains.
The rollout gives Billy Sims BBQ a single platform for updating digital menu boards while allowing franchise locations to maintain different pricing and menu variations where required.
Each participating restaurant uses four digital displays, including three menu boards and one promotional screen highlighting featured products and limited-time offers.
The company’s creative team designs menu boards in Adobe software before publishing them through Novisign’s cloud-based dashboard. Content can then be distributed across the restaurant network from a single platform, while locations with different menu offerings or pricing maintain customized versions.
Billy Sims BBQ said the digital menu boards have also helped highlight featured products through food photography.
“We’ve noticed when we have specific food shots on our menus, that’s where we really start to see an uptick in those items,” said Sean Higgins, Senior Graphic Designer and Social Media Manager at Billy Sims BBQ. “We have a giant hero photo of one sandwich, and it’s become one of our fan favorites simply because customers see that image.”
Novisign said the deployment allows the restaurant chain to manage menu updates, promotions and pricing changes centrally while preserving flexibility for individual franchise locations.