Sidemen's Sides Restaurants Deploys NowSignage for Menu Boards
2026-09-03 · via AV Magazine
Sides, the restaurant chain founded by YouTube group the Sidemen, has adopted NowSignage as its digital signage platform to manage menu boards and promotional content across its expanding UK estate, according to the companies.
For operators running multi-site food chains, the numbers cited here are the ones that matter more than the branding angle. NowSignage says the platform lets Sides push campaigns across all locations in under 15 minutes and maintain what it calls 100% menu consistency across the business. The company also says staff save up to one hour a day on content uploads and updates, time it says is redirected to marketing work.
Sides was founded in 2021 and has built its identity around a young, digitally engaged customer base. As the chain opens new sites, keeping menus, pricing and promotions aligned across locations becomes a bigger operational task, which is the core problem centralised CMS platforms like NowSignage are built to solve. This is not a new use case for digital signage, but it's a clear example of a fast-growing hospitality brand treating screen management as core infrastructure rather than an afterthought.
Results cited
The release cites two specific performance figures. At Lakeside Shopping Centre, Sides used internal and external screens to promote a staff discount offer, which the company says produced a 60% increase in redemptions in the first month of that digital promotion. Across the wider estate, targeted on-screen promotions are credited with an 18% increase in sales of promoted menu items.
Both figures come from NowSignage and Sides rather than independent measurement, and the announcement gives no baseline figures, time period for the 18% claim, or methodology for how either number was calculated. Readers should treat them as the companies' own reporting rather than verified metrics.
On the installation side, Sides works with AV integration partner Microman to install and configure screens ahead of each opening, which the companies say has supported recent launches in Glasgow and Liverpool. That is a fairly standard model for chains scaling quickly: a CMS vendor paired with a regional integrator handling physical rollout.
What's missing
The announcement does not specify the number of sites in the deployment, the hardware or player specifications in use, or the cost of the NowSignage contract. It also does not say whether Sides evaluated other CMS platforms before choosing NowSignage, or what prompted the original decision to centralise signage management. For an industry audience trying to gauge how this compares to other QSR and fast-casual signage rollouts, those are the obvious gaps.
Georgia Hobson, marketing executive at Sides, is quoted saying the platform has supported the brand's growth and that reliability and flexibility matter as new locations open. Rebecca Benson, customer success manager at NowSignage, called the partnership rewarding and said the company's focus is on making signage management simple while preserving brand consistency.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from AV Magazine for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
By AV Magazine in Digital Signage and DOOH , Leisure and Hospitality , UK&I September 2, 2026 0
The Sidemen-founded Sides restaurants use centralised screen management to update menus and campaigns, with promotions lifting sales 18% and a staff discount offer takeup by 60%.
As Sides continues to expand its UK footprint, the restaurant brand founded by YouTube collective the Sidemen has turned to NowSignage to help maintain a consistent brand experience across its estate.
Founded in 2021, Sides has quickly built a distinctive identity centred on vibrant restaurants and a strong connection with its Gen Z audience. As the brand continues to grow, delivering the same engaging experience across every site has become increasingly important.
To support that growth, Sides uses NowSignage to manage its digital signage estate through one centralised platform, helping the team maintain brand consistency while creating engaging in-store experiences.
The platform enables Sides to roll out campaigns across all sites in under 15 minutes, while maintaining 100% menu consistency across the business. NowSignage has also helped the team save up to one hour per day when uploading and updating content, giving them more time to focus on wider marketing activity.
Georgia Hobson, marketing executive at Sides, says: “The NowSignage platform 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.”
Having the right processes in place has helped support the rollout of new sites. Working alongside AV partner Microman, screens are installed and configured ahead of opening, ensuring each new venue is ready to deliver the Sides experience from day one. This approach has been particularly valuable during recent launches in Glasgow and Liverpool.
The digital screens have also become an effective tool for supporting promotional activity. At Lakeside Shopping Centre, Sides used internal and external screens to promote a staff discount offer, resulting in a 60% increase in redemptions during the first month of digital promotion.
Across the wider business, targeted promotions displayed on screens have contributed to an 18% increase in sales of promoted menu items, demonstrating how digital experiences are supporting both customer engagement and commercial performance.
Rebecca Benson, customer success manager at NowSignage, says: “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.”