These worn out whiteboards are killing us. First a little history for those of you new to Clover:
The night before we were to open Rolando asked me how we were going to do the menu. I hadn’t thought of it, and we didn’t have one built. We didn’t need a sign because we were just looking to experiment with menu, no brand building. But Rolando was right, we needed a menu.
When I was working in labs at MIT we used to write all of our ideas on whiteboards. Everything new, everything we were trying to figure out, discoveries, all on whiteboards. So I was looking at this big white truck and thought: why not the truck as menu?
We found the white paint worked perfectly, until it didn’t. I think I wore the wax off and it stopped erasing. I tried new wax but that wasn’t working. Then came the epoxy-based whiteboard paint. I bought it at Home Depot and it seemed perfect. Until it turned yellow. I think it was due to the UV, but that wasn’t going to work for us. So I started re-painting every couple of months. But that wasn’t working either, because new managers forgot to get that done. It’s sort of a hassle.
So now we’re here. Worn out impossible to erase, ugly boards. It might seem like a little thing, but we’ve all been struggling with this.
We’re now trying a few new products, hoping one will work. One of the companies is local (I think): IdeaPaint. Their stuff is pricey, but so far it’s the best we’ve used. Next time you’re at a truck check out the menu and ask your order taker what they’re thinking of it. If it’s MIT they might be in love (Idea Paint). If DWY, not so much.