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Global giants like McDonald's and Starbucks, as well as brands like Chick-fil-A and Baskin-Robbins, dominate the market with their consistent growth, innovative menus, and focus on customer experience.
A significant factor in their success? Adaptation to modern trends and a keen awareness of the role of digital technology. As you'll see, thirteen of the fifteen chains listed have actively incorporated digital signage into their operations to improve menu displays, enhance ordering processes, and connect with customers. In fact, digital menu boards are one of the deciding factors when ordering for almost 30% of customers, and have been shown to increase consumer spending by 20-30%.
1. McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world, serving over 69 million customers daily across 40,031 locations in more than 100 countries. Founded in 1940 and headquartered in San Bernardino, California, the McDonald's QSR chain generated $25.938 billion in revenue for the twelve months ending September 30, 2024, a 3.69% increase from the previous year. Its gross profit for the same period was $14.684 billion, up 2.55%.
To support this growth and enhance customer experience, McDonald's has made ordering more convenient with digital menu boards and self-service kiosks in many locations. Additionally, McDonald's uses digital signage in drive-thru lanes and store interiors.
Related article: Mcdonald's Menu Boards: Industry Standard or Unpredictable Investment?
2. Subway
In 2024, Subway operated 20,487 restaurants in the United States. The chain’s largest presence is in California, with 2,004 locations, while Delaware has only 23. Worldwide, it serves millions of guests in nearly 37,000 restaurants daily in more than 100 countries and territories. Subway remains the leading sandwich chain in the U.S., with its 2023 systemwide sales totaling nearly $10 billion.
Its growth has also been bolstered by its international expansion. The brand secured master franchise agreements in Paraguay, Mongolia, and several European countries, contributing to 2,000 future restaurant commitments. In 2024 alone, Subway signed seven agreements. To complement its expansion, Subway has also been undergoing a digital transformation with its Fresh Forward 2.0 initiative. This includes testing self-ordering kiosks, order-ready screens, and kitchen display systems.
3. Starbucks
With 40,199 stores worldwide in 2024, Starbucks reported $36.176 billion in revenue for the twelve months ending September 30, 2024, marking a 0.56% increase year-over-year. However, for the third quarter of 2024, Starbucks saw a slight decline in revenue, with $9.074 billion. Despite these fluctuations, Starbucks maintains a strong market presence with a global network of locations and loyal customers.
In addition to its financial growth, Starbucks has replaced traditional drive-thru menu boards with digital order screens, allowing for a clearer and more flexible menu display. It also uses in-store digital signage to display location-specific content and real-time updates, making it more interactive and personalized.
4. Kentucky Fried Chicken
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is valued at $6.7 billion in 2024, up from $6.39 billion the previous year. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, KFC operates more than 30,000 restaurants worldwide and serves over 12 million customers daily. The brand is on track to expand, with plans to grow to 30,000 locations by 2025.
To modernize its customer experience, KFC has integrated digital menu boards in its restaurants to provide a mix of flexible product presentation, infotainment, and customer interaction.
Might be interesting: Find the Ideal Digital Menu Board Size for Your Restaurant
5. Burger King
Burger King has over 19,247 locations in more than 95 countries. As of 2024, Burger King is valued at $5.2 billion. Despite its challenges in recent years, the brand has retained a strong presence. In 2023, it ranked joint first in a Statista survey of restaurant chains with the highest brand awareness in the U.S.
While Burger King's parent company, Restaurant Brands International (RBI), continues to focus on global expansion, the number of Burger King locations decreased slightly in 2023 to around 19,400.
In 2024, Burger King also announced plans to invest in the modernization of its U.S. locations, aiming to renovate 85 to 90 percent of its restaurants by 2028. Additionally, to enhance customer experience and streamline operations, Burger King has incorporated digital menu boards in its drive-thru lanes, allowing personalized recommendations, real-time pricing and promotions updates, and contactless payment systems integration.
Burger King also uses outdoor digital posters, self-service kiosks, advertising displays, and video walls, including ultra-wide stretched bar displays and ultra-narrow bezel LCD video wall displays.
6. Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza continues to be a leading name in the pizza industry, with operations in over 100 countries since opening its first location in 1960. As of the third quarter of 2024, the company reported $1.080 billion in revenue, a 5.14% increase compared to the previous year.
To enhance customer convenience and speed up service, Domino’s has introduced Pie Pass technology, allowing customers who order online to skip the line when picking up their pizzas. When they arrive, customers are greeted by name on digital menu boards, and their orders are handed to them immediately, providing a more streamlined and VIP-like experience.
Read also on the Look Blog: Creating Pizza Digital Menu Boards with Free Signage Templates
7. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas, is known for its famous pan pizza and other offerings, such as spaghetti, breadsticks, chicken wings, fries, and Italian tacos. As of 2023, Pizza Hut operated 19,866 restaurants worldwide.
Pizza Hut has faced some challenges lately, especially overseas, where sales at existing stores have dropped by 6%. But the company is not sitting still. It’s trying new things, like offering more discounts in places like China, India, and the Middle East.
Pizza Hut also incorporates digital menu boards to display menu items, prices, and nutritional information. They have also piloted interactive digital signage tabletops, allowing customers to design their own pizzas and use animated video walls to showcase dynamic menu content and promotional materials.
8. Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin's reach is impressive, with 3 million customers served daily, 2.9 billion doughnuts sold annually across 50+ flavors, and a position as the largest coffee and doughnut brand in the U.S.
In 2024, Dunkin' continued to thrive, with systemwide sales reaching $13.3 billion across 13,700+ locations in 38 global markets. As part of Inspire Brands, which also owns Sonic Drive-In, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Arby’s, Dunkin' has seen ongoing success, and in the near future, it may go public again.
Roark Capital is considering an IPO for Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins in 2024 or 2025, following Inspire’s 2020 acquisition of Dunkin’ Brands for $11.3 billion.
Dunkin' has also integrated digital signage across its locations. Digital menu boards display real-time menu updates, promotions, and weather information.
9. Taco Bell
As of 2023, Taco Bell operates 8,564 restaurants in 32 countries. The brand continues to expand globally, with consistent growth in its restaurant count since 2010. Taco Bell is owned by Yum! Brands, which also operates KFC and Pizza Hut.
Likewise, this fast food chain now has self-ordering digital kiosks in different locations. They help improve menu appreciation and the ordering process.
10. Wendy's
Wendy's reported $566.74 million in revenue for the quarter ending September 29, 2024, a 2.94% growth. This brought the company's total revenue for the twelve months ending September 2024 to $2.21 billion, a 1.63% year-over-year increase. As of November 2024, Wendy's operated 7,166 locations worldwide, with 6,010 in the United States and 1,156 internationally.
Looking ahead, Wendy's is testing new pricing strategies, including surge pricing, to adapt to real-time demand. In a recent earnings call, CEO Kirk Tanner shared plans to invest $20 million in digital menu boards that adjust prices dynamically. Starting in 2025, Wendy's will roll out these advanced digital menu boards across all U.S. company-operated restaurants, offering more flexibility in pricing and enhancing customer experience with real-time updates.
11. Hunt Brothers Pizza
Hunt Brothers Pizza has built its success on a simple, low-cost model designed for convenience stores. The company requires no franchise fees or contracts, making it an attractive option for store owners. It offers pre-made crusts with sauce and cheese for quick preparation and an "all toppings, no extra charge" policy, simplifying customer pricing. The company targets rural areas and smaller communities with limited access to quality hot food options.
In 2024, Hunt Brothers Pizza reported $30.3 million in revenue and has partnered with over 10,000 locations across 33 states to serve its pizza.
12. Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme, a leading doughnut and coffeehouse chain, reported a revenue of $1.71 billion (TTM) in 2024, an increase from $1.68 billion in 2023 and $1.52 billion in 2022. Known for its iconic doughnuts, Krispy Kreme has expanded its presence globally, driving in-store and online sales revenue.
To improve customer experience and streamline operations, Krispy Kreme upgraded its digital signage capabilities, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where it introduced digital drive-thru menus. The company partnered with Amped Digital, using Signagelive software and Samsung’s smart displays. This replaced outdated playback hardware with Samsung’s System On Chip displays, which integrated media storage and playout capabilities.
Read also: Real Cost of Digital Menu Boards
Now, more than two dozen Krispy Kreme stores use a setup with four screens tiled in a row behind the order counter, synchronizing promotional content for high-impact campaigns.
13. Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle Mexican Grill, a fast-casual restaurant chain known for its customizable menu of Mission-style burritos, tacos, bowls, and salads, has experienced impressive growth. In the second quarter of 2024, Chipotle's total revenue increased by 18.2% to $3.0 billion, while comparable restaurant sales rose by 11.1%. The company’s operating margin reached 19.7%, up from 17.2%, and its restaurant-level operating margin was 28.9%, a gain of 140 basis points.
As of September 30, 2024, Chipotle operates over 3,600 locations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Kuwait. A key part of Chipotle's success has been its adoption of digital signage to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience.
For example, in the back-of-house food preparation, Chipotle uses digital "makelines" that replicate the customization process customers experience at the counter. These digital displays guide food prep staff by dynamically showing the customer’s order and ingredients, eliminating the need for paper receipts.
14. Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A continues to dominate, with over 3,000 locations across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Known for its high-quality service and premium offerings, Chick-fil-A is often regarded as the most high-end fast-food chain, with 25% of respondents in a survey considering it a luxury. Each year, more than 20,000 individuals apply to become Chick-fil-A franchisees.
Despite challenges like inflation, which has led many Americans to eat out less, Chick-fil-A’s growth remains impressive. The chain’s non-mall restaurants averaged $9.4 million in revenue in 2023. Chick-fil-A’s commitment to innovation continues with initiatives like its display-less drive-thru pilot store. In this concept, the drive-thru completely eliminates digital menu boards and promotional displays, offering a streamlined, simplified experience.
15. Baskin Robbins
Baskin-Robbins, founded in 1945 by Irv Robbins and Burt Baskin in Glendale, California, quickly became a leader in the ice cream industry. The brand began franchising in 1948. Today, Baskin-Robbins is headquartered in Canton, MA.
Baskin-Robbins offers over 1,000 flavors and has over 6,700 locations worldwide, including more than 2,500 in the U.S. Its international locations offer unique flavors tailored to local tastes, such as Red Bean and Green Tea, in certain markets. In 2022, Baskin-Robbins reported annual sales of $2.3 billion.
As the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States, Baskin-Robbins sought to refresh its menu board system while preserving its classic look. To achieve this they adopted a solution that combined modular design with digital technology. The new system integrates lightweight hanging rails and digital screens into the existing magnetic menu boards, blending modern technology with the brand's nostalgic style. Baskin-Robbins locations now feature displays that can operate independently from a network, allowing for easy content updates via a USB drive.
Enhance customer experience in your business with digital signage
The biggest fast-food chains have grown by staying ahead of trends and adapting to customer needs. One way they do this is through digital signage. It helps restaurants share important information, showcase new promotions, and engage with customers in a fast and interactive way.
With digital signs, you can make your menu more dynamic, keep things fresh, and create a more streamlined experience for your team and customers.
If you want to keep up with the competition, increase your restaurant profit margins, and improve the way your customers interact with your brand, Look Digital Signage CMS might be the display partner you’re looking for.
Professionally designed templates slash your menu board creation time, and you get scheduling tools that automate dynamic updates for fresh and relevant content throughout the day. Sign up for a free 14-day trial and try it yourself today!
