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One of your lunch regulars pulls up to the drive-thru, only to find a faded menu and an outdated promotion. They hesitate, glance at the growing line behind them, then decide it’s not worth the hassle and drive away. That’s money lost before you even had a chance to upsell.
What if a real-time digital menu could have shown them today’s specials and nudged them toward a profitable combo instead? Here’s how upgrading to digital drive-thru boards can keep customers from leaving, and boost every ticket that comes through your lane.
1. Faster Order Processing = More Transactions Per Hour
The drive-thru is often a bottleneck, speed-wise. However, a study done on 310 QSR locations found that digital drive-thru menus reduced average order completion times by 9.2% compared to static boards.
How?
- Menu simplification: During peak hours, temporarily hiding or reorganizing less popular items prevents choice overload.
- Pre-sell screens (digital displays placed before the main menu board): These screens can tease popular items or combos to customers while they wait in line, so they’re ready to order by the time they reach the speaker.
2. Intelligent Upselling & Cross-Selling: Growing the Ticket Size
Digital menu boards also have the power to subtly, but consistently, encourage bigger orders using real data and AI. McDonald’s, for example, installed AI-powered Dynamic Yield menu boards in over 11,000 U.S. drive-thrus and saw higher check sizes thanks to automated upselling.
The advantage here is consistency. While human order-takers might forget to upsell on busy days (employees suggested upsells only about 40% of the time), an AI-based system can do it 100% of the time. It can adapt suggestions to the time of day, the weather, or even local preferences. McDonald’s has noted how its system will feature, for example, ice cream on warm days.
Even without full AI, rule-based content on the screen (like “Make it a combo for $1.99 extra!”) can influence behavior at the point of purchase.
3. Real-Time Adjustments & Localized Pricing
Because digital menus are typically cloud-connected, you can push an update the moment you need it. Through dayparting, the display can shift from breakfast to lunch, and from lunch to dinner, without any manual intervention.
This responsiveness is particularly helpful if one location happens to have too much inventory of a specific product. You can quickly launch a local promotion to move that item. Conversely, if a store sells out of something, the system can immediately hide or gray out that item.
Another benefit is region-specific pricing. Brands can maintain separate prices across different geographic areas without creating multiple printed boards.
4. Improved Visibility and Readability
Digital menu boards are built to perform under a range of outdoor conditions. Many screens have a brightness level of 1,500 to 3,000+ nits, plus anti-reflective coatings so that the text remains clear throughout the day. Most vendors also provide enclosures rated for dust, heat, and moisture.
In other words, you don’t have to worry about your signage washing out in direct sunlight or short-circuiting in bad weather.
Read also: How to Choose the Best Outdoor Digital Menu Boards for Your Restaurant
5. Higher Accuracy and Stronger Customer Confidence
Digital boards commonly include order confirmation screens, small displays next to the speaker, so customers can see each item and price as they order. The QSR Drive-Thru Report showed an 8% improvement in accuracy just by asking customers to confirm orders on a screen. Some AI-based ordering systems reach about 95% accuracy, compared to a typical drive-thru accuracy rate closer to 85%. That saves both time and food costs by avoiding unnecessary remakes or refunds.
With such precision, customers tend to drive away more satisfied, and are more likely to return, because their orders are consistently correct.
How to Optimize Digital Drive-Thru Menus for the Biggest Results
Designing a Drive-Thru Menu That’s Quick to Read
Use Clear Sections: Divide your menu into categories (breakfast, burgers, beverages, etc.) so people can find what they want fast. Group combo meals in one panel, desserts in another, and so on. Clear sections cut down on confusion and nudge folks to pick faster.
Show Off Limited-Time Offers (LTOs): Keep specials in their own area so they stand out, maybe in a bold section at the top or a vibrant corner. Animation or short rotating panels can highlight a special item without overwhelming the entire board.
Put High-Margin Items at Eye Level: Place your profitable items at the top-center area of the menu - it tends to get the most attention.
Keep Text Large and Easy to Read: Customers might be 10 feet away in a car. Go for at least 20-point fonts with good color contrast. Make sure there’s enough blank space so the board doesn’t feel cluttered.
Content Strategies That Spark Bigger Orders
Rotate Seasonal & Daypart Specials: Let your system do the work by scheduling the right menus at the right time. Coffee and breakfast in the morning, salads and lighter bites at midday, hearty dinners in the evening. Seasonal treats—like a pumpkin-spice drink in the fall—add variety and keep the menu fresh.
Use Enticing Images & Short Videos: Good visuals make people hungrier. Show a steaming burger or an ice-cold drink for a few seconds, and you might convince someone to upgrade. Quality images and brief loops of sizzling or refreshing items can boost impulse buys.
Make Data-Driven Recommendations: If you track what sells best, feature those items more prominently. Maybe label top sellers with “#1 Favorite” or “Customer Pick.”
Highlight Loyalty Program Rewards: Let people know they can earn points by scanning a QR code or joining the loyalty program. Burger King ties digital boards to their loyalty platform so they can show personalized deals right in the drive-thru. Even if you don’t have that level of integration, a simple “Free fries for members!” message can encourage sign-ups.
Smart Scheduling & AI That Adjust on the Fly
Match Menu Content to What’s Happening Now: Display cold drinks in hot weather or faster-to-prepare items during rush hour.
Integrate Inventory to Avoid Letdowns: Hide out-of-stock items automatically to avoid customer disappointment.
AI Voice Ordering & Traffic Optimization: Some restaurants now have AI assistants taking orders through the drive-thru speaker. These systems follow scripts perfectly, suggest upsells without fail and can identify times when the line is long, then adjust the menu to speed up service.
Dynamic Pricing & Promotions: If you want to run “happy hour” specials or discount milkshakes after 8 pm, simply set the time, price, and the board will change automatically.
Watch on the Look Academy: How To Use Advanced Smart Scheduling Feature in Look Service
Choosing the Right Digital Drive-Thru Menu Board System
- High-Brightness, Weather-Resistant Displays: You’ll need screens built for outdoor use, often with 2,000+ nits brightness so they’re visible in direct sunlight, plus a tough enclosure (IP65/66 rating) for rain, snow, wind, and heat. Vendors like Samsung and LG cater specifically to QSR drive-thru needs.
- Cloud-Based Content Management (CMS): A centralized dashboard lets you change your menu or run promotions at any location with a few clicks. A solid CMS should also allow scheduling (for dayparting) and user permissions, so corporations can control the main menu while individual franchisees make local tweaks.
- POS Integration: Sync prices, inventory, and order data to ensure your digital board always matches what’s in the kitchen
- Customizable Templates for Branding: You want consistent branding across your locations. Look for a menu solution that offers flexible templates, add your logos, brand colors, and unique design elements.
- Performance Tracking & Analytics: Your menu software can tell you which promos ran when, how often certain items sold, and if certain layouts boosted sales. With that info, you can try a different approach, measure results, and then refine.
Calculating the ROI of Digital Drive-Thru Signage
Yes, digital drive-thru boards cost money, but they can more than pay for themselves. Here’s how:
- Sales Growth: Industry reports suggest a 3–5% average sales bump from digital menus. That might mean tens of thousands of extra dollars per year per location.
- Throughput Boost: By serving cars faster, you handle more orders at peak times. Think about an extra five cars during lunch. If your average check is $7, that’s an additional $35 per peak hour, money you wouldn’t earn otherwise.
- Reduced Printing & Maintenance: No more shipping out updated menu boards for each promo cycle. You save on printing and labor, plus can change your entire system’s menus in moments.
- Fewer Remakes: Improved order accuracy leads to less waste, better reviews, and happier returning customers.
Put simply, digital boards pay for themselves in both immediate revenue gains and long-term brand equity. You’re also future-proofing your operation by matching (or outpacing) consumer tech expectations.
Related article: The Real Cost of Digital Menu Boards with Look's Insights
How Look Digital Signage Helps QSRs and Franchises Thrive
Look Digital Signage is a leading software solution that puts all these digital board advantages into practice.
Instant Menu Updates
Look DS is a fully cloud-based system, you can update your drive-thru boards from anywhere—no on-site visits or reprinted signs needed. When you want to feature a new breakfast combo or change a price, simply log in and publish the update. The change appears on-screen immediately.
You also get access to ready-made templates that make designing each display faster. Drag-and-drop your items, add promotional banners, and preview the result before pushing it live. This flexibility helps you keep menus current and visually appealing, so guests always see your best offers.
Data-Driven Insights
Every piece of content you schedule is tracked, so you’ll know which items get the most on-screen time and how they correlate with actual sales. By comparing sales data to display times, you can identify which promotions boost revenue and which ones might need tweaking. Over time, these insights help you refine your menu strategy and stay in tune with customer preferences.
Seamless Integration
Look connects with your Point of Sale and mobile ordering systems to maintain accurate pricing and item availability. Through Zapier, you can also set up triggers and actions without any coding. For example, if your POS detects that a certain item is sold out, Look can remove it from the menu automatically.
Scalable for Franchises
Look supports an unlimited number of screens across all your locations. You can group sets of screens by region or store type, then push updates to just one area or every location at once. Because Look adapts to different screen sizes and orientations, your brand stays consistent whether you have one store or a hundred.
Digital Drive-Thru Boards are the Future
Investing in digital drive-thru signage is a smart move that pays off. You get tighter control, better customer experiences, and more ways to entice your diners. And in today’s world, where people expect modern, convenient, and personalized service, sticking with static boards might eventually put you at a disadvantage.
Embrace the flexibility and real-time adaptability of digital signage, and you’ll likely see the same benefits other restaurants are reporting: smoother operations, happier customers, and a boost to your bottom line.
Get started by signing up for a 14-day free trial of Look Digital Signage today!
