Key Takeaways
- Square for Drive-Thru pairs Square's point-of-sale and payments with The Howard Company's drive-thru hardware and integration.
- Square and The Howard Company work as one team from the curb to the counter, so you don't have to coordinate several vendors.
- Built for single-lane drive-thrus, whether you run one location or many."
- The Howard Company handles the menu boards, order confirmation screens, integration, nationwide installation, and ongoing support.
- Launched at the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show and available nationwide for single-lane QSRs
Why Square Chose The Howard Company
Square chose The Howard Company as its drive-thru hardware partner for the launch of Square for Drive-Thru, a solution purpose-built for single-lane quick-service operators, from single-location shops to multi-location groups.
Any other approach means coordinating separate vendors for point of sale, displays, content, headsets, and installation, with no guarantee the pieces work together. Square wanted to remove that problem for its customers by replacing the patchwork with one unified solution: Square's point of sale and payments brought together with The Howard Company's field-tested drive-thru hardware, digital menu systems, and software integration. The Howard Company is the integrator that makes every piece work as one.
The result is a close partnership between Square and The Howard Company that delivers a seamless experience from the curb to the counter. Square, a global technology platform serving millions of sellers, built this with a 100 percent employee-owned partner that has delivered and integrated drive-thru systems for 75+ years.
Two Partners, One Complete Solution
Square's platform and The Howard Company's drive thru expertise, integrated into one system.
Square: the platform
- Point of sale and payments built on Square for Restaurants
- Kitchen display system (KDS) routing with automatic order numbering
- Reporting, cash flow, marketing, and customer engagement tools on one platform
- Open APIs, so you keep the third party tools you already rely on
The Howard Company: the integrator and drive-thru partner
- The integrator that connects the drive-thru hardware and displays to the Square POS as one working system
- Outdoor digital menu boards and order confirmation screens built for high volume lanes
- Software integration that keeps the menu board and order confirmation screen in sync with the point of sale
- Drive thru hardware backed by 75+ years of experience and 100 percent employee ownership
- In house graphic design, nationwide installation, rollout, and ongoing support
Why It Matters for Quick Service Operators
For single-lane drive-thru operators, from a single location to a multi-location group, that integration shows up in real results on the busiest days:
One solution, not five vendors
Faster lanes
Higher accuracy
Room to scale
Square for Drive-Thru vs. Piecing It Together Yourself
How an integrated solution compares to assembling a drive thru from separate vendors:
| Square for Drive-Thru with The Howard Company | Piecing it together yourself | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendors to manage | One point of contact/vendor | Up to five different contacts/vendors for point of sale, displays, content software, headsets, and installation |
| Integration | Integrated by The Howard Company on Square's platform, ready to run | Your job to wire together and troubleshoot |
| Accountability | A coordinated Square + The Howard Company partnership | Finger pointing when something breaks |
| Hardware and expertise |
Field tested hardware, 75+ years of drive-thru experience |
Varies by vendor, no single owner of the lane |
| Installation and rollout |
Nationwide install and ongoing support, in house |
Coordinate separate installers and support lines |
| Reporting and growth | Unified Square reporting, marketing, and open APIs | Data scattered across multiple systems |
What It Looks Like for Operators
What the integrated system does, from the moment a car pulls up to the moment the order leaves the window:
Order placed.
A guest orders at the Howard digital menu board.
Order confirmed.
Howard's software integration instantly shows the full order, including modifiers and customizations, on the order confirmation screen. Guests get real time visibility and staff catch mistakes before they reach the kitchen.
Order routed.
Square's KDS sends each item to the right kitchen station, and automatic order numbering keeps the right order moving to the right customer.
Order handed off.
Faster service and fewer mix ups, even during the busiest rushes.
What Operators Are Saying
“We’ve always felt the best technology is invisible technology, something our team doesn’t have to spend a lot of time learning because it just works. Square delivers on that, and it’s been great to bring that ease of use to our drive-thru, where speed and stability really matter.”
John-Michael Johnson
Director of IT, Steak Escape
“We’re a drive-thru first concept, so bringing Square’s ease of use and efficiency to our primary sales channel has been huge. Customers can see their entire order on the order confirmation screen, which gives them confidence and helps our staff catch mistakes immediately.”
Jason Thoma
Franchisee, PJ's Coffee
What is Square for Drive-Thru?
Square for Drive-Thru is an integrated, end to end drive thru solution for quick service restaurants that connects order capture, kitchen operations, and customer handoff into a single workflow. It combines Square's point of sale and payments with The Howard Company's drive-thru hardware, digital menu boards, and software integration.
Who is Square's drive-thru hardware partner?
The Howard Company is Square's drive-thru hardware and integration partner for Square for Drive-Thru. Founded in 1950 and 100 percent employee owned, Howard provides the outdoor digital menu boards, order confirmation screens, drive thru hardware, software integration, and nationwide installation that bring the solution together.
Can you use Square POS in a drive-thru?
Yes. With Square for Drive-Thru, you run Square's point of sale and kitchen display system across the drive thru lane. Orders placed at the Howard digital menu board appear on an order confirmation screen, route to the correct kitchen station, and are tracked with automatic order numbering.
How does Square for Drive-Thru work?
A guest orders at the Howard digital menu board. The integration instantly shows the full order, including modifiers, on the order confirmation screen. Square's KDS routes each item to the right kitchen station with automatic order numbering, and the order is handed off faster and with fewer mix ups.
What does Square for Drive-Thru include?
It includes Square point of sale and payments built on Square for Restaurants, kitchen display system routing, automatic order numbering, reporting and customer engagement tools, and open APIs, together with The Howard Company's outdoor digital menu boards, order confirmation screens, drive-thru hardware, software integration, and installation.
How much does Square for Drive-Thru cost?
Pricing depends on your locations and hardware. The clearest way to get a number for your setup is to talk with a drive-thru expert, who can scope your locations and send a quote. Speak with an expert now
Is Square for Drive-Thru available now?
Yes. Square for Drive-Thru launched at the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show in May and is available now. To bring it to your locations, contact The Howard Company to talk with a drive-thru expert or request a quote.
Tell us about your drive-thru
Whether you run one location or a hundred, we’ll tailor a Square for Drive-Thru solution to speed up your service to guests. Tell us a little about your setup and we’ll be in touch.