LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
Quick Summary
A complete drive-thru runs $3,000–$25,000 for the menu board, under $100 to $15,000 per add-on and $500–$1,750 for graphic design. The Howard Company builds three systems and which one you pick sets where you land: Drive-Thru Choice is printed graphics only, Drive-Thru Eco is digital only and Drive-Thru Flex does printed, digital or both in one enclosure. Installation and freight are quoted separately by site.
The three add-ons buyers ask about most: canopies ($3,000–$15,000) for weather protection at the order point, clearance bars ($800–$4,000) to protect your building from vehicle damage and headset packages ($3,000–$7,000) for order taking.
Looking at the full picture first? See everything The Howard Company builds for a drive-thru.
Drive-Thru Costs at a Glance
Every price below is what The Howard Company quotes for the equipment itself, before installation and freight.
| ITEM | PRICE RANGE | WHAT DRIVES THE PRICE | BEST FOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static menu board | $3,000–$8,000 | Number of doors (1–5), door width (18–27"), backlit or not | Menus that change once or twice a year |
| Digital menu board | $5,000–$25,000 | Number and size of screens, enclosure weather rating, software | Frequent menu changes, dayparting, LTOs |
| Hybrid menu board | $3,000–$25,000 | Ratio of digital screens to printed panels | Getting digital flexibility on part of the board |
| Preview or presell board | See menu board pricing | Usually 1–2 doors, static or digital | Speeding up the order line |
| Directional signs | $500–$800 | Illuminated or not, custom brand colors | Every drive-thru site |
| Clearance bar | $800–$4,000 | Single or double bar, height, custom paint, helix | Any site with an overhang at the pick-up window |
| Canopy | $3,000–$15,000 | Style, size, lights, integrated speaker housing | Weather exposure at the order point |
| Speaker and mic enclosure | $400–$700 | Stand-alone post vs. mounted to canopy or board | All order points |
| Headset package | $3,000–$7,000 | Number of headsets, number of lanes | Every staffed drive-thru |
| Timing loop | Up to $500 | Single or multi-lane | Tracking speed of service |
| Order confirmation system | Under $100 to $1,500+ | Plug-and-play screen vs. full POS integration | Reducing order errors |
| Additional branding signage | Under $100 to $1,000+ | Quantity, substrate, size | Promoting high-margin and seasonal items |
| Graphic design | $500–$1,750 | Number of panels, new design vs. adapting yours | Anyone without print-ready art |
What are the three types of drive-thru menu boards?
Static, digital and hybrid. The Howard Company manufactures all three, and the right one depends less on your budget than on how often your menu changes.
Static Drive-Thru Menu Boards
Price range: $3,000–$8,000
A static drive-thru menu board is a metal enclosure holding printed graphic panels, and it is still the most common type The Howard Company builds.
What moves the price: the number of doors, usually 1–5, and their width, typically 18–27 inches. A single door can hold up to 3 panels. Backlit doors cost more than unlit ones, which need external lighting to stay readable at night. Extruded aluminum frames cost more than steel and do not rust, and a powder-coated finish lasts 15–20+ years against 5–10 for wet paint. See how The Howard Company builds equipment that lasts.
Which system: Drive-Thru Choice is the true static option, built to any size, color and panel combination. Drive-Thru Flex can be ordered as full or half printed graphics and then switched to digital panel by panel later, on site, with the lane still open.
Digital Drive-Thru Menu Boards
Price range: $5,000–$25,000
A digital drive-thru menu board is an outdoor-rated enclosure holding 1–3 screens, and it is the fastest-growing type The Howard Company installs.
What moves the price: screen count and size above everything else. The industry standard is 55 inches, and these are outdoor-rated units built for direct sun, below-zero temperatures and constant uptime, not off-the-shelf TVs. Beyond the enclosure and screens, a digital quote also carries cabling, a media player, a screen warranty and content management software. See the full digital cost breakdown.
Which system: Drive-Thru Eco is digital only, built for simplicity and cost, and sits at the low end of the range. Drive-Thru Flex in full-digital configuration is the upper end, with ambient light sensors and panels you can reconfigure later. Compare the two.
Hybrid Drive-Thru Menu Boards
Price range: $3,000–$25,000
A hybrid board runs printed panels and digital screens in one enclosure. Drive-Thru Flex is the only system The Howard Company builds that does it, which is why the range spans both.
What moves the price: the ratio of digital screens to printed panels. Every cost adder from static and digital applies.
What add-ons should you budget for?
The menu board is one line on the quote. The Howard Company also supplies the directional signs, clearance bars, preview boards, canopies, communication systems, branding signage and order confirmation systems that make the lane work.
Directional Signs
Price range: $500–$800
Directional signs point guests into your lane, and The Howard Company prints them in your brand colors. Most operators use two: one at the entrance, one thanking guests on the way out.
What moves the price: illuminated or not. Lit signs need power run to them.
Clearance Bars
Price range: $800–$4,000
A clearance bar protects your building from vehicle damage where an overhang sits above the pick-up window. The Howard Company builds single bars, shaped like an upside-down L, and double bars shaped like a T.
What moves the price: single or double, height (8.5 or 9 feet depending on curb mounting), custom paint, and whether you add a helix so the bar swivels instead of tearing loose on impact.
Preview or Presell Boards
Price range: See menu board pricing above
A preview board is a smaller menu board just past the lane entrance, so guests read the menu while they wait. The Howard Company builds them as one- or two-door units, static or digital. They promote high-margin items early and shorten the time spent ordering.
What moves the price: the same things as a full board, at a smaller size.
Canopies
Price range: $3,000–$15,000
A canopy shields guests from weather at the order point. The Howard Company builds flat-top, offset and fully custom designs, and many double as a clearance bar.
What moves the price: style and size, lights, and whether it houses the speaker and microphone. The spread is wide because no two are alike.
Communication Systems
Speaker and mic enclosure: $400–$700
Headsets: $3,000–$7,000
Timing loop: up to $500
A drive-thru communication system covers the speaker post, the headsets your team wears and the timing loop that detects vehicles. The Howard Company quotes each separately.
What moves the price: how many headsets and lanes you run, and whether the speaker sits on its own post or mounts to a canopy or menu board, which costs less. Paired with headsets, the timing loop also gives you speed-of-service data.
Additional Branding Signage
Price range: Under $100 to $1,000+
Branding signage covers the path from lane entrance to pick-up window, and The Howard Company prints the full set in house. Graphic wings on bars, canopies and boards add surface for high-margin items, seasonal products and LTOs.
What moves the price: quantity, substrate and size.
Order Confirmation Systems (OCS)
Price range: Under $100 for plug-and-play, $1,500+ for full POS integration, which may carry recurring content charges
An order confirmation system shows guests their order so they can catch a mistake before pulling forward. The Howard Company supplies small screens mounted to the canopy pole or board hardware, and integrated panels built into a digital board.
What moves the price: whether it integrates with your POS. Integration work varies because POS platforms differ.
What does a full drive-thru setup cost?
Menu boards run $3,000–$25,000 depending on type. Add-ons and design work typically add $600 or more on top, and a site taking a canopy, a headset package and full POS integration together will land well above that. The Howard Company has not found a standard, cookie-cutter drive-thru in more than 75 years of building them. Every site has different clearances, traffic patterns and goals.
Which board type fits usually comes down to two things: your budget, and how often you plan to change the menu or run promotions.
Listen: what a drive-thru actually costs
The Howard Company walks through this same cost breakdown on the Branding, Signage and Technology Podcast, including the tradeoffs that do not fit on a page: when digital pays for itself, when a hybrid is the smarter buy and what operators most often forget to budget for.
What the episode covers:
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Why the same board can quote at $5,000 for one operator and $25,000 for another
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The add-ons operators most often leave off the first budget
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When a hybrid board makes more sense than going fully digital
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What UL listing and wind load actually change about your permit timeline
Frequently asked questions
Does a drive-thru menu board need to be UL listed?
In most municipalities, yes, if it is illuminated. UL listing is what permitting and inspection approval hinge on, and The Howard Company builds illuminated boards to that standard. A board that is not listed can stall a permit, which costs you more than the board.
What warranty comes with the screens, and what does it cover?
Screen warranties usually run 3–5 years. The Howard Company sees the real cost difference in scope, not length: white glove means the manufacturer handles a failure end to end with little downtime, basic means you pull the screen, pack it, ship it and wait. Ask which one a quote assumes before you compare two quotes.
How much does a digital drive-thru menu board cost compared to a static one?
A static board runs $3,000–$8,000 and a digital board runs $5,000–$25,000. The Howard Company sees the gap widen with screen count and size, since the 55-inch outdoor-rated screens are the largest single line on a digital quote.
Can I upgrade a static menu board to digital later?
On Drive-Thru Flex, yes — panels swap to digital on site, while the lane stays open. On other enclosures it depends on power and structure. Ask The Howard Company to check your existing board before you plan a phased rollout around it.
What is not included in these prices?
Installation and freight. The Howard Company prices installation separately by site scope. See the installation pricing guide.