Drive-Thru Menu Boards

Think of refresh in three layers.

1.Menu content (prices, promotions, limited time offers) should change as often as your menu does.

2.Digital boards update instantly from the CMS, and printed panels update with a graphics swap, typically each quarter or each promotional window.

3.Full menu board refreshes run on a longer cycle.

Our own rollout data, drawn from the multi location brands we have worked with for over the years, shows that brands running repeat system wide rollouts typically do so every 1.5 to 4 years.

The hardware itself lasts much longer still: outdoor digital displays running 24/7 generally earn an evaluation after 5 to 7 years, while a well built menu board structure can stay in service 15 to 20 years or more with panel and display swaps along the way.

A content management system (CMS) is the software that controls what your screens display. You log in from any web browser, build menu layouts from templates, set prices, and schedule content. The CMS then sends those changes over the internet to a media player at each screen. One price change can go to a single store or to every location at once, and dayparting swaps your breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus automatically on a schedule you set.

The Howard Company offers different CMS options depending on what you need. With some, your team manages the content and we handle the setup. With others, we manage the content for you. We also offer CMS options that integrate with your POS or order confirmation system (OCS), so when you update pricing or menu items in that system, the change appears on your screens automatically.

Cost depends on the configuration you choose. The biggest drivers are digital versus printed panels (digital costs more up front, printed costs more to update), the number of panels or displays, single lane versus multiple lanes, site work such as foundations and electrical, CMS licensing for digital, and installation.

We publish real pricing guides so you can budget before you ever talk to us: see How Much Does a Drive-Thru Cost? and How Much Does a Digital Drive-Thru Cost? 

It comes down to how often your menu changes and how you want to spend.

Digital is the right call when prices and promotions change frequently, when you daypart, or when you manage many locations from one place.

Printed graphics carry the lowest upfront cost and work well for stable menus. A combination board like the Drive-Thru Flex gives you both: start with printed panels where the menu is stable, run digital where it changes, and shift the mix over time.

Plan on about 5 to 6 weeks from approved design to shipment, which includes design and engineering. Installation is then scheduled around your operating hours so the drive-thru stays open. If you are working toward a remodel date or a grand opening, tell us early and we will build the timeline backward from it.

Yes, we built them for it.

Start with the screens: outdoor rated displays use high brightness screens designed to stay readable in direct sunlight (the Drive-Thru Flex runs 2500 nit displays in a sealed, IP rated enclosure), and every board includes ambient light sensors that automatically adjust brightness as daylight changes, so the screen stays readable at noon and is not blinding at night. Thermal management handles summer heat and winter cold.

The Howard Company menu boards are built from structural steel that meets ASTM International material standards, with wind loads engineered to ASCE 7 design criteria. Every system has industrial powder coat finishes are rated for 15 to 20 years or more, are three times harder than paint, and hold their color for 10 years or more in direct sunlight, no repainting required. 

The board structure carries Howard's warranty: 1 year on outdoor products and 2 years on indoor digital. Digital displays follow the manufacturer's warranty process, and Samsung and LG displays include a 3 year depot warranty by default, which means the broken screen ships to a repair depot the manufacturer specifies. Because we work directly with both manufacturers, we also sell their enhanced White Glove warranty products. Those include Advanced Exchange, where a replacement display arrives at your store before the broken one ships back, and onsite labor to remove and swap the display for you. Enhanced coverage can also extend the warranty up to 5 years from purchase. Support has published response times, including a 1 hour response for critical issues, so a dark screen in the middle of a lunch rush gets treated like the emergency it is.