The brands that connect their ecosystems now won’t just keep up — they’ll define what the next generation of the QSR experience looks like.
We may be past the holidays, but you know the feeling: one lightbulb goes out in a string of lights and suddenly the whole thing looks off.
It’s not that everything is broken, it’s that everything is connected. And when one piece isn’t working, you feel it.
That’s how I think about digital signage and the drive thru.
Too often, they’re treated as standalone infrastructure — a menu board here, a lane there — instead of connected parts of a broader restaurant ecosystem. But customers don’t experience them separately; they experience one journey, and when something is out of sync, even slightly, they feel it...
Operators today are balancing rising expectations with real pressure: speed of service, order accuracy, labor constraints, menu inflation, technology upgrades, to name a few contributing factors. Complexity increases as brands layer in mobile ordering, kiosks, loyalty, and new formats.
Drive thru volumes are growing, mobile pickup adds congestion, promotions change faster than hardware refresh cycles, and when content, device health, and order flow aren’t aligned, small inefficiencies compound quickly.
A screen that doesn’t update.
A promotion that doesn’t reflect inventory.
A slow confirmation experience during peak hours.
A device issue that no one sees until a franchisee escalates it.
None of these are catastrophic alone. Together, they create friction — for employees and customers.
The shift is already underway. The drive thru is no longer just a lane; it’s becoming a connected journey.
Content is beginning to adjust based on time of day, traffic patterns, and loyalty signals. Operators have greater visibility into device health and performance. Ordering systems are starting to sequence demand instead of simply reacting to it.
Over the next decade, the distinction between “digital” and “operational” will disappear. The experience will simply work — intelligently, predictably, and at scale — freeing teams to focus on what matters most: creating memorable moments for the staff and guests.
The brands that connect their ecosystems now won’t just keep up — they’ll define what the next generation of the QSR experience looks like.
Because in the end, no one notices when every lightbulb is working perfectly, they just notice how good it looks and feels.
