# Drive-thru menu boards: static, digital and what to test

> Canonical: https://maple.inc/blog/drive-thru-menu-board

*By Maple Team · Published 2026-09-25*

Static, digital and hybrid drive-thru menu boards compared, with makers' printed prices, calorie rules, AI ordering checks and a test list.

A drive-thru menu board is either static (printed panels in a lit metal case), digital (outdoor screens run by software) or a hybrid of both. The Howard Company, a menu board maker, prints $3,000 to $8,000 for static boards and $5,000 to $25,000 for digital ones. Pick digital if your prices, dayparts or sold-out items change often.

The board is also one of three places a guest checks the order, next to what they hear at the speaker and what the confirmation screen shows. If they disagree on a price or an item, someone on the crew has to sort it out at the window.

## Which type of drive-thru menu board fits your store?

Prices below are the ranges Howard prints on its [drive-thru pricing page](https://www.howardcompany.com/pricing/how-much-does-a-drive-thru-cost). They cover the board alone; installation is extra, and other makers will quote differently.

    Type How it works How you change it Howard's printed range Start here if
  Static Printed translucent panels, backlit or edge-lit by LEDs, in a metal case with one to five doors Print new panels and swap them by hand $3,000 to $8,000 per board Your menu and prices change a few times a year
  Digital One to three outdoor-rated screens, a media player and content software Edit in the software; changes reach the screen over the internet $5,000 to $25,000 per board You change prices or promotions often, run dayparts, or manage several stores
  Hybrid Printed panels and screens in one case Both ways; Howard says panels can be swapped for screens on site while the lane stays open $3,000 to $25,000 per board Your core menu is stable and only the promotions move
  Presell board A smaller board near the lane entrance, one or two panels, static or digital Same as the main board Priced like a menu board, per Howard Guests reach the speaker still reading the menu
  Order confirmation screen Shows the order as it is entered, on a small screen or part of a digital board Fed by the POS Full POS integration from $1,500 Guests often ask the crew to repeat the order

DSA Signage describes the same split on its [drive-thru signage page](https://dsasignage.com/drive-thru-signage/): static boards hold a printed graphic lit by edge-lit or backlit LEDs, and digital boards use LCD screens and a media player. Howard's own advice on its [menu board page](https://www.howardcompany.com/products/drive-thru-solutions/menu-boards) is that digital pays when prices and promotions change often, when you daypart, or when you manage many locations, and printed graphics suit stable menus.

## What does a digital board add?

- **Dayparts.** Content software switches breakfast to lunch on a schedule. Delphi, now owned by Toast, lists day-part content in its Engage software on its [QSR page](https://www.delphidisplay.com/industries/qsr/), and Menuboard Manager includes daypart scheduling in its lowest plan.
- **Prices from the POS.** Delphi says Engage can connect to the POS so prices and nutrition data stay in sync. Howard offers content software that picks up price and menu changes from the POS or confirmation system.
- **Sold-out items.** Menuboard Manager lists "86/68 menu items" through POS integration on its [drive-thru page](https://menuboardmanager.com/drive-thru-solutions/), and names Toast, Qu, PAR Brink, Northstar and NCR on its integrations page.
- **Order confirmation on the board.** Howard says many brands give part of the digital screen over to the order once the guest starts talking, which can take development work because POS systems differ.
- **Brightness control.** Howard says every board it sells has ambient light sensors that raise brightness at noon and lower it at night.

Digital boards also bring bills that static boards do not. Menuboard Manager's [pricing page](https://menuboardmanager.com/pricing/) lists Starter at $89, Professional at $199 and Business at $299 per screen, with monthly and annual billing (annual saves 8%). Only Business includes POS integration and order confirmation, and those may carry extra fees.

## What does a two-screen digital board cost beyond the screens?

A worked example using the per-screen figures on Howard's [digital drive-thru cost page](https://www.howardcompany.com/pricing/how-much-does-a-digital-drive-thru-cost). The store is hypothetical; your quote will differ.

    Item Howard's printed figure Two screens
  External media player $400 to $600 per screen $800 to $1,200
  Screen warranty (usually 3 to 5 years) $400 to $1,000 per screen $800 to $2,000
  Software license, billed yearly About $400 per screen About $800 a year
  Order confirmation linked to the POS From about $1,500, depending on the POS About $1,500 or more
  Total extras in year one Sum of the rows above About $3,900 to $5,500

The same page puts outdoor screens at about $5,000 each and the enclosure at $3,500 to $12,000, and says a dedicated internet connection is needed. Ask each vendor to price these lines separately so you can compare quotes.

## Which layout rules have a source behind them?

- **Calories, if you are a chain.** The FDA's [menu labeling rule](https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-food-labeling-and-critical-foods/menu-labeling-requirements) covers chains with 20 or more locations under the same name, and [21 CFR 101.11](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-101/subpart-A/section-101.11) counts drive-through boards as menu boards. Calories go next to the item's name or price, in type no smaller than the smaller of the two, in the same or an equally clear color.
- **Combos.** Under the same rule, a combo with two choices shows both counts with a slash, such as "350/450 calories". The board also carries the statement "2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice, but calorie needs vary" and a note that written nutrition information is available on request.
- **Screen size and direction.** Howard calls 55-inch screens the industry standard and says most are hung in portrait, because a three-screen landscape menu is hard to read from a car and smaller screens mean smaller type.
- **Height.** Howard suggests a taller pedestal if the speaker and mic sit on the board, or if many guests drive trucks or SUVs.
- **Weather and permits.** Howard's buyer questions cover brightness in nits, the IP rating for dust and water, the wind-load rating for your zip code and a UL listing, which it says most towns require for an illuminated board.

Local rules on signs and nutrition vary. Check with your town and your franchisor before you print.

## How do menu boards and AI ordering work together?

An AI order-taker reads the menu from the POS. A digital board reads its menu from its content software, and a static board from whatever was last printed. If the board shows an item the AI says is sold out, or a price that differs from the ticket, the guest notices.

- **Match names.** Guests order by the name on the board. Test that the AI recognizes every name and limited-time offer as printed.
- **Match stock.** Maple's [drive-thru unit](https://maple.inc/drive-thru) skips items that are out of stock. A board that is not tied to the POS will still show them.
- **Decide where the guest checks the order.** Presto says its voice AI connects to the existing confirmation board. Delphi's Endura 32X shows the order and a transcript of the AI conversation. Maple's unit, which is in early access and priced per unit, shows the live cart and total on its own screen beside the speaker post.
- **Confirmation saves repeats.** Intouch Insight's [2025 study notes](https://www.intouchinsight.com/blog/drive-thru-trends) found that not having to repeat an order saved 1 minute 25 seconds.

For the full path from speaker to POS ticket, see [how AI drive-thru ordering works](https://maple.inc/blog/ai-drive-thru). Toast's [April 2026 Toast Drive-Thru launch](https://pos.toasttab.com/news/toast-drive-thru-launch-2026) ties Delphi's 55-inch boards, an order confirmation screen and AI voice partners to its POS, and is offered first to brands with 15 or more locations.

## What should you test before you sign?

1. Sit in a car at the speaker at noon and after dark. Read the smallest price and a calorie count.
2. Repeat from a pickup truck or SUV.
3. Mark an item sold out in the POS. Time how long it takes to leave the board and the AI's menu.
4. Change one price in the POS. Check that the board, the confirmation screen and the ticket all match.
5. Switch dayparts. Check the board changes on time and the breakfast items stop being offered.
6. Order a combo with a swap and a removed topping. Check the confirmation screen shows each change.
7. Unplug the board's internet. See what it shows and how it recovers.
8. Ask who updates content, how fast, and at what rate. Howard quotes about $100 an hour for outside help.
9. Get the screen warranty terms: on-site swap, or ship-back and wait.
10. Ask for the UL listing and wind-load rating before you apply for a permit.

*Published by Maple. This AI-assisted guide combines menu board makers' own pricing and product pages, the FDA menu labeling rule, one drive-thru study and Maple's published drive-thru scope with an original comparison, worked cost example and test list. The cost example is hypothetical, and the guide does not rank makers, report hands-on testing or give legal advice.*

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