Outdoor digital menu boards have made tremendous technological advances since the first introduction to the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) market.

QSRs began expressing interest in digital menus for drive-thru lanes roughly 10 years ago, as they began the transition (across the board) from static to digital, both indoors… and out. The drive-thru is not something that should be ignored when implementing digital signage. According to Steve McDonnell from Demand Media, McDonald’s drive-thru accounts for 65% of all sales and he added, “QSR and Insula Research estimate that about 50 to 70 percent of fast food sales arrive courtesy of drive-thru windows.” In fact, a recent AYTM survey showed that only 6% of those polled would never use a drive-thru… only 6%. The drive-thru is very important to a QSR, which simply means that they should make it the best and most efficient experience for customers. Precisely why QSRs are starting to install outdoor digital menu boards. It is the future, plain and simple. 

LCD manufacturers are taking notice and consistently evolving products to be more robust and durable in an outdoor, direct sunlight environment. It is significant to note that LCDs chosen for an enclosure solution should be considered a "high bright." An LCD purchased at a big box store will simply not be bright enough for the outdoors. The nits (brightness level) of the LCD should be between 1500-2000 nits. Oftentimes, enclosures are paired with “IPS” (In Plane Switching) high bright LCDs, which means they have a higher heat tolerance on the front of the screen. Many companies claim to have high bright LCDs, but LCDs less than 1500 nits are simply not bright enough to be viewed outdoors. Always research the display specifications prior to making a decision!

With more robust electronics, enclosure manufacturers are able to engineer solutions that require less cooling and/or heating to keep the electronics running at appropriate operating temperatures. In turn, outdoor digital menu boards’ power consumption costs have dropped dramatically (see chart below). 

Air conditioners used to be the only solution for keeping electronics, in an outdoor digital menu board, at the proper operating temperatures. However, as LCD technology improves, so does the enclosure technology. Air conditioned outdoor menus are becoming a thing of the past in most parts of the country. Enclosure companies are now designing solutions with integrated fan cooled systems that will operate in direct exposure to the sun. These fan systems have a range of -20° to 110° F in direct sunlight! Filters on the fans only need to be changed every 3-5 years. Now that is efficient!

Compared to original QSR enclosure designs, power consumption costs have dropped, on average, 54%! The cost to operate a triple screen enclosure has gone from $3.00 to $1.39 per day.

As stated before, based on the current technology, enclosure manufacturers are still not able to eliminate the need for an air conditioner completely in certain parts of the United States. With temperatures reaching 120° F during summer months, cities like Phoenix, Dallas, Riverside CA, and Las Vegas will require additional cooling (above what fans can provide) to keep displays within the warranted operating temperatures. 

However, the costs to maintain an air conditioned menu board have also dropped from an average of $3.00 to $2.00 per day. A 33% drop in energy costs is a huge leap towards greener technology!

As enclosure and LCD costs continue to fall, it is becoming much more affordable to have digital menu boards indoors and outdoors. Energy efficiency keeps operational costs down, compared to only a couple years ago. In the end, when it comes to digital menu boards, a QSR may have to spend some money to make some money.

For more information about outdoor digital menu boards: 3 LCD Considerations for Deploying Outdoor Digital Menu Boards

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