Fast, clean, and frictionless: That’s the baseline for quick service restaurants (QSRs) to stay competitive. Touchless and interactive displays are helping operators meet that standard. Take kiosks, for example. Among restaurants that use them, 76% report reduced wait times, 67% see higher ticket sizes, and 69% achieve better order accuracy.
At Shake Shack, for instance, kiosks are now the most profitable in-store ordering channel. According to the restaurant’s chief financial officer, checks in Shake Shack kiosks are nearly 20% higher than in other in-store ordering channels.
Digital displays can address common QSR pain points, such as wait times and order mistakes. But they also pull double-duty as revenue-generating channels through in-store advertising and programmatic retail media, helping operators unlock new value while delivering a better guest experience.
One reason more QSRs are adopting this technology is the push for greater throughput, especially during peak periods. Letting guests place their own orders directly via touchless or interactive displays helps QSRs serve more customers per hour without relying on front-counter staff.
Another major driver is the ongoing labor shortages in QSRs. When interactive displays take over routine tasks like order-taking, understaffed teams can focus on higher-value responsibilities, such as preparing food, enhancing hospitality, and improving quality control. That boosts productivity and efficiency without increasing your team's size. It also frees up time for team members to go the extra mile for guests and provide the personal touch that wins customer loyalty.
Touchless ordering and displays also help QSRs keep ordering areas cleaner, less crowded, and more comfortable for guests. Touchless technology, such as gesture-based kiosks, reduces the number of surfaces guests have to touch to complete their order. Contactless options like these also reduce cleaning time and let guests order however feel most comfortable and safe.
Beyond operational efficiency, touchless and interactive displays are also revenue-generating tools. Inside many QSRs, screens act like digital billboards that promote limited-time offers, upsell add-ons, and even paid ads. A company like Creative Realities (CRI) helps restaurants unlock this retail media potential by handling everything from hardware selection and software integration to ad delivery and ongoing technical support.
Most QSRs start building their tech stack with self-ordering kiosks with touchscreen displays. Modern QSR displays let customers browse menus, customize orders, and check and use loyalty rewards. Some systems also let guests navigate menus with simple voice commands or contactless gestures, making the experience more accessible to more guests.
Interactive technology can also improve the drive-thru experience. Recognition technologies like mobile app logins and license plate readers can pull up a customer’s past orders and make suggestions on the drive-thru screen.
Displays aren't just limited to points-of-sale (POS) devices. Menu boards and other in-store displays can also improve ordering speed and drive upsells and cross-sells. Digital signage software lets QSRs update menu boards automatically, remotely, and in real time. This could mean switching from breakfast to lunch at a specified time, so guests know what's available or highlighting local promotions to boost visibility. QSRs can even adjust offers based on factors like inventory or the weather.
Implementing touchless and interactive displays in QSRs comes with measurable benefits that directly impact efficiency, customer satisfaction, and revenue, such as:
These displays should be intuitive, fast, and adaptable. Here’s how to design experiences that work for every guest.
Guests should be able to use the interactive displays however they prefer. For example, a kiosk could include large on-screen targets that are easy to tap, voice prompts that guide guests, voice-based ordering, and QR codes that allow guests to scan a code and finish their order on their phone.
With a three-tap checkout design, a typical guest can complete a regular order in three steps (e.g., choose category → select item → confirm and pay). But they should always have an option to customize before checkout.
Upsells in interactive QSR displays should feel helpful, not intrusive. Trigger smart suggestions at checkout using contextual cues like time of day or order type.
Voice flows help visually impaired guests order independently, supporting compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On-screen hygiene icons (like touchless mode) or “this screen is sanitized regularly” messages reinforce safety and trust.
When integrated with a content management system, QSR displays can automatically update screen content based on daypart, inventory, and LTOs.
Creative Realities offers CMS tools that let QSRs easily create, manage, and distribute content across screens and retail media networks (RMNs).
To get the most out of interactive and touchless displays, QSRs need to seamlessly integrate them into their broader digital ecosystems.
By connecting POS systems, loyalty programs, inventory, and ad software, restaurants can show relevant ads and promotions on kiosks, menu boards, and drive-thru screens. Integration with loyalty and ID systems enables touchless and interactive displays to recognize returning guests, automatically apply rewards, and personalize each interaction. When synced with inventory management systems, the displays also keep menus up to date by automatically removing out-of-stock items.
QSRs can also turn in-store screens into a new revenue stream through retail media. To run and monetize a retail media network in your QSR, you’ll need to connect your displays to an ad server and a demand-side platform (DSP). Then you can sell ad space programmatically, control share of voice (SOV), and measure campaign impact. With this unified ad planning and serving, QSRs gain new revenue without disrupting the guest experience, while advertisers get transparent performance metrics for smarter budget allocation.
Proving the impact of touchless and interactive displays comes down to the numbers. QSRs can examine key operational metrics, such as service time, the number of guests served per hour, and order accuracy, to gauge how efficiently their systems are running.
On the revenue side, metrics like average check size, attach rates, and LTO sell-through help gauge whether the technology is driving higher sales and stronger upsell rates.
For those using displays as part of a retail media network, performance is measured through media-focused metrics such as impressions, attention proxies, SOV, and return on ad spend.
Together, these data points form a comprehensive scorecard that quantifies how touchless and interactive technologies are improving both operations and profitability.
When you install these displays in your QSR, here are some of the biggest mistakes to avoid:
Touchless technology is just the beginning. The next wave of innovation in QSRs will be about adaptive systems that learn, respond, and optimize in real time.
AI will make self-ordering smarter by using guest data to suggest personalized combos and dynamic bundles. Features like motion sensors and computer vision—which uses AI to help machines understand and respond to visual information—will let systems respond to guest behavior in real time. For example, a guest lifting a bottled beverage from a cooler might see a nearby display highlighting meal combos or limited-time offers that include that drink, which increases sales opportunities.
What’s more, retail media networks, which are currently in their early stages, will grow fast. Building one now could position you as a leader. QSRs that use powerful tools like AdLogic CPM+ to plan, manage, and optimize RMN campaigns could stay ahead of competitors that don’t.
See how CRI deploys, powers, and monetizes QSR screen networks, from menu logic to retail media. You can also book a demo of AdLogic CPM+ and other digital signage software solutions.