McDonald’s pilots advertising on digital drive-thru menu boards

McDonald’s is testing a new advertising model at a handful of its own drive-thru restaurants, showing ads from external brands on the digital menu screens after a patron completes an order. The company described the trial as a way to investigate sharing post-purchase content that could be helpful or relevant to customers. Executives see the initiative as a potential additional source of income amid declining U.S. sales.

The pilot runs alongside the introduction of an AI-powered assistant called ArchIQ, which can identify returning guests and remember their previous selections. No comment was received from The Verge, while the details were reported. The experiment is limited in scope and may expand if results prove positive.