McDonald's is testing ads from other brands on its digital drive-thru menus after customer orders and advancing an AI-powered assistant for order taking.
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">McDonald's is putting ads on its drive-thru menu as part of a "limited" pilot at company-owned restaurants, according <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-21/mcdonald-s-is-testing-ads-on-its-menu-screens">to a report from <em>Bloomberg</em></a>. Drive-thru locations included in the test will show ads from other brands on digital menu boards after a customer places their order, which they'll see while they wait for their meal.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In a statement to <em>Bloomberg</em>, a McDonald's spokesperson says the test allows the company to explore "ways to share post-purchase content that customers may find helpful, relevant, or interesting."</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As noted by <em>Bloomberg</em>, selling ads on McDonald's menu boards could open up another stream of revenue for the company, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mcdonalds-sales-struggle-value-meals-rcna590683">whi …</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/999295/mcdonalds-drive-thru-menu-ads">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# McDonald’s is testing ads on its drive-thru menus
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/tech/999295/mcdonalds-drive-thru-menu-ads](https://www.theverge.com/tech/999295/mcdonalds-drive-thru-menu-ads)
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Ads from other brands will show up on digital menu boards after customers place their orders\.
Ads from other brands will show up on digital menu boards after customers place their orders\.
by
Sep 23, 2026, 1:52 PM UTC
Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Emma Roth
is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more\. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO\.
McDonald’s is putting ads on its drive\-thru menu as part of a “limited” pilot at company\-owned restaurants, according[to a report from*Bloomberg*](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-21/mcdonald-s-is-testing-ads-on-its-menu-screens)\. Drive\-thru locations included in the test will show ads from other brands on digital menu boards after a customer places their order, which they’ll see while they wait for their meal\.
In a statement to*Bloomberg*, a McDonald’s spokesperson says the test allows the company to explore “ways to share post\-purchase content that customers may find helpful, relevant, or interesting\.”
As noted by*Bloomberg*, selling ads on McDonald’s menu boards could open up another stream of revenue for the company,[which is facing slowing sales in the US](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/mcdonalds-sales-struggle-value-meals-rcna590683)\. Along with ads on digital menu boards, McDonald’s has revealed plans to move forward[with its AI\-powered ArchIQ assistant](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/23/mcdonalds-investor-day-remodels-training-chicken-growth-plans.html), which it[recently showed taking orders](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/947644/mcdonalds-latest-ai-drive-thru-test-will-let-customers-ask-can-i-get-my-usual)in both English and Spanish, as well as identifying repeat customers and “remembering” their orders\.
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McDonald's partners with Google to test a new AI system called ArchIQ in drive-thru lanes, with the digital assistant 'Archy' processing over a million orders and 90% requiring no human intervention, though consumers remain skeptical about job cuts and errors.
Fast-food chains like McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell are deploying AI chatbots at drive-thrus to automate ordering, but customer reception remains mixed according to recent surveys.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said the company will explore AI-driven personalized digital menus at drive-thrus, recognizing customers as they arrive and enabling easier payment, with background AI models for baristas planned for 2027. Similar initiatives are being tested by Taco Bell and McDonald's as fast-food chains race to adopt AI in ordering.
McDonald's is testing dynamic pricing, potentially using AI-driven technology to adjust menu prices in response to demand, marking a notable move by a major restaurant chain into data-driven pricing strategies.
Voice AI is quietly rolling out across US fast-food drive-thrus, with chains like Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, and White Castle scaling up automated ordering after years of testing.