According to the State of Digital Signage 2026 report by Kitcast, 62% of restaurant screens run a digital menu board — rising to 82% in fast food — alongside media (82%), weather (73%) and the highest social-feed adoption of any vertical pair. telemetry
Food service splits into two screen personalities. Full-service restaurants balance the menu (62%) with atmosphere: media on 82% of screens, social feeds on 64%, video on 54%. Fast food is more transactional — the menu board dominates at 82%, social actually runs higher (71%), and everything else thins out. Both lean on weather (73–75%).
Restaurant — top content
Fast Food / QSR — top content
% of screens in the vertical showing each content type. telemetry
Full content mix: restaurants vs fast food
| Content type | Restaurant | Fast Food / QSR |
|---|---|---|
| Media | 82% | 74% |
| Video | 54% | 48% |
| Date&Time | 48% | 48% |
| Templates | 46% | 38% |
| Dashboard | 15% | 15% |
| Social Media | 64% | 71% |
| Business Apps | 6% | 6% |
| Calendars | 10% | 6% |
| News | 8% | 4% |
| API | 8% | 12% |
| Menus | 62% | 82% |
| Weather | 73% | 75% |
| Web Pages | 26% | 30% |
% of screens in the industry displaying each content type. Content scan, 10,000+ screens, 21 industries. Cells N≥30. Full matrix in the dataset.
For the deep dive on menu boards specifically — adoption across all 21 industries, costs, and the ROI question — see the companion page: digital menu board usage statistics.
Frequently asked questions
What do restaurants show on digital signage?
Menu boards first (62% of restaurant screens, 82% in fast food), then media (82%), weather (73%), social feeds (64%) and video (54%). Fast food runs more social (71%) and less of everything else.
Do fast-food restaurants use more digital signage than full-service restaurants?
They use it differently: QSR screens are menu-dominated (82% vs 62%) and more social (71% vs 64%), while full-service restaurants show more media and video — atmosphere over transaction.
How much does restaurant digital signage cost?
Most operators across the survey pay $11–20 per screen per month for software (56% of 515 operators); hardware ranges from low-cost Android players under $100 to Apple TV.
What are the best digital signage options for restaurant menus?
It depends on how your menu changes. Template-based menu boards (built in the CMS, updated in minutes) fit most independent restaurants; POS-fed menus suit chains where prices change centrally. Fast food digital menu boards lead adoption — 82% of QSR screens display a menu, vs 62% in full-service (State of Digital Signage 2026). Compare approaches in the menu board software guide.
How many screens does a typical restaurant network run?
Across all industries in the measured fleet, the median network is 1 screen (mean 4.0 per workspace) — most signage deployments are small. Restaurant chains scale by location: same layouts, per-location menus and dayparts, managed from one dashboard.