Balancing QSR Tech Innovation With Franchise Operations at McDonald’s

McDonald’s thrives on speed and consistency. Connected devices like digital menu boards, drive-thru systems, and kiosks make that possible. But when they break, revenue is lost. Even worse, costs of doing business go up. Customers fume, staff scramble, and franchisees foot the bill.

Inspired by @McFranchisee’s candid X posts and our earlier dive into McDonald’s ice cream machine woes, let’s unpack the tech challenges in quick-service restaurants (QSRs) like McDonald's. First, we'll speak to the big picture problem. Then we’ll examine it from corporate’s big-picture view and the operator’s reality on the front lines.

We’ll try to land on a hopeful solution for everyone. We will even show how one platform can save franchisees money while furthering corporate’s objectives.

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The Problem: QSR Tech Is Complicated, Expensive, and Hard to Manage

McDonald’s places big bets on QSR technology. From digital menu boards to self-service kiosks, endpoint devices and remote technology brings consistency, increases restaurant revenues, and saves money. For example, digital menu boards present products in their best light and at the right price. Dual-lane drive-thrus speed up orders. Kiosks streamline service and even boost basket sizes.

All this technology is great so long as it works. But, of course, the tech comes at a price.

Twitter/𝕏 user McFranchisee — the McDonald's operator with multiple restaurant locations — shared how a single menu board setup runs $20,000–30,000. This digital signage lasts just 5–7 years. Harsh conditions like heat, humidity, and 24/7-use wear devices out fast. Meanwhile, McFranchisee notes that, “I thought digital menu boards would cut costs vs. printed POP. Instead: POP costs never dropped, $75K to install, $30K to replace after 6 years,” Add in repairs cost $500–1,500 per incident. And at the high-end of expenses, dual-lane drive-thrus, rolled out years ago, hit franchisees with a $125,000 price tag per store.

Franchisees, already squeezed by rising costs, feel the pinch of these technology costs directly. And when tech fails, the pain is made worse. Sales are lost — just like when those ice cream machines break down (or need servicing) and costs go up too. A glitchy POS system or a dead menu board turns a quick lunch rush into a mess and an expensive call to a service technician.

Speaking of technicians, according to “McFranchisee,” his operation relies on dedicated technical support, “Techs maintain our current systems (pos, servers, credit card terminals, etc)- most orgs have about 1 tech person per 6-8 restaurants.” That kind of expertise on call isn’t surprising given the complexity of technical operations at a restaurant like McDonald’s. With dozens of Internet-connected devices at any given restaurant, you have hundreds of devices in operation across 6–8 McDonald’s.

That’s a lot to maintain for a single technician — but it’s a lot for a team of technicians too. All those QSR devices have proprietary hardware and software. Firmware and software applications must be routinely updated — and these updates must often be executed manually, in-person. Restaurant networks must be maintained to keep everything reliably connected. And then there’s the reality of unexpected environmental conditions that age the hardware (see below regarding the browning screens).

No surprise, local technicians like the person managing 6–8 restaurants for McFranchisee has a lot to keep up with. Meanwhile, IT teams in headquarters have unique struggles too. Let’s examine these challenges from both sides.

Corporate’s View: Big Plans, Big Bets

QSR innovation won't come easy, and McDonald’s HQ sees tech as the future. Digital menu boards collect data on what customers order. Kiosks push personalized deals. Drive-thrus cut wait times.

Seen individually, these are just tools. Stepping back, they’re part of a grand strategy. Corporate wants to outshine rivals like Chick-fil-A, Burger King, or Starbucks. Data from connected devices shapes menus and staffing. Tech investments are part of a long-term strategy.

But there’s a blind spot. Corporate’s big bets can result in franchisee pain. A $125,000 drive-thru upgrade looks strategic on paper. “Dual-lane drive-thrus cost us $125K each, and franchisees had to eat it,” McFranchisee notes. At the store level, it’s a budget buster that hoovers up cash.

Tech rollouts, meant to keep McDonald’s ahead, burden operators. And when devices fail, corporate’s focus on brand uniformity can feel distant from the daily grind on the ground.

Franchisees’ Reality: Supersized Costs

The McDonald's franchisee lives a different story. For these QSR operators, every dollar spent on tech cuts into profits.

McFranchisee’s posts lay it bare: menu boards die too soon. Many franchisees face replacements due to “browning” – a discoloration that makes screens unreadable – with each new board costing $30,000 for an operator averaging 10 locations. Repairs are pricey and slow. A $30,000 investment shouldn’t feel like a gamble, but it does.

When a drive-thru headset fails, the lunch rush grinds to a halt. Customers leave. Staff stress spikes. Franchisees call vendors, burning time and money. A single hour of downtime can cost hundreds in sales. Unlike corporate’s IT teams, franchisees often must lean on managers or third-party techs for technical support. But standard IT tools don’t work on QSR gear, and a frozen kiosk or a network hiccup could mean waiting hours or days for a fix.

The resulting approach is reactive, expensive, and exhausting. Is there a fix that might help at headquarters and the front lines?

What Everyone Wants: A Better Way

McDonald’s needs tech that works for everyone. Corporate and franchisees share goals, even if their paths differ.

First, keep devices running. Uptime means happy customers and steady revenue. Second, cut costs. Franchisees need affordable maintenance and longer-lasting gear. Third, simplify management. Operators shouldn’t need a tech degree to handle kiosks.

McDonald’s wants innovation. New devices should roll out smoothly. Operators want smooth operations, regardless of the technology, in order to maximize revenue — and profit. Customers want the brand to live up to its promise. For them, a working drive-thru or kiosk is table stakes. The aim is to align all these needs. That’s the challenge and the opportunity.

RMM: A Solution That Connects

This is a job for remote monitoring and management ([[RMM]]) — RMM for [[connected products]], as with Canopy RMM. Canopy is unlike traditional RMM used on IT infrastructure like laptops, servers, and mobile phones. The software is designed to monitor, manage, and even automate a QSR’s unique devices — like menu boards, drive-thrus, POS systems, and more. Canopy can act as an orchestrating layer that integrates centrally-managed enterprise software to locally-required remote devices. This means QSR device data can be turned into business intelligence (e.g. KPIs). And of course, as an RMM, the software can be configured to fix device issues in real time. In total, RMM can bridge corporate and franchisee needs. The results are more uptime every day and better [[device lifecycle management]] in the long-run — which means higher revenues and lower service costs.

But let’s look a little more at how this can play out in practice:

Franchisees: Less Stress, More Savings

Canopy spots problems early. A menu board overheating? Canopy flags it, triggering a fix before it fails. A kiosk software application freezing? It can reset remotely. No $1,500 technician needed.

These automations save money. Now that one technician might be able to manage twice as many restaurants in the same amount of time (or less). Remote device automations also save sanity. Managers focus on customers, not tech woes. Canopy’s alerts catch firmware issues or network drops, extending device life beyond 5–7 years. For franchisees like McFranchisee, that’s real relief.

Corporate: Smarter Scaling

HQ gets a win too. Canopy simplifies new tech rollouts. Launching AI-driven menu boards? Canopy handles onboarding and monitoring. It tracks device health across thousands of stores, spotting trends like which locations need upgrades.

Data flows seamlessly. Canopy integrates with corporate systems (CRM, service software, whatever’s required, all via custom KPIs and API integrations). If a drive-thru fails, Canopy can automate a custom resolution or deliver a smart notification for followup. No manual back-and-forth. 

Now, corporate can innovate, all while keeping operators confident that new technology will deliver.

Customers: Service That Shines

Customers notice the difference. A drive-thru that works every time. A kiosk that doesn’t stall. A menu board that’s always clear. Canopy keeps these running quietly in the background.

When issues do arise, they’re fixed fast — often before customers know. That reliability builds trust. It’s what keeps people coming back to McDonald’s.

The Future: QSR Tech That Works for All

McDonald’s tech challenges are real. They’re not insurmountable. Canopy RMM turns complexity into opportunity. Franchisees save money and stress. Corporate drives innovation with confidence. Customers get the service they expect.

McFranchisee’s posts show the stakes. Tech must be reliable to deliver value. That's as true for digital menus as it is for soft serve ice cream (though the McBroken saga isn't as cut and dry as it's made out to be). RMM, as with Canopy, ensures every order, tap, and display works smoothly. It’s a future where technology supports the business at every level — not just in theory, but in practice.

Want to learn more about automating remote device management? Read our Guide. In the QSR space and curious how the biggest brands are keeping up? Check out Chick-fil-A's advanced approach to computing at the edge or learn about how the Domino's Pizza Pulse POS manages ordering for some 20,000 restaurants. Finally, find out the truth behind the "McBroken" ice cream machine challenges at McDonald's. 🍔