Get Started with Drive-Thru POS mode

Dernière mise à jour : 21 mai 2026, 13 h 41

In this Article:

 

Drive-thru POS Mode Overview 

Currently, Toast Drive-thru is only available for customers with 15 or more locations.


The Toast Drive-thru POS mode allows your restaurant to optimize drive-thru orders, streamline car and guest identification processes, and improve drive-thru lane management. 

 

Toast support recommends you use the Drive-thru POS integration with a Delphi digital menu board and Order Confirmation Screen. For more information, see Get started with the Delphi Order Confirmation Screen

 

Benefits to Drive-thru POS mode include but are not limited to: 

  • A new drive-thru dining behavior. The new behavior allows employees to customize drive-thru orders differently from other types of orders. 
  • A dedicated workflow to manage orders in the drive-thru lane. This workflow is separate from taking orders on an order screen on a Toast POS device. 
  • A new integration with the Delphi Order Confirmation Screen. This integration improves guest order accuracy by displaying guest orders on a preselected drive-thru lane. 
  • A new workflow to quickly identify vehicles in the drive-thru. This allows restaurant operators to quickly select from a list of vehicle makes and types and to add notes to help easily identify cars during peak times. 

 

Back to top
 

Configure a Drive-thru Dining Behavior 

As part of the Drive-thru POS mode, you can configure and enable a new Drive-thru dining behavior. This lets you customize the order flow for drive-thru separately from dine-in, takeout, and delivery. When you enable the Drive-thru dining behavior, restaurant operators can skip certain POS customer information inputs, such as name, tab name, phone number, and the POS defaults to printed receipts instead of digital receipts. For more information, see Configuring customer printed receipts

The Drive-thru dining behavior also allows you to easily sort and filter drive-thru orders from other types of orders. For more information, see Set Up Custom Dining Options

To use the new Drive-thru screen on the POS, you must configure at least one dining option with a dining behavior of Drive-thru. If you don’t already have a drive-thru dining option, we recommend creating a new one and assigning it the Drive-thru dining behavior. If you already have a dining option for drive-thru orders, update that dining option’s behavior to Drive-thru.

To configure a Drive-thru dining behavior: 

  1. Access Toast Web
  2. Go to Kitchen > Dining options > Dining options to open the Dining Options page. 
  3. Select the + Add button to add a new dining option. Complete the following:
    • Enter a dining option name. 
    • Assign a dining behavior. Select Drive-thru from the drop-down menu. 
    • Choose if the dining option will allow scheduled future orders. 
    • Choose if the dining option will be the default.
    • Choose if the dining option will be shown on the POS. 

      This image emphasizes the drive-thru dining behavior on the Dining options page in Toast Web.  

  4. Select the Save button and the Publish Now button to save and publish your changes. 

 

Back to top

 

Drive-thru POS Screen 

 

You must have Quick Order Mode permission to use the Drive-thru screen. For more information, see Access permissions reference


The Drive-thru screen is a new ordering screen available for Toast POS devices. The Drive-thru screen allows restaurant operators to quickly and efficiently take and place drive-thru orders. 

This image emphasizes the Drive-thru mode on a Toast POS device.  

     

    Back to top

     

    Drive-thru Settings 

    There are various drive-thru settings that you configure in Toast Web that can help make your drive-thru experience more efficient. To enable these settings, go to Front of house > Drive-thru to open the Drive-thru section. In the Drive-thru section, you can configure the following settings: 

    • Enable Drive-thru mode on the POS: Enable this setting to use the Drive-thru screen on the POS. 
    • Prompt for vehicle description: Prompt employees to enter a description for vehicles in the drive-thru. 
    • Enable preview tickets: Show items on KDS devices as they are entered on the POS. This setting opens the Preview tickets and ticket screens page in Toast Web. 

     

    This image shows the drive-thru settings in Toast Web.

     

    Select the Save button to save your changes and then the Publish all changes button to publish your changes. 

     

    Back to top

     

    Set the Drive-thru Screen as the Default POS Screen 

     

    To use the Drive-thru screen, you must have configured a drive-thru dining option with a dining behavior of Drive Thru. For more information, see Configuring a drive-thru dining behavior.  

     

    To use the Drive-thru screen on a POS device, select Drive-thru on the POS home screen. You can choose to configure the Drive-thru screen as the default screen that employees will see once they log in. To configure the Drive-thru screen as the default: 

    1. On the POS home screen, go to the Setup section.
    2. Select Device Setup to open the Device Setup screen. 
    3. On the Device Setup screen, go to the Primary mode setting to open a screen. 
    4. On the screen, select Drive-thru to make the screen the default. 

      This image shows the Drive-thru mode on the Device Setup screen. 
    5. Select the Save button to save your changes. The Primary mode setting on the Device Setup screen displays Drive-thru as the primary mode. When an employee logs into the POS with Drive-thru as the primary mode, they will see the Drive-thru screen. 

     

    Back to top

     

    Use the Drive-thru Queue View

    When you enable Drive-thru mode and set the Drive-thru screen as the default, when you open the Drive-thru screen, the screen shows your drive-thru queue. The Drive-thru queue view lets you view all pending drive-thru orders, add vehicle information, create a new order, and update existing orders. 

     

    This image shows the Drive-thru queue screen.

     

    In the Drive-thru queue view, you can: 

    • View all your drive-thru orders
    • View details for an order, such as:
      • Check number
      • Dining option 
      • Vehicle description 
      • Payment status. Available statuses are: Paid or Not paid
      • Kitchen status: Available statuses are: Ready, Prepping, or Handed off
      • The time when the order was sent
    • Access the overflow menu to view order details, such as dining behavior, vehicle description, and server 
    • Add vehicle information
    • View and update drive-thru orders 

    You can view and complete the following: 

    • The number of pending orders in a drive-thru lane. Orders are sorted and shown by sent time. The oldest order appears at the top, and the most recent order is shown at the bottom of the screen. 
    • The number of orders handed to the guest. Orders are sorted and shown by the check number. The most recent order is shown at the top of the screen. 
    • Create a new order. This opens the Drive-thru ordering screen.
    • Update an order.
    • Pay for an order. 
    • Print a receipt. 

     

    Back to top

     

    Use the Drive-thru Ordering Screen 

    When you select the New order button on the Drive-thru screen, this opens the Drive-thru ordering screen. To use the Drive-thru ordering screen: 

    1. Select the New order button on the Drive-thru screen. This opens the Drive-thru ordering screen. 
    2. On the Drive-thru ordering screen, you can complete the following actions: 
      • Configure your Order Confirmation Screen 
      • Change the dining option
      • Add vehicle information 
      • Add menu items to the order 

        This image shows the Drive-thru ordering screen.  

    3. When the order is completed, the order's various statuses change on the Drive-thru screen.  
      • When the order has been paid, the payment status changes from NOT PAID to PAID
      • When the order has been completed by the kitchen, the kitchen status changes from PREPPING to READY
    4. When the order has both PAID and READY statuses, the employee taps the order to hand it off to the guest or selects the Handed off button. The order then moves from the In lane tab to the Handed off tab. 

     

    After you give your guest their order, make sure you mark the order as "Handed off" to keep your queue organized. The top order in the queue should be for the car currently at the drive-thru window.   

     

    Back to top

     

    Add Vehicle Information 

    On the Drive-thru ordering screen, you can choose to enter vehicle details to help quickly identify vehicles as they pass through your drive-thru. Vehicle information is displayed on the screen for easy reference. To add a vehicle description to a new drive-thru order: 

    1. Open the Drive-thru ordering screen. 
    2. On the Drive-thru ordering screen, you can open the Vehicle description screen by selecting the overflow menu and then the Vehicle button or selecting the Vehicle button on the order details panel.  

      This image emphasizes the two locations you can access the vehicle information screen. 

    3. On the Vehicle description screen, provide the following details:  
      • Choose if the car is parked. If this setting is enabled, a visible P icon appears on the POS, KDS and Payment Terminal to indicate the car is parked. 
      • Vehicle color. 
      • Vehicle type. 
      • Vehicle make. 
      • Optional notes. There is a 40 character limit for the optional notes field. 

        This image shows the Vehicle description screen. 

    4. Select the Save button to save the vehicle information. The information is displayed on the order panel on the Drive-thru ordering screen, Drive-thru screen, guest check, and KDS. 

      This image emphasizes two locations where you can view vehicle information.

    Back to top

     

    View Drive-thru Orders on a Kitchen Display System (KDS) 

    You can choose to limit and filter orders on your KDS device to specific courses, dining options or both. On the Toast POS device, go to Setup > Device Setup and select the Ticket Display Options setting. This opens the Ticket Display Options screen, where you can select which dining option(s) to filter and show orders for. 

     

    This image emphasizes the drive-thru dining option. 

    Drive-thru orders that appear on the KDS, will display a DRIVE-THRU label with any applicable vehicle information. 

     

    This image shows tickets with the DRIVE-THRU label.

     

    Back to top

     

    Configure the Order Confirmation Screen on a Toast POS Device 

    If your restaurant location has multiple drive-thru lanes, you can choose which drive-thru lane to show the Order Confirmation Screen on. You can change lanes from the Drive-thru ordering screen on the POS or from the Device Setup screen. 

     

    To change a lane from the Drive-thru ordering screen, go to the top of the screen and select the Order confirmation screen link. This opens a dropdown list of available drive-thru lanes to choose from. Select a new lane and then click out of the list to save your changes.

    This image emphasizes the Order Confirmation Screen setting on a POS device. 

     

    To change a lane from the Device Setup screen, go to the Drive-Thru Order Confirmation Screen setting to open the Select your Order Confirmation Screen screen. The screen automatically displays all the drive-thru lanes connected to your restaurant location. Choose the lane that you want to show the Order Confirmation Screen on or choose to not show the Order Confirmation Screen.

     

    This image emphasizes the Drive-Thru Order Confirmation Screen setting. 

    Back to top