DRIVE-THRU
HEADSETS &
TIMER SYSTEMS

When drive thru traffic spikes—whether it’s holidays, lunch rush, or weekend crowds—clear, reliable communication becomes absolutely critical. That’s where NEXEO | HDX stands apart. Built on HME’s patented Wideband HD Audio and delivered as a fully digital, end-to-end system, NEXEO brings an unmatched level of sound clarity to every customer interaction.

The holiday season brings a surge of shoppers, travelers, and families on the go, which means more cars in your drive thru than almost any other time of year. With customers out and about, grabbing meals between errands or during long road trips, your drive thru becomes a critical part of their holiday routine.

The holidays are here, and that means one thing for quick-service restaurants: traffic is about to surge. Shoppers are out in full force, families are on the road, and everyone is looking for fast, convenient meals between the hustle and bustle. For drive thru teams, this season brings exciting opportunity and serious demand.

Support for the legacy ZOOM® timer will soon be retired, which means essential cloud-based features will no longer be available. To avoid disruptions and stay connected, upgrading to ZOOM Nitro® ensures your operation has the modern tools it needs to thrive.

According to the 2025 Intouch Insight Drive-Thru Study, the average total drive thru time has climbed to 5 minutes and 35 seconds, with customers waiting 1 minute and 21 seconds before even placing an order — the longest pre-order delay since before the pandemic.

And those invisible minutes? They’re costing operators thousands in lost revenue, loyalty, and throughput. In fact, every 5-second delay can cost a store up to $9,500 annually. That’s the challenge our recent webinar tackled head-on: how to measure, manage, and monetize every second in the drive thru lane.

Running a smooth drive thru requires clear communication and reliable equipment. With the right headset and accessories, your team can take orders accurately, stay connected, and serve customers faster. The HME Store offers a variety of HME drive thru headsets and accessories. Shopping online makes it easy to find exactly what you need—whether you’re replacing batteries or stocking up on extras to keep operations running without interruption.

Your HME headset is a lifeline for clear communication and smooth drive thru operations. But without proper care, even the best headset can lose its performance, comfort, and hygiene over time. Luckily, maintaining your equipment doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few simple habits, you can keep your headset clean, comfortable, and working at its best every day.

Running a drive-thru is a high-speed balancing act. Every second counts from the moment a guest enters the lot to the time they drive away with their order in hand. Long waits, bottlenecks, and errors can lead to lost sales and unhappy customers. Nitro Vision AI was designed to eliminate these pain points by making the invisible visible. Here are five major challenges drive-thru teams face—and how Nitro Vision AI helps solve them.

The fast-food world is getting a major tech upgrade, and artificial intelligence is leading the charge. Rising labor costs, supply chain headaches, and hungry customers who want everything now are pushing restaurants to get smarter and faster.

Your drive-thru equipment is the heartbeat of your business. From headsets to timers, every piece plays a role in keeping cars moving and customers happy. But when something breaks, the repair service you choose matters more than you might think. That’s where sticking with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) comes in.