HME Launches Nitro Vision AI for Drive-Thru Operations

HME Hospitality & Specialty Communications (HSC), the leader in drive-thru communications and timing technology, today announced the launch of Nitro Vision AI, a camera-based intelligence layer for the drive-thru. Nitro Vision AI helps restaurants move beyond timing alone to see what is happening across the lane, understand what matters, and get that understanding to the people who can act on it.

The drive-thru has become a more dynamic operation. Mobile ordering, delivery, and multiple fulfillment paths create demand that shifts quickly across channels, which is why it’s more important than ever for operators to understand what’s happening across their operation. Total visibility is what gives them the context to improve every stage of the customer journey, and that is what Nitro Vision AI adds.

Nitro Vision AI builds upon Zoom Nitro Timer, using camera-first vision to recognize each vehicle by characteristics such as type and color and follow it through every stage of the customer journey, from the pre-menu stack through the pickup window and beyond, including pull-forward spaces and mobile order pickup. Nitro Vision AI weighs signals such as arrival rate, queue depth, and dwell time to surface the primary constraint on speed of service, helping crews make the best call in the moment it matters most.

Nitro Vision AI also draws on the in-shift tools operators already use in ZOOM Nitro, including the bottleneck tracker, pre-menu threshold alerts, drive-off alerts, and POS integration that surfaces transaction details so crews can spot large orders and keep the line moving, and adds context from across the lane. Together with HME’s NEXEO | HDX™ platform, Nitro Vision AI creates a path for that information to reach crew members through the headsets they already wear, so crews can act while the car is still in the lane.

Nitro Vision AI is privacy-conscious by design. It reads vehicle features without license plate recognition or biometric tracking, and it retains no personally identifiable information. By keeping the data accurate and the focus on the lane rather than the people in it, Nitro Vision AI is built to earn the trust of the teams who rely on it.

“HME has spent decades helping operators measure the drive-thru. Nitro Vision AI moves us from measurement to intelligence. It brings lane measurement, communication, and now vision together in a way no one else in this space offers,” said Jason Bertellotti, President, HME Hospitality & Specialty Communications.

Designed to grow with each restaurant, Nitro Vision AI is built to evolve as vision AI technology advances. To learn more or request a demonstration, visit qsr.hme.com/zoom/visionai.