Fast food drive-thrus are morphing. Traditional single lane, garbled intercom and window payment/pickup are poised to become a relic of the past.
Starbucks employees at some locations move through car lines taking orders with hand-held devices to make fast food faster. New Chipotle Mexican Grill’s have “Chipotlanes” where customers drive up to windows and leave with pre-ordered meals in <1 minute, also dedicated kitchen assembly lines for mobile/on-line orders only. Taco Bell is creating smaller restaurants with dual drive-thru lanes and curbside pickup. Burger King (BK) is testing three lanes with the third lane for advance app orders only. McDonald’s/BK use AI to suggest menu items based on weather, previous orders and other factors.
Drive-thru times average 4 minutes 15 seconds per BlueDot. Companies are trying to shave time, but problems can occur. One chain was sued by nearby businesses that say long drive-thru lines block customer access. MOSIMTEC simulation modeling and restaurant simulation software can help. Explore drive-through options virtually before trying in real time. See which options perform best based on key metrics. Identify risks/problems before they occur. Build sustainable competitive advantage.
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Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/business/restaurants-drive-thru-pickup-lanes.html