Who Cares About The Drive-Thru Rankings?

So who which restaurant chain provides the best drive-thru service in the industry?
 
Studies that rank performance of individual restaurant chains represent but another data point that these foodservice operators can use to benchmark their execution against the competition. The rankings these industry studies produce should not be the cause for celebration among those companies who come out on top. Nor should the rankings come as a surprise to the companies at the bottom of the list. Most of these restaurant chains should have been aware of their drive-thru performance and likely were working on the issues that inhibit their ability to serve consumers efficiently, to drive more business through this service mode. 

Although generally speaking, customers have certain expectations from restaurants offering drive thru service, it is equally important to point out that their expectations of drive-thru service differ on a restaurant by restaurant basis. So in order to really meet the customer’s needs, it is important for each restaurant chain to conduct their own internal research and benchmark their performance against it. Doing so will allow the chain’s leadership and operational teams to truly understand the importance of all the aspects of the drive-thru service specific to their customers.

Providing good service in drive-thru is not easy. This service mode, is not very forgiving, especially since most lines are single, and customers have to wait for not only their time delays, but the delays of all the cars in front of them.  Having said this, due to the queuing nature of the system, drive-thru can actually be perceived as a faster service than front counter, if the line moves regularly.  Furthermore, improvements of a few seconds at the window can make a big difference in the total service time.  Every 10 seconds of improvement in window time can equate to nearly one minute of total time during peak business periods. 

Operating a drive thru is tough. Have you taken orders in the drive-thru?  Even with the best sound system hearing customers is challenging. Nothing beats face-to–face interaction, but doing this via the drive through becomes difficult and expensive to execute. McDonald’s and others tried a system where the order taker was in a booth back in the line some years ago. Others also have remote order takers that roam the line during busy periods.  Burger King also had a video drive-thru version in a market test, where the customers and employees could see each other via monitors.; patent # 5,168,354.

From a foodservice design perspective, suppliers and consultants should help brands find ways to reduce delays and speed time at the window, while maintaining or improving food quality.  There is also a direct relationship between food quality and time, since the faster the time, the less likely the food will be sitting around as quality diminishes. 

Determine in a quantitative and objective way how to speed customers’ time through the drive thru, looking at all the pieces that make up a good service. Perhaps you should first approach this exercise from the customer’s perspective. Then examine the drive thru from the perspective of the staff. This dual approach can help uncover the bottlenecks that inhibit better hospitality and simplify, automate, or eliminate them. Let’s not forget the impact that menu proliferation and product formulations can have on drive-thru, including cooking and production times.  All the aspects of the drive thru service need to be understood and analyzed in an integrated way, instead of individually. There is not silver bullet solution to improve drive-thru service.  It takes a concerted and holistic effort to do it right.

Following such an approach will allow the restaurant chains to develop “crew centric” designs that apply sound ergonomics principles. One thing I guarantee is that restaurant chain operators that do not  take action toward  fixing what is not right from either side, customer or employee, will continue to fight a losing battle all the while wondering why they are not making any headway. 

Forget about industry rankings for the moment and get on with fixing what the customers need.  To some it is improving speed and throughput, or accuracy, to others food quality. Consultants and equipment suppliers can provide significant help with any of these objectives.