QSR October 2022

DRIVE - THRU REPORT

D I G I TAL MENUBOARDS Was the primary menuboard a digital menuboard?

ORDER CONF I RMAT I ON BOARD

Did the restaurant have an order confirmation board ( ocb ) ?

Was your drive-thru order filled correctly and completel y? 13+87+A 17+83+A WITHOUT OCB WITH OCB YES 87.00 % YES 82.60 %

YES

NO

YES

PERCENT

PERCENT

PERCENT

92.00 % 66.00 % 42.00 % 32.00 % 28.00 % 25.00 % 22.00 % 18.00 % 18.00 % 14.00 %

86.00 % 82.00 % 82.00 % 78.00 % 75.00 % 72.00 % 68.00 % 58.00 % 34.00 %

79.70 % 79.40 % 70.80 % 70.00 % 48.30 % 34.80 % 18.50 % 17.80 % 16.70 % 16.50 %

McDonald’s

KFC

Taco Bell

Burger King

Carl’s Jr.

McDonald’s

Taco Bell

Arby’s

Burger King

Chick-fil-A

Wendy’s

Wendy’s

NO 13.00 %

Dunkin’

Hardee’s

Carl’s Jr.

Hardee’s

Dunkin’

Hardee’s

Wendy’s

Chick-fil-A

KFC

Arby’s

Taco Bell

Chick-fil-A

Carl’s Jr.

Burger King

Arby’s

NO 17.30 %

8.00 %

KFC

McDonald’s

Dunkin’

NO 63.00 % YES 37.00 % 37+63 NO Was the primary menubuard a digital menuboard (total)?

T IME WITH PRIMARY MENUBOARD A DIGITAL MENUBOARD:

■ YES ■ NO

AVERAGE TIME (SECONDS)

WA I T T IME

YES

Wait time ............. 111.81 Service time ..... 264.43 Total time ......... 376.25

SERV ICE T IME

AVERAGE TIME (SECONDS)

NO

Wait time ........... 102.34 Service time ...... 268.15 Total time ......... 370.49

TOTAL T IME

opens up a dual order point; if there’s a f lush of digital busi ness, it can turn into an express lane like Chick-fil-A’s pilot. That store also boasts a dedicated entry for Quick Pick-Up customers and delivery aggregators, along with dedicated parking and signage to direct guests to collect online orders. Additionally, there’s an integrated Quick-Pick-Up area for online orders with direct access from the kitchen to expe dite order fulfillment. Gagan Sinha, SVP of restaurant technology at Dunkin’ parent Inspire Brands, echoes many of the points made thus far. Namely, as dine-in climbs back, brands are faced with the challenge of keeping up with both in-store and off premises dining. It’s put the need for a streamlined process at the forefront of the industry’s life-after COVID playbook. About two-thirds of Dunkin’s 9,200 or so U.S. locations tout a drive-thru. Recent and ongoing enhancements through 2020–2022’s off-premises surge include digital menuboards,

kiosks, and improvements to its mobile app. “Consumers have continued to make dining decisions based on convenience and accessibility, giving us belief that the drive-thru uptick is sustainable. Brands like ours have responded by investing in both digital and real estate innovation, resulting drive thru-only prototypes and added digital channels like new mobile apps and third-party delivery services,” Sinha says. Thirty-nine percent of respondents in the QSR ® Drive Thru Report survey preferred digital menus because “they were easier to read.” Only 9 percent “disagreed completely.” Dunkin’ is also in the early stages of testing AI learning to bolster the experience and ease duties for employees. Sinha says more details are coming in the next couple of years, but for now, there’s a strong push toward the chain’s Next-Gen eration design that launched in 2018. It features an open layout with various off-premises options, including a tradi tional drive-thru lane and one for online and third-party

ICON IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK / LINE-ART

52

OCTOBER 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com