QSR October 2022

DRIVE - THRU REPORT

Forty-three percent of consumers noted they do not prefer drive-thru menus to have fewer options, as it may deter them from ordering their regular picks. The reason this is happening in restau rants is more about traffic and wait times than consumer demand. It makes guest feedback and listening that much more crit ical, Crawford says. CKE is another brand testing AI to add efficiency. Voice ordering is in a test-and-learn phase for the brand, but an ever-present reality industrywide. In the QSR ® Drive-Thru Report, it’s obvious the concept has potential. It isn’t quite there yet, however. Interest in hav ing a personal experience when ordering food from a drive-thru was apparent in the study, as more than two-fifths (45 percent ) said they dislike hearing an automated voice when ordering. At the least, voice and similar automa

HARDEE’S AND SISTER BRAND CARL’S JR. ARE IN THE MIDST OF A $500 MILLION TRANSFORMATION.

signage and freshly installed interior and exterior digital menuboards. Chad Crawford, CKE’s chief brand off icer, says it allows simpler views for consumers, more specificity in daypart, and “certainly elevates that experience to the guest overall.” The process began in 2020 as CKE exam ined the industry’s horizon. Like every brand in this study, the company is doing its best to anticipate the future while understanding the drive-thru will undoubtedly key a major part of it. CKE is working to manage the menu and cre ate a more compact list of items to choose from, which will make the drive-thru experience faster and more eff icient. “But still offer best-in-class service and elevate in the areas they look for in friendliness and accuracy,” he says. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s both clocked in above 85 percent in order accuracy in Intouch Insight’s data. And they were No. 2 and No. 3 behind Chick-fil-A in the friendly metric at 82.8 and 76.4 percent, respectively. CKE’s efforts are clearly in motion. But yet again, a familiar word rises to the top. “Accuracy is one that’s crit ical if a consumer chooses to come and spend time and interact with you as a brand,” he says. “You want to make sure that you’re satisfying their needs at a higher level of

tion is simply not in enough locations and deployed broadly enough for customers to know whether they need it or not, or prefer it. You could make the same claim of OCBs a few years back. AI could follow a similar path as adoption spreads and the experience matches the buzz. When asked what type of drive-thru and ordering options they’d like to see more of in the future, 38 percent picked “tap-to-pay” technology,” up year-over-year from 33 per cent. It was 49 percent for Gen Z. Unlike AI, tap-to-pay has become an increasingly familiar process for today’s consumer in many verticals. And so, guests want it after they’ve tried it, and that’s extending to the drive-thru. Next up was automated tech that detects car arrival for pickup order (37 percent ) ; pre-paid pickup experience (34 percent ); extended payment card reader (34 percent); mobile ordering options (33 percent ); mobile payment options (32 percent ) ; carhops ( 30 percent ) ; an ordering systems that remembers a guest and their preferences (27 percent ); touchless experience (24 percent ); an ordering system that remembers somebody’s last order (23 percent ); more extensive digital sig nage (18 percent ); and, lastly, AI that helps make ordering decisions (11 percent ). Overall, Crawford believes customers

expectations.” Speaking deeper to Crawford’s point about menus, Gen Z was one cohort that appears to full-heartedly concur. Fifty-one per cent of respondents in the QSR ® Drive-Thru Report survey said they were overwhelmed by large menus. To the query of whether big menus stress them out at the drive-thru, 10 percent of customers—across all demographics—agreed completely. Twenty-one percent agreed; 22 per cent were neutral; 27 percent disagreed; and 20 percent disagreed completely.

still want what they’ve always wanted from the drive-thru—dependability and hospitality in a fast and efficient manner. “What I would share is that I believe that consumers in general have elevated their expectations,” he says. “... The key element of that experience has not changed, but I do think that the last few years have shown and provided consumers more choice and more ways to interact with brands.” q DannyKlein is FoodNewsMedia’s editorial director. Contact himat danny@ QSRmagazine.com .

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OCTOBER 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com