QSR October 2022

FAST CASUAL ’ S FUTURE

After debuting Quick Pickup Windows in Monona and Madison, Wisconsin, 25 additional Noodles restaurants have since added the feature. As the 456-unit company considers new restaurant locations and openings, the ability to incor porate a pickup window looms large in decision-making. The windows combined with Noodles’ digital strength, Lukach says, are vital to meet the needs of today’s fast-casual environ ment and capitalize on long-term guest trends. “We plan on prioritizing Quick Pickup Windows at new restaurants moving forward as it strengthens our off-premises capabilities and provides our guests with the utmost conve nience,” Lukach says. Focus Brands continues to evolve its prototypes and service channels with an eye on creating a simple, efficient guest expe rience, which includes adding pickup windows to its restaurants and investing heavily in consumer-facing digital technology to capture orders. There is, after all, a symbiotic relationship between the two, Harris notes. “We have seen that with the addition of pickup windows comes the increase of mobile orders,” she says. While McAlister’s was the f irst Focus-owned concept to integrate a pickup window, other fast casuals under the com pany banner have followed suit, including Schlotzsky’s, which introduced its Design 1000 prototype earlier this year. The Design 1000 features a double drive-thru in which one lane is dedicated to traditional drive-thru orders while a second lane fulfills mobile orders and delivery pickup. “We have seen that by increasing accessibility and conve nience, positive business results can follow,” Harris says. Through the Schlotzsky’s prototype, Focus will study con sumer interaction with the double drive-thru option. Thereafter, the company can parlay those insights into sharpening the offering before employing it elsewhere. It’s a test-and-ref ine process Focus routinely employs. McAlister’s, for example, recently added a button to its app allowing mobile order customers to alert restaurant staff they have arrived. The guest then receives a message directing them to pull into the pickup lane. “That enables the restaurant team to provide an even more customized experience with each guest,” Harris says. “The res taurant team can quickly find their order, greet them by name, and send them on their way.” For as much attention as simplifying the guest experience receives, Focus Brands also aims to simplify operations for its franchisees. At Moe’s, for instance, a traditional drive-thru has the potential to complicate operations given the menu’s vast customization possibilities. A pickup window for mobile orders, however, solves that potential pain point. “Our guests expect to have the option to choose exactly what, when, and where they want to eat, so it is our job to make that process as easy as possible to stay top of mind,” Harris says. FOCUS BRANDS: Evaluating execution and evolving

With digital orders soaring in the post-pandemic world, Harris foresees brands needing to increasingly streamline guest access to stay competitive, which is why Focus continues invest ing in technology and its physical environments. “The concept of pickup windows is here to stay and will only become more important as more and more guests see the value of the order-ahead service model,” Harris says. “Investing in digital and technology while also building and innovating our prototypes gives the savvy consumer more efficient ways to engage with our brands, which we hope keeps them com ing back for more.”

CAVA: All about offering choice

In April 2019, CAVA opened its f irst “digi tal drive-thru” in Charlotte. A year later, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the brand’s investment in and commitment to developing

CAVA’S PICKUP-BY-CAR WINDOWS ARE BUILT FOR DIGITAL ORDERS.

next-generation stores catering to guests’ evolving experiences, which includes offering a pickup window. The 200-unit chain now has 14 digital drive-thru locations in operation. “And more than 35 percent of our future development pipe line includes digital pickup lanes,” CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman says. Like others, CAVA’s pickup-by-car windows are designed exclusively for digital orders placed on the CAVA app or web site, and Schulman says the windows put power into the guests’ hands. “We make it as convenient as possible for our guests to get their CAVA, however and whenever they choose,” says Schul man, adding that his company’s digital drive-thrus carefully and intentionally straddle the traditional drive-thru line by offering familiarity with a modern, digitally enhanced twist. “It’s absolutely a drive-thru experience,” he says. “However, it’s not an ordering line; it’s a pickup lane for digital orders. The biggest difference is speed of service, without the loss of our warm hospitality. Guests drive through, pick up their order, and carry on.” q

Daniel P. Smith is a regular contributor to Food News Media and is based in Chicago.

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OCTOBER 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com