As the restaurant industry has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the major changes has been that drive thru, already the most important sales channel at many brands, has become even more prominent. Yet while operating high-volume drive thrus may be business-as-usual for many brands, doing so during a health crisis is anything but normal.
“Restaurants have to be conscious that processes have changed, probably for the long term,” says Josh Knapp, sales lead at Advantech. “Because consumers now want contactless service and guests and staff both expect to see protective measures, restaurants are having to do more with less. But even with these constraints, technology is making it possible for restaurants to keep up and actually increase customer satisfaction.”
Yet managing customer satisfaction is a challenge. Gina Yang, product manager at Advantech says that in many regions, including her home state of California, restaurant dining rooms still haven’t reopened, so restaurants are having to get creative to improve service.
“The drive-thru lines are extremely long, so many brands are looking for ways to speed up drive thru times,” Yang says. “One way they are doing that is by making curbside pickup more available.”
Along with drive thru, curbside pickup has risen in popularity over the past few years, but it has seen explosive growth amid the pandemic. While it offers the potential for touchless service, curbside pickup can still be an inefficient process if brands don’t find ways to streamline operations.
Rather than require guests to enter the restaurant to pick up an order, Yang suggests brands embrace touchless outdoor kiosks with voice-activated controls that can take orders, let guests pay without handing a card over to an employee, and notify team members when orders should be delivered to a customer’s car. Meanwhile, kiosks can drive added efficiency by communicating with displays in the kitchen to let staff know when to begin preparing orders.
