The COVID-19 pandemic has created a shift in the restaurant industry, and drive-thru service has become an essential revenue stream for many businesses. If you own a food truck, here are some tips for optimizing your drive-thru service and increasing sales: DRIVETHRUCITY1. Use safety protocolsThe safety of your customers and employees is a top priority. Here are some safety protocols you can implement at your drive-thru window:Install cashier shields. This creates a physical barrier between your employees and customers, protecting both parties from the spread of germs.Use contactless handoff methods. When passing food and drinks to customers, place them on a...

Coffee shops are profitable businesses. Instead of starting a large coffee shop, consider starting a small drive-thru coffee stand. Drive-thru coffee stands are common retail concepts that consist of a small structure with one or two service windows, unlike common cafés with tables and chairs. Drive-thru coffee stands vary in design and size, but they all serve the same purpose: to offer convenient coffee to drivers. Customers can either drive up or walk to the stand and get their daily cup of Joe. DRIVETHRUCITY Not all drive-thru coffee stands are successful, though. One of the main reasons is a lack of...

Thinking of opening a coffee shop? Here’s a checklist and the average cost to start a cafe. GINELLE TESTAWhat Do You Need to Start a Coffee Shop Business? (Checklist) DRIVETHRUCITY An average of 400 million cups of coffee are poured every day in the U.S. and with 79% of coffee drinkers admitting to having at least one cup every day. That adds up to a whole lot of mojo. Coffee has long been a staple of American life and the trend shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. That’s why it’s no surprise that coffee shops represent the fastest growing...

The Illusion of Convenience: Why People Wait in Drive-Thrus Convenience is in the eye of the consumer. Dale Hartley MBA, Ph.D.     KEY POINTS Convenience may be real, but our perception of it may not be. Anchoring can create the paradox of saving in behavioral economics. The illusion of convenience can create a paradox of perception and choice. Did you ever notice that fast food drive-thru lanes are a trap? Unless the line is already long and backed up around the curve, you can’t see how many cars are ahead of you. Once you’ve placed your order, you’re blocked...

Drive-thrus have been a staple for quick service restaurants for decades. In fact, the first true drive-thru restaurant was built in 1947 on Route 66, although several other restaurant brands claim the title as well. Although the drive-thru experience has certainly evolved since then, the foundational goals remain the same: increase speed of service and deliver a convenient experience for your guests. DRIVETHRUCITYIn the past few years, we’ve seen drive-thru traffic increase by 10-20% for many high-volume QSRs. As consumers become more and more tech savvy, restaurant brands are looking for ways to enhance the drive-thru experience. But the challenges for...

Benefits and Challenges of a Drive Thru Coffee Shop  DRIVETHRUCITYAs mobile dining continues to be on the rise, a drive thru coffee shop could be the next step on your journey. The pandemic prompted customers to reconsider the dine-in experience. From sanitation to flexibility to simple convenience, participating in a takeout model just made sense. Now, many coffee drinkers have adopted the drive-thru habit, and it looks like it’s here to stay.Fortunately for cafe owners, a drive-thru protects you from pandemic effects and matches the ever-changing food and beverage industry. To-go and mobile ordering is king. Plus, it can be...

Driving Sales Through Drive-Thru Service Takes Detailed Planning Groundbreaking Drive-Thru Concepts and Trends for QSRs DRIVETHRUCITY To successfully boost drive-thru sales through restaurant remodels, foodservice retailers should focus on step-by-step planning and close collaboration, according to HFA Architects and Engineers' Steven Baker.In "Reinventing QSRs — One Square Foot at a Time," an advisory piece for decision-makers in the fast-casual and quick-serve space, the architect and co-leader of HFA's quick-service restaurant (QSR) team notes that chains across the country continue to reconfigure buildings and sites for faster and easier pickup of online orders. However, this comes with significant challenges."Adapting QSRs can...

By Tycoonstory What is a drive-thru beverage? A drive-thru beverage business is the biggest success story during the pandemic for the restaurant industry. It facilitates consumers from picking up food or gravitating to ordering and picking safely from their vehicles. DRIVETHRUCITYWhat do you need to know about starting a drive-thru beverage business?Planning to open a drive-thru beverage business means you must know a lot of things. To begin with:Create a planDeveloping a business plan is the first step of any business. As a start-up, understand the customer base and estimate the revenues and costs. Becoming familiar with the customer base, local competition,...

by Lee McMahon     Many people love coffee right now. As a result, many people take advantage of this love for coffee by opening their cafés.Coffee shops are profitable businesses. The top names in the business usually earn 70 percent of the industry’s profits. Larger businesses tend to earn higher profits, but this shouldn’t discourage small business owners from trying their hand at the coffee shop business. You don’t have to start big ASAP. In fact, why not start with a small coffee stand? A drive-thru coffee stand to be exact. DRIVETHRUCITY Drive-thru coffee stands are common retail concepts that...

A pandemic-spurred reality, they will take on a new form, adapting to customer trends. Ghost restaurant owners have a unique marketing responsibility that differs from owners who have a traditional restaurant storefront.  Over the past two years, the pandemic has made a major impact on the restaurant industry and how it has operated. Restaurants have also been able to rapidly evolve in this new climate, quickly adapting to balance customer’s needs and government mandates. One of the most popular trends for consumers is ghost kitchens. DRIVETHRUCITYGhost kitchens are a food and cooking facility set up for preparation of delivery-only meals. There is no...

Award-winning operator Marcus Crawford offers his advice to make it big in one of the industry's hottest battlegrounds. Bro-Ritos was selected as one of the top black-owned eateries in the country.   When I launched the first Bro-Ritos food truck in 2016, my goals were realistic: I wanted to share my delicious burrito recipes with foodies across the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, establish a fun and energetic brand, and cover my bills. DRIVETHRUCITY By mid-2020, even with COVID in full force, I was fortunate to have reached my objectives and I saw that it was possible for me and my two partners to...

This week in restaurant news, Shake Shack and Wendy’s tap drive-thru while Red Robin reevaluates priorities. By PYMNTS  |  January 13, 2023 As restaurants look to offset margin pressure from food and wage inflation, Shake Shack is turning to the drive-thru channel to boost efficiency. In a presentation to investors Tuesday (Jan. 10) as part of the ICR Conference 2023, the fast-casual chain’s CEO, Randy Garutti, discussed the potential of the channel.“We believe that we’re targeting an over $4 million [average unit volume (AUV)],” Garutti said. “There have been many of the current drive-thrus who are run rating higher than...