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...

From automated drive-thru lines to special pickup areas, brands hone the to-go channel. Ron Ruggless | Jan 12, 2023 Order-ahead lanes, automated drive-thru windows and special areas for to-go meal pickups are taking up more space in the ever-expanding off-premises restaurant tool kit in 2023. As pandemic-fueled digital ordering and off-premises habits continued, restaurant brands were incorporating more to-go innovations into their designs. At the end of 2022, McDonald’s unveiled a small-format test concept near Fort Worth, Texas, that incorporates many of the possible new strategies, targeted at the on-the-go consumer and delivery drivers.Full-service concepts like Texas Roadhouse and Black Bear Diner...

By  Phil Harris   The COVID-19 pandemic brought many permanent changes to our lives, especially when it comes to our dining out habits. The NPD Group tracks American restaurant industry trends. They say that between February 2020 through February 2022, delivery orders increased 116% and drive-thru orders were up 20%. DRIVETHRUCITYDrive-thru orders are increasingly becoming the new normal for fast food chains. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Chick-fil-A, Jimmy John’s, Checkers and Rally’s are all focusing more on that part of their business. Some Chick-fil-A locations already allow customers to skip the main drive-thru when using their app in new express...

The ever-more prolific fast food drive-through reflects the fact that we’re not socializing as much anymore. When we are, we don’t want to do it in a Taco Bell. By Ali Francis That's all, 2022. From the good (most popular recipes!) to the bad (least favorite food trends!), we're spending December looking back. DRIVETHRUCITY The mood at Taco Bell’s futuristic new drive-through concept: industrial bleak. The monster Taco Bell Defy restaurant, which opened in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, this past summer, looms across four lanes like a highway toll checkpoint. An enormous digital menu board advertises neon Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas....

PAR’s G5 Communications System is Leading the Pack in Drive-Thru Technology by Brandon Solnit, PAR Technology -    QSRs and drive-thru operations need state-of-the-art technology that pairs well with their volume and traffic levels. Thanks to PAR Technology, drive-thru solutions are evolving with the PAR G5 communications system. This all-in-one headset solution is designed to make your team more productive and comes with everything you need to successfully operate a drive-thru: a complete base station, a mountable docking/charging station, and of course, the G5 headsets. The PAR G5 communications system is simple to set up and can be configured to perform necessary functions...

  Nancy Luna  McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Panera Bread unveiled new drive-thru tech. Taco Bell said it is testing AI-powered bots at the drive-thru.  Here are 13 chains adding voice bots, robotic fry cooks, and mobile-order express lanes.  McDonald's and Subway recently unveiled new contactless technology for takeout and drive-thru orders. DRIVETHRUCITY The nation's two largest fast food chains in terms of locations are joining a fray of restaurant companies betting big on innovation that involves faster service and fewer humans amid an ongoing labor shortage. Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Domino's are using AI-powered voice bots to take orders, while fast-casual...

Delphi Display Systems Launches Endura® 32X Outdoor Digital Display for Quick Service Restaurant Drive-Thru COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Delphi Display Systems, Inc. – a global provider of consumer engagement and business optimization technology solutions for the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry, announced today that it has launched Endura® 32X, its latest generation Outdoor Digital Display solution designed and optimized to support autonomous voice ordering applications for the QSR Drive-Thru market. The new 32” outdoor display and speaker post platform includes a wide variety of sensors to facilitate integration with 3rd party loyalty, payment and interactive kiosk applications. DRIVETHRUCITY The Endura 32X marks...

The new Oracle MICROS Simphony mobile order and pay solution lets restaurants serve customers from tableside to curbside. Restaurants now have the freedom to serve customers from anywhere with the new Oracle MICROS Simphony mobile order and pay solution. So, whether a customer is dining-in, picking up curbside or lounging poolside, the handheld restaurant point-of-sale (POS) and payment device enables servers to place orders and have them fired off to the kitchen in seconds. When it’s time to close out the check servers can accept multiple forms of payment including contactless and mobile wallets, or switch to guest pay mode...

By Presto It’s fast, it’s satisfying and it’s affordable. With more menu and value-focused choices than ever, about one-quarter of the U.S. population eats at a fast-casual or quick-service restaurant on a daily basis, with a majority of guests preferring the drive-thru lane. DRIVETHRUCITY Operating a restaurant is no mean feat, especially amid an industry-wide labor shortage, growing inflation and increasing demand. Serving as many customers as possible, moving them quickly and efficiently through the drive-thru process with a lean team is the goal - and it’s a tough one to achieve. Today’s drive-thru operators need to ensure they can: Move guests...

BY PYMNTS  Across the restaurant industry, brands including Dutch Bros and Starbucks are seeing their drive-thru sales increase, with the stark exception of quick-service restaurant (QSR) giant McDonald’s, a leader in the drive-thru space.McDonald’s, which as of 2019 had more than 20,000 drive-thru locations around the world, and order of magnitude more than Starbucks and Dutch Bros’ drive-thru presence combined, is seeing its drive-thru business normalizing after spiking during the pandemic.“Drive-thru is basically back to what it was pre-COVID in terms of percentage of sales,” Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said on an earnings call last month.Yet, drive-thru coffee chain Dutch...

COSTA MESA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) --Delphi Display Systems, Inc., a global provider of technology solutions for the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry, announced today that it has partnered with SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions to bring Autonomous AI Voice Ordering to the QSR Drive Thru.The companies have developed a fully integrated solution that is active today with a major QSR brand of over 2,000 locations worldwide. The solution leverages Delphi’s order confirmation system platform to provide a visual interface of the order as it is being built by the SYNQ3’s Conversational AI service. The solution is 100% autonomous, meaning no assistance is required by...