Article

Should fast casual operators add drive-thru?

Fast casual restaurants find expanded opportunities in the drive-thru lane.

May 2, 2010 by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

While convenient drive-thrus have long been offered by quick-service restaurants appealing to time-starved diners, several fast casual brands are leveraging this add-on component to improve daily operations.

Shane's Rib Shack has expanded its unit footprint and service model through a move designed to take advantage of free-standing restaurant locations. The company also is looking at those locations as an opportunity to add drive-thru service.

Shane's Rib Shack founder Shane Thompson said the drive-thru offering has increased average unit volumes and "opened up doors that we thought were there."

"This is going to be great path for us to go down," he said.

The free-standing units are converted quick-service restaurants, and are generating sales 30 percent to 50 percent higher than other Shane's locations.

The drive-thru menu has been scaled down, but customers still can order anything they want from the menu. And while wait times average slightly higher than normal, the extra few minutes has not been an issue, Thompson said.

The company also rolled out new to-go packaging to maintain the integrity of its menu items.

"Everything we have goes into three-compartment containers," Thompson said. "It's not as easy as eating a burger while going down the road, but we have it to where it's not that difficult as well."

While drive-thrus appear to be a departure for fast casual operators, Panera Bread has opened several units featuring the service. The company opened its first Colorado drive-thru location in February, one of more than 30 the company operates with drive-thru capabilities.

Bruegger's, McAlister's Deli and Schlotzsky's also operate locations with a drive-thru component.

Bruegger's has 15 drive-thru locations throughout the country. The first location opened in September 2003 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Those units with drive-thru also typically operate at a higher sales volume, said Scott Colwell, the company's chief marketing officer.

Similar to Shane's Rib Shack, Bruegger's drive-thru menu is an express version, which enables the chain to quickly fulfill customer orders while maintaining its food-quality standards. And having the express menu eliminates an extended customer wait time, Colwell said.

Production process

For fast casual restaurants, operating a successful drive-thru service first depends on their ability to review and analyze their production process.

"Operations will play a critical role in whether a brand can modify its production system to deliver a quality product at the drive-thru window," said Ken Neeld, president and CEO of Delphi Display. "To provide quality menu items may take some thought."

For example, speed of service, order accuracy and customer satisfaction must all tie together, Neeld said. That includes an analysis of how quickly cars will move through the drive-thru lane, a possible management and staff bonus structure for meeting delivery times, the placement of menu boards and a balance of staff across the various dayparts.

"People will only wait a certain amount of time in the drive-thru. You have to be able to deliver within a reasonable amount of time. Depending on what the brand is and their menu, if it's all cooked to order from the time the order is placed, it could be very prohibitive in a drive-thru environment," Neeld said.

But, it can be done.

Delphi's technology, among others, can help an operator streamline operations and provides reports based on queue times, labor, check average and sales per hour.

"If you see there's a bottleneck, then you can look at that and adjust your labor," he said. "It gives you more visibility into the operation and then what you can do to quickly address those issues. And it can act on information in real time."