Whether you’re opening a location, retro-fitting an existing one or taking over a pre-existing spot, there can be a decent amount of red tape to navigate with your township, inspectors, landlord, etc. when it comes to opening your drive-thru lane. We are not here to talk about that today. Alternatively, we’ll address five key areas that you should consider giving your drive-thru the most optimal chance at success.
1. High-Definition Headset Systems
Nothing can draw the ire among customers and employees easier than a poor communication system. Can they hear you, but you can’t hear them or vice versa? Does your headset system cut out from time to time? Are you not alerted when a car approaches your drive-thru? These are all common issues with faulty or underwhelming systems. Rather than setting yourself up for future frustration, it’d be wise to invest in a high (audio) definition system with noise cancellation technology and enhanced volume settings. Taking this route all but assures a more efficient and pleasant experience that’ll yield accurate orders and satisfy customers.
2. Digital Menu Boards
As the pendulum continues to shift in the way of digital signage from that of static, the reasons as to why continue to grow. At its inception, it was the “wow factor” that compelled consumers to spend money on these types of menu boards, specifically indoors. However, as the costs of these systems continued to drop, the capabilities continued to rise. The ability to make changes on the fly or to schedule programs months out along with day-part and inventory control capabilities can all make a major impact on your drive-thru lane. Add to that the continued maturation of the AI impact and there is no telling what is in store.
3. Order Confirmation Boards
The addition of an order confirmation board (OCB), AKA screen (OCS), as part of one of your drive-thru screens or as part of your speaker post largely depends on the POS system you are using. If you are set on having this capability you should reach out to your prospective POS company to determine if a third party would be given access to their API (Application Programming Interface). This is what allows the POS to communicate with other business platforms.
The desired result of having your customers’ orders played back to them via text on a screen is to increase order accuracy to minimize waste. In addition, the all-important “customer satisfaction” is another benefactor through reduced wait times at the window.
4. POS Integration & Analytics
It is important to note that not all restaurant POS systems are set up for drive-thru use. Further, not all QSR or Fast casual POS systems would be applicable either. It is important that you select a system with the ability to manage transactions with varying preferences quickly and a system that can stack the orders/cars as they are entered with distinguishing capabilities for dual lanes as well. Again, It is also worthy to determine if the API will be accessible so that you can integrate your system with your digital menu boards and other applications (i.e. mobile orders, website, etc.). This way, when a change is made in your POS system, it is reflected across all platforms.
5. Drive-Thru Timers
If executed well, drive-thru timers are a great way to motivate and engage your employees to increase their throughput of orders. This can be done by setting benchmarks that include visual aids such as green, yellow and red and using gamification to compete against other stores. However, the real value is in the data. Using timers to track customers from the time they arrive at your presell or drive-thru menu board until they are pulling away with their order can help identify bottlenecks in your operation which could include the prep time for certain menu items, the way the kitchen is set up or other mitigating factors.
Summary
Yes, the elephant in the room is the cost for all these items. While you don’t have to go “all out” on all of these, it’d be wise to mine the value of each item and see how you could apply it to a more economical solution. So, a digital drive-thru is out of the cards, then use a traditional backlit board that allows flexible and inexpensive graphic swaps to keep customers engaged and mindful of specials and promotions. That said, technology and the way consumers interact with it is the way of the world. Assuring your items work in harmony will maximize the return on investment.
Do you need help making these determinations for your business? Give us a call today at 888-235-2579, email us at info@origindisplays.com or contact us here to speak with a solutions specialist.
