How to Make Your Drive Thru and Takeout Service Better

Shore up the drive-thru window​

​The drive thru window is where the rubber meets the road in terms of your customers leaving your business satisfied or longing for more. It’s where they receive their food and interact with your staff. You need to make sure this part of the process is up to standard, all the way down to the window itself

Make sure it is clean and functioning properly

​This is important, particularly in the winter months. Continuous exposure to cold weather can take a toll on the window frame, the glass and the sliding track. Implementing a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule will help ensure your window continues to operate the way it is supposed to.

Make sure the area around your drive thru window is properly stocked ​

Your window should be equipped with condiments, straws and anything else the customer might ask for before driving off with their order. ​

Consider putting an awning or some other covering above the window​

This will come in handy in the event of rain or other adverse weather conditions. This will ensure the food does not get wet and your customer does not get rained on while grabbing their food from your server.

​It may seem like a small thing, but it will go a long way in achieving a satisfactory drive thru service. Making sure your drive thru window is operating as it should be is a crucial piece to the puzzle.

Optimize your menu for delivery and takeout

Every item on your menu might not be fit for takeout. Think of it like if you had a delivery service. Even though you are not delivering the food yourself, it still must travel with your customer to their destination, or perhaps they are eating it on the go in the car. Keep this in mind when constructing your takeout menu and try to stick to items that are conducive to being transported and eaten on the go.

A smaller, optimized menu can also benefit your kitchen.

If you notice the bulk of your sales are coming from drive thru and takeout ordering, don’t be afraid to pivot toward that when it comes to your menu. Simplifying your menu to a few core items can help your staff prepare the food quicker and more efficiently, which in turn leads to a more satisfactory experience for your customer as well. It will also help simplify the inventory ordering process and make preparing the food easier for all involved.

Is your menu readily available online?

If not, you should make sure it is. If you don’t have an online menu and an online ordering option, you’re eliminating a significant amount of potential customers. Even just putting the menu online will make call-in orders easier and more frequent. Simplifying your menu and making sure it is easily accessible to your customers is important and will increase your sales.

Touchless payment methods

Touchless payment methods are the way of the future as the amount of consumers that carry and use cash dwindles. Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to takeout and drive-thru ordering. Touchless payment methods reduce the amount of time customers spend in the drive thru window and also reduce the amount of physical contact your staff has with the customer, which is as prevalent as ever in the current conditions around the world. Your employee manning the drive thru window doesn’t have to count out change and swap out bills and hand the customer the difference, in addition to getting them their food.

Additionally, a touchless payment method is more conducive to online ordering too. If you give your customers the option to pay online, that is one less thing they have to do when they pick up in store and your staff doesn’t have to go through the process of ringing them up at the register. Touchless payments are becoming the norm and the sooner your business adapts will keep you ahead of the game.​

Have a designated takeout area

​If takeout orders are a large portion of your total daily food orders, you’d be wise to separate takeout from the rest of your dining operation. A separate register for takeout orders that weren’t paid for online will reduce the time your dine-in customers spend at the register waiting in line. You can place takeout orders on a storage shelf behind the designated register to ensure they are separate and all in one place.

​Designated parking spots for takeout customers will enhance their experience by not having to circle your crowed parking lot to find a parking space just for the handful of minutes they will spend picking up their food. Giving takeout orders its own space within your store and your parking lot will ensure your business is organized and operating efficiently.

Can you improve your average order completion time?

​Once again, takeout and drive-thru are all about efficiency. You might be surprised to learn that one study found that order completion times in quick service restaurants actually increased over the last year and a half -- from 327 seconds to 356.8 seconds. The study notes this could be due to the pandemic, with the increase in traffic and stricter safety standards, but either way, your business should look at this as an opportunity to gain an edge on the competition.

Are you tracking how long it takes you to complete a takeout or drive through order?

You should know this number and aim to improve it. Think about it: how many times have you as a consumer seen a long drive thru line or a rough wait estimate on an online order and elected to dine elsewhere? If your business can establish a reputation of having quick, efficient drive thru and takeout systems, that can significantly enhance your brand and increase sales.

Find ways to be better and more efficient without cutting corners. 

Challenge your employees to improve on the average order completion time, incentivize and reward them when they accomplish it. It will be a win-win for everyone involved.

Drive thru and takeout aren’t new trends by any stretch, but they are certainly the method of consumption that is most popular among QSR customers and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Making sure your takeout and drive thru services are operating at peak efficiency will make a difference in the success of your business.