Over the last few years, McDonald’s also deployed new technology in an aim to modernize its operations and entice customers to order more food. Mainstays like the Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish and Egg McMuffin remained. But in March, when Covid forced closures across multiple industries, it made even more aggressive cuts - a change that franchise owners said could ensure “blazing fast service”. Lisa van Kesteren, CEO and founder of SeeLevel HXīefore the pandemic, the company focused on improving its overall drive-thru experience - over the past couple years McDonald’s has cut its service time by about 30 seconds per customer, helped in part by a simpler menu. Technology is changing the experience, and I think it got thrust into hyper-overdrive by the pandemic.” But as restaurants across the US began shutting down last March due to Covid-19, the company was uniquely positioned to keep feeding customers while barely coming in contact with them: Of the roughly 14,000 McDonald’s locations across the US, nearly 95% include a drive-thru lane, which gives it more fast-food roadways than any of its competitors. McDonald’s, of course, had no idea what was coming in 2020. “Technology is changing the experience, and I think it got thrust into hyper-overdrive by the pandemic,” said Lisa van Kesteren, CEO and founder of SeeLevel HX, which has been analyzing how fast-food restaurants respond to Covid-19.ĭrive-thrus are a large generator of fast-food sales during the pandemic, and many chains, like McDonald's are trying to speed up the process by deploying new tech. If the 1950s were the golden age of fast food - a decade during which the drive-thru rose to popularity - then the 2020s could be the golden age of drive-thru tech. McDonald’s, Burger King and White Castle had already been quietly investing in technology like artificial intelligence before 2020, but Covid-19 made those upgrades even more critical.Ĭompanies are now experimenting with smart menu boards, Alexa-style assistants, automated ordering and payment processes, and even payments driven by facial recognition. Even restaurants like Chipotle, with its rollout of “ Chipotlanes,” and Shake Shack, which is opening its first drive-thru this summer, are recognizing their importance.įor chains that already had drive-thus, slow service, long lines and inaccurate orders are seen as threats after a year in which sales took a hit at nearly every major chain. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Imagesĭuring the pandemic, chains have relied more heavily on sales through their drive-thrus while dining rooms remain closed in many places. A customer views a digital menu at the drive-thru outside a McDonald's restaurant in Peru, Illinois.
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