Make Ordering Easy
More than 60 percent of consumers polled in this year’s Drive-Thru Consumer Survey say they know what they want when they get to the menuboard. Still, that leaves more than a third undecided, and with a line of cars waiting it can feel like the pressure is on.
To ease consumers’ anxiety, put up two menuboards, one at the order point, and another before they’re put on the spot. “A lot of people feel a little bit of stress at the speaker,” says Mike Vermillion, senior operations manager for Burger King. “Giving them the opportunity to review the menu ahead of time helps.”
Menu engineer Gregg Rapp also recommends making the menu easier on the eyes by organizing it into predictable categories, perhaps grouped by protein or product type (burger, wrap, finger foods, etc.). The breakdown helps customers quickly find the options that appeal to them. Upper and lowercase types (rather than all caps) are easier to read, as are serif-style fonts, he adds. Photos are good, too, because they can convey at a glance what’s included in a combo meal.
Rapp also recommends ditching the canned suggestive sell. If a hurried customer already knows they want a sandwich and a soda, hitting them with a seemingly random recommendation (“Would you like to try our new specialty coffee?”) breaks their train of thought. Instead, he recommends training the crew to take cues from the order to suggest add-ons. If a customer orders a large burger and fries, for example, ask if they’d also like a large drink.
Design with the Driver in Mind
The purpose of the drive thru is to provide food for people on the go. If someone’s on the go, chances are they’d prefer to arrive where they are going without the remnants of a meal all over their clothes and their car. To help your customers stay neat while they nosh, you’ve got to plan for dashboard dining.
Three-quarters of quick-service drive-thru customers say they often or sometimes eat in the car, according to this year’s Drive-Thru Consumer Survey. The problem, says chef J. Hugh McEvoy, a veteran product- and menu-development specialist, is that R&D teams often ignore a very important fact about eating on the go.
“People assume an item is good for the drive thru as long as someone can pull over to the side of the road and eat it,” he says. “You’ve got to assume it’s going to end up being eaten while someone is driving.”
McEvoy says the key is creating items that can be eaten with one hand. Finger foods such as fries, onion rings, and chicken nuggets or strips are a natural fit, as are slurpable treats such as smoothies and milkshakes.
“Anything that lends itself to being put in a container that can fit into a cup holder that the driver can reach for with their right hand [is good],” McEvoy says. “Anything that has to be eaten with a fork is not a good drive-thru item.” Sandwiches can go either way: Burgers loaded with ingredients or slippery sauces make a mess; smaller sandwiches and wraps that stay contained are better.
Package for Portability
If a popular menu item isn’t drive thru–friendly in and of itself, make it easier on the diner with packaging.
The team at McDonald’s knew its Angus Burger was messy to eat, so they packaged it in a sleeve to keep the juices contained in the wrapper rather than on the diner’s shirt, McCabe says. The PleatPak sandwich wrapper from GreenDustries similarly allows diners to eat a sandwich contained in packaging.
Condiments can be a mess in the car, but for many customers they’re an essential part of a fast-food meal. Burger King offers on-the-go eaters a special insert in its chicken fingers box designed to hold the condiments.
While some customers choose to eat on the road, others prefer to wait until they reach their destination. The way you package their food can mean the difference between a hot, delicious meal and a cold, mushy mess. John R. Burke, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, cites the tiered container Denny’s uses for its Grand Slam breakfasts as a great example of how to do it right. The bottom level holds pancakes, while the top level has a raised surface for the bacon and eggs with a trap below to catch any drips.