Drive-Thru

Orders Up!

Drive-thru call centers are changing the quick-service landscape. But will the technology catch on?

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New Trend In Seattle Coffee: Bikini-Clad Baristas

MSNBC/AP
Candice Law, leaning provocatively out the drive-through window in a black bra that didn’t quite cover her shiny purple pasties, and Toni Morgan, wearing a skimpy halter top, seemed to know every customer who ordered a cup of java at Cowgirls Espresso drive-through in Tukwila, Wash., recently.

Law and Morgan are part of new trend of “naughty baristas” in and around Seattle that illustrates how cutthroat the competition can be in the hometown of Starbucks.

Cowgirls Espresso owner Lori Bowden opened her first stand four years ago. Law and other employees suggested doing “Bikini Wednesdays.” Bowden approved, and her stand immediately doubled the amount of money it was taking in — from $200 to $400. “Fantasy Fridays,” “School Girl Thursdays,” “Cowgirl Tuesdays” and “Military Mondays” soon followed. -

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Survey depicts ‘holiday’ takeout habits

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Some 56 percent of American consumers will order takeout one or two nights a week this holiday season, according to new survey from Jacent Technologies, a supplier of ordering solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries. That’s quite a jump from last year’s results, Jacent said.

“We are hearing from more and more restaurants that decreasing the amount of time it takes for customers to order by phone is critical to their business and to building brand loyalty, so these results were not surprising to us,” said Trevor Stout, chief executive of Jacent Technologies. “What is surprising to us is the number of consumers that order takeout on a regular basis during the holiday season, and how quickly they will turn to another restaurant if they are put on hold.”

The survey found if customers have to wait more than two minutes on the phone, they’ll hang up and call your competitor.

Other survey findings include:

• 13 percent more people plan to order takeout this year during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day than in 2005.

• 78 percent of respondents have in the past opted to not place an order because they had to wait on hold for too long. Sixty-nine percent of these respondents haven then called a competitor.

• 67 percent say that they are only sometimes or rarely asked about the specials when ordering takeout.

• 36 percent of diners are never told the specials of the day when ordering, and only 31 percent are sometimes told the specials.

• 69 percent of respondents indicated they will act on the information about specials, at least some of the time.

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Survey depicts ‘holiday’ takeout habits

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Some 56 percent of American consumers will order takeout one or two nights a week this holiday season, according to new survey from Jacent Technologies, a supplier of ordering solutions for the restaurant and hospitality industries. That’s quite a jump from last year’s results, Jacent said.

“We are hearing from more and more restaurants that decreasing the amount of time it takes for customers to order by phone is critical to their business and to building brand loyalty, so these results were not surprising to us,” said Trevor Stout, chief executive of Jacent Technologies. “What is surprising to us is the number of consumers that order takeout on a regular basis during the holiday season, and how quickly they will turn to another restaurant if they are put on hold.”

The survey found if customers have to wait more than two minutes on the phone, they’ll hang up and call your competitor.

Other survey findings include:

• 13 percent more people plan to order takeout this year during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day than in 2005.

• 78 percent of respondents have in the past opted to not place an order because they had to wait on hold for too long. Sixty-nine percent of these respondents haven then called a competitor.

• 67 percent say that they are only sometimes or rarely asked about the specials when ordering takeout.

• 36 percent of diners are never told the specials of the day when ordering, and only 31 percent are sometimes told the specials.

• 69 percent of respondents indicated they will act on the information about specials, at least some of the time.

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Outsourcing the Drive-Through? No, But …

The employee taking orders at the drive-through of your favorite fast-food restaurant may have been a little distant lately.

That’s because several fast-food chains are testing whether it is more efficient to have remote workers, sometimes thousands of miles away, handle taking drive-through orders and in-restaurant employees concentrate on making food and other tasks, the Boston Globe reports.

In an effort for faster service and more accurate orders, the chains are establishing their own call centers to take drive-through orders at some of their restaurants. Some Wendy’s restaurants, including one in Burbank, California, use a call center in New Hampshire for drive-through orders.

One recent customer of the Burbank restaurant tells the newspaper that he had no idea that the person from whom he ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and soda was 3,000 miles away.

“I had absolutely no idea I was talking to someone in New Hampshire,” Jairo Moncada tells the newspaper. “Our order was ready at the window. It was really quick.”

By creating multiple drive-through lanes at the restaurants and using call centers to take orders, the restaurants can increase the number of customers served per hour, according to the newspaper.

One expert predicts that the practice will become widespread, the newspaper reports.

“Everyone is looking at these call centers,” says Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of food-services strategies at WD Partners in Columbus, Ohio. “You can move orders faster, increase the average check by selling them extras–’Would you like fries with that?’–and improve order accuracy. It will become the norm in the next 5 to 10 years.”

Obviously, speed and accuracy are especially important in the drive-through business. Wendy’s average time for drive-through service was 135.1 seconds in 2006, according to a report by QSR magazine. The company was second best behind Checkers (125.5 seconds) in the magazine’s speed ranking of drive-through restaurants.

Wendy’s tells the newspaper that it expects orders to be completed in less than 90 seconds at restaurants using call centers.

Sources: Boston Globe and QSR

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Outsourcing the Drive-Through? No, But …

The employee taking orders at the drive-through of your favorite fast-food restaurant may have been a little distant lately.

That’s because several fast-food chains are testing whether it is more efficient to have remote workers, sometimes thousands of miles away, handle taking drive-through orders and in-restaurant employees concentrate on making food and other tasks, the Boston Globe reports.

In an effort for faster service and more accurate orders, the chains are establishing their own call centers to take drive-through orders at some of their restaurants. Some Wendy’s restaurants, including one in Burbank, California, use a call center in New Hampshire for drive-through orders.

One recent customer of the Burbank restaurant tells the newspaper that he had no idea that the person from whom he ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and soda was 3,000 miles away.

“I had absolutely no idea I was talking to someone in New Hampshire,” Jairo Moncada tells the newspaper. “Our order was ready at the window. It was really quick.”

By creating multiple drive-through lanes at the restaurants and using call centers to take orders, the restaurants can increase the number of customers served per hour, according to the newspaper.

One expert predicts that the practice will become widespread, the newspaper reports.

“Everyone is looking at these call centers,” says Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of food-services strategies at WD Partners in Columbus, Ohio. “You can move orders faster, increase the average check by selling them extras–’Would you like fries with that?’–and improve order accuracy. It will become the norm in the next 5 to 10 years.”

Obviously, speed and accuracy are especially important in the drive-through business. Wendy’s average time for drive-through service was 135.1 seconds in 2006, according to a report by QSR magazine. The company was second best behind Checkers (125.5 seconds) in the magazine’s speed ranking of drive-through restaurants.

Wendy’s tells the newspaper that it expects orders to be completed in less than 90 seconds at restaurants using call centers.

Sources: Boston Globe and QSR

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A Triple Play!

In honor of my Cardinals winning their 10th World Series, here’s my take on the triple play!

Fast Feeders Test Call Center Order Taking

Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are experimenting with using call centers as a way to improve drive-through service. Because the call center workers’ only job is to take orders, they have time to be friendlier and to speak clearly and slowly–unlike workers who have other tasks to perform. Call-center employees are also trained to increase sales through “suggestive selling,” the official term for the classic line “Do you want fries with that?”

When customers pull up to the drive-through at a Wendy’s in Lexington, Ky., for example, a call-center employee elsewhere in the city asks for the order and clicks on computer images of each item ordered. Meanwhile, a digital camera snaps a picture of the car and driver placing the order. The order travels back to the restaurant via the Internet and appears on screens in the kitchen and the drive-through window. When the customer gets to the pickup window, the employee matches the order to the picture of the car taken earlier.

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Caribou Coffee’s No. 2: So It Tries Harder

When your biggest competitor has 12,000 locations, and you have 432, it pays to be creative. Caribou Coffee has a granola bar deal in place, and a rolling holiday promotion that begins in November.

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McDonald’s Makeover Means Customers Linger

After 50 years and billions of customers, all 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States are getting a McMakeover–half of them by the end of this year. Plasma-screen TVs, soft couches, coffee tables and wireless Internet access are just some of the new features.

The iconic red or brown “double mansard” rooftops–designed to catch the eye of passing motorists–will be replaced by something more sleek and modern. Some things won’t change, however, including the famous golden arches. McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc wanted customers in and out quickly. The new relaxed interiors, on the other hand, invite people to linger.

“We’ve evolved our menu. We’ve evolved our marketing, and it’s time to evolve what McDonald’s’ environment is on the inside space,” says Sophia Galassi, vice president of restaurant development for McDonald’s.

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QSRs strive to provide prompt drive-thru service

Improving drive-thru efficiency should be at the top of every operator’s “to do” list. For years, it’s been the breadwinner for quick-service restaurants, but a drive-thru line can only move so quickly. Here’s a look at what a few operator/experts are doing to increase cue speed.Preparing for the rush

Justin Haddock, a Bojangle’s operator in Huntsville, Ala., said drive-thru service accounts for more than 50 percent of total sales and as much as 60 to 65 percent during breakfast.

Haddock’s store has a single window. When it’s busy, he’ll double up on the cash register and send order takers outside to keep the line moving.

“Somebody is outside on the headset taking orders before customers get to the menu board,” Haddock said. “We also use an order confirmation board. I think that helps cut down on mispacked orders.”

Another piece of technology Haddock relies on is a drive-thru timer.

“It will create several reports that are very helpful for me to track how smoothly each order went,” he said. “We even have weekly contests among the employees to reward who’s the fastest.”

Quality over speed

For Culver’s, it’s difficult to push orders through the drive-thru as rapidly as some quick-service competitors. Because the hamburger and frozen custard chain makes food to order, it takes twice as long to receive a meal there than it does at McDonald’s.

“It is one of our initiatives right now to speed up drive-thru service,” said Jerry Kozlowski, a Culver’s operator in Greenwood, Ind. “But we are limited because we won’t cook our food ahead of time; we’re happy if we can get (orders) in the 2- to 3-minute range.”

Kozlowski said active order screens in the kitchen help workers prepare food quickly. As soon as the order is punched into the POS, it pops up on the screen in the kitchen.

“This has helped speed up our process considerably,” Kozlowski said. “The problem with this is food waste. If the customer changes his mind with an order, the order-taker knows about the change. But the back of line won’t know until they’ve already started on the order.”

Drive-thru employees

John Callaway, a multiunit Sonic Drive-In operator, believes the best way to improve drive-thru speed is to staff it with management-like employees. Callaway said drive-thru represents one-quarter of his business.

“A lot of times we just stick anybody back there,” Callaway told PodcastGrill.com. “We are beginning to understand we need to have somebody of management-quality back there. If you think about it, that person is a quality-control person and have to be able to multitask.”

When the drive-thru is backed up, Callaway said smaller orders take precedence over large orders. “If somebody at the back of the line only orders a drink, a runner takes the drink to the car. And the customer doesn’t have to wait on the cars in front of them,” he said.

Sound quality

Scott Finkle, of Business Sound & Communications, said the sound of drive-thru just got a whole lot clearer with the change from analog headsets to digital ones. Like the switch from analogue cell phones to digital, static is eliminated with digital headsets.

“With a digital system, you don’t have a lot of that,” Finkle said in a PodcastGrill.com interview. “And the digital systems clear a lot of noise. You can hear a person’s order over a diesel engine.”

Finkle said HM Electronics (HME) has the only digital drive-thru communication system on the U.S. market, though 3M has one available in Europe. HME’s Smart Technology was rolled out in June 2005, and Finkle said there are many new systems soon to hit the market that will improve sound quality.

“Digital is here to stay,” Finkle said. “You will see more and more changes, but the basis will still be digital.”

Finkle said HME’s digital system has a message repeater, which automatically greets customers at the menu board. The system also provides a two-message option that gives one greeting for operating hours, and another for after hours, which might say, “Thank you for stopping by. We are now closed. Our hours are … .”

“A lot of times the customer thinks the store is open and drives off angry because nobody said anything to him,” Finkle said. “But with this automatic greet feature, he knows the place is closed.”

Source: http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=5708&na=1

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