Drive-thru rules of the road
By Restaurant Business Staff on Feb. 07, 2017Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics program asks consumers to rate their most recent trip to a restaurant and provide an overall rating of their visit. Then they’re asked why they rated it that way. Drive-thru service comes up often, for good and for bad. Their verbatim comments, taken together, provide a road map for a successful drive-thru.
Keep traffic flowing
“The service is extremely slow. I sat in a drive-thru line for over 15 minutes.”
“They took a very long time with us in the drive-thru. Three separate cars behind us backed out and left while we were at the service window.”
“I went through the drive-thru around 10:45 a.m. I was the only car in line and I waited nearly 10 minutes.”
Avoid road rage
“The employee who was working the drive-thru was quite rude and kept interrupting me.”
“Sometimes the drive-thru person seems like they just don't want to be there and it leaves you feeling like they are upset with you for picking their establishment.”
Look twice
“The food was good but the service wasn't so great. Not only did we have to pull into the parking lot from the drive-thru, we weren't given our full order and my fiance had to go in and get the rest of our food.”
“I went thru the drive-thru and they stiffed me on my avocados!”
Keep spares handy
“I went through the drive-thru and had to ask them for the basics: napkins, ketchup, etc.”
“I had to ask for the sauce and the waitress at the drive-thru was a little put out by that.”
Perform scheduled maintenance
“The food was good; however, their drive-thru speaker could be improved.”
“The drive-thru speaker was not functioning, which slowed down the drive-thru.”
Run on all cylinders
“They have great service, they are the fastest drive-thru in town and their food is good.”
“The drive-thru was crowded but moved quickly, my order was correct, and the food was delicious.”
“The food was good and hot. The customer service at the drive-thru was awesome. She was happy and friendly.”
Go the extra mile
“I go through the drive-thru and many times my dog is with me. They always give him a free dog treat.”
“I didn't see what I wanted on the menu so I ordered something else. When I got to the window and asked the lady if they had discontinued [that item], she said no and allowed me to add one to my order without going back through the drive-thru."