Webinar: The Drive-Thru Has Changed Everything
Though the drive-thru has been around for many decades, the pandemic really escalated a feature that was once “nice-to-have” into a “must-have.” In the past 18+ months, we’ve seen many QSR/Fast Casual restaurant brands evolve their de facto drive-thru solutions into much more advanced and comprehensive operations. The brands that emerged the strongest are those that invested in drive-thru technologies and off-premise dining experiences so they can continue to serve their customers quality food while keeping staff safe.
Even with dining rooms starting to open, restaurants are still seeing a huge chunk of revenue coming from the drive-thru side of the business. Consumers have gotten accustomed to the convenience, speed, and safety of the drive-thru and are unlikely to part ways anytime soon.
Our CEO Nick Patrick recently sat down with experts in the restaurant industry － including Panera Bread and Whataburger － in a panel hosted by World Wide Technology to discuss how the drive-thru and off-premise dining has paved the way for the restaurant of the future and what technologies are available today to help support these seamless experiences.
Here are some of the key takeaways our experts discussed in this panel:
- The drive-thru is here to stay post-pandemic; how can restaurants continue to meet these consumer demands for efficiency and safety?
- The most innovative brands are using geofencing to create seamless experiences for curbside and drive-thru customers and solve issues like long wait times and arrival detection
- Opportunities to expand the physical footprint beyond the four walls of the restaurant into off-premise dining or digital channels
- How Panera Bread and Whataburger are thinking about technology innovation to meet customers where they want to be met with features like loyalty, contactless service, payments, delivery, and more
- What the future of a personalized, seamless customer journey looks like
Interested in learning more? Watch a recording of the panel here!