Industry

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.

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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!