The fast-food industry is a very strategic game. Companies are constantly trying to keep costs to a minimum while still prioritizing the customer and providing the best quality. One particular strategy that is used by companies is their drive-thrus.

To find which company has the fastest drive-thru a third party runs tests. In both 2003 and 2009, Wendy’s was at the top in terms of speed performance. Their average drive took a total of  116.2 seconds. However, Wendy’s accuracy was at 86 percent beaten by Chick-fil-A which had an accuracy of 91 percent.

Now, why is having an effective drive through so important in fast food? From the customer’s perspective, the drive-thru is convenient. When they are in a rush and don’t want to walk inside, it’s a great alternative to get your food quickly without leaving your car.  

From the business perspective, the drive-thru is incredibly cost-efficient.  When a customer comes into the building who is paying for the air conditioning, or the refills on their soda? How about the copious amounts of napkins, the chairs, the condiments, the cups to put the condiments in, and straws? These are all things the company has to foot the bill for, which are used in a higher volume by walk-in customers than those in the drive. 

Having a speedy drive-thru attracts customers and saves the companies money. However, order accuracy can be just as important. Would you rather get the wrong food quickly or get the right food after a little delay? Wendy’s should seek to improve their order accuracy. They can do this in 2 major ways.

I was at Wendy’s less than two weeks ago and I noticed that after you ordered no one repeats the order back to you. This simple repetition will increase the order efficiency by leaps and bounds. In addition, the menu board was cluttered and overwhelming. A simple design that is easy to navigate and read would be ideal. As well as pre-sell menu boards stationed before the speaker, which can help improve efficiency. (by as much as 30 seconds, according to the QSR study) This allows customers to decide what they want before getting to the speaker. 

Value your customers and keep your costs down by utilizing the full power of the drive-thru.