Drive-Thru Excellence
Many people have undoubtedly seen Lethal Weapon 2 and are familiar with the scene where Joe Pesci's character remarks, “Never go through the drive-thru. They *$?@ you in the drive-thru.” Not exactly flattering to the industry, huh? In recent years, the intense focus many companies have placed on drive-thru service has gone miles to change that perception, but there is still a long way to go. How has your company or restaurant performed over the past few years in the g3/QSR Drive-Thru Time Study? Tired of seeing the same companies on top? Wonder what they are doing and how they are doing it? The technological advances of the past few years have made our jobs easier and guest experience better. With technology, however, there is a tendency to use it as a crutch and rely on it too heavily. Technological advances such as full-duplex headsets, timers, self-service kiosks, self-payment systems, order confirmation boards, and message repeaters have helped enhance speed of service. On the other side, we've all been through drive-thrus that have all the technology in the world yet can't ever get an accurate order out in a reasonable amount of time. My garage is full of power tools, yet I would never be called a craftsman. Much has been written about Pal's Sudden Service—the 2001 Malcolm Baldridge Quality Service Winner. The 19-unit chain in Tennessee and Virginia consistently runs drive-thru times of 20 seconds at the window and tracks one mistake for every 3,300 orders. Now that's drive-thru excellence. Their systems are designed to deliver speed and accuracy. Are yours? Or are you relying on technology to overcome the operational deficiencies? The big picture of drive-thru success is to ensure that your systems enhance speed and accuracy. Sales increases will follow as the word gets out that your drive-thru is fast and accurate. People will wait if they know the line will move quickly. So what can you do? Track and communicate the goals and current performance—Every company's drive-thru goal is different. Does your staff know what a great drive-thru time for your company is? Do they know where they currently stand? Does your management team know how to improve it? We can all try to shoot for 20-seconds at the window, but if that's not a realistic goal for your company, focus on your ideal time. Additionally, don't just focus on speed. Accuracy, food quality, and hospitality all affect the guest experience. Guests won't keep returning for “fast” food if it's not made properly or the order is incorrect. Make it easy for the guest—Preview boards help indecisive guests. Also, provide an easy way for guests to order combo meals (i.e. $2.50 for medium fries and medium drink or $3 for large fries and a large drink). All sandwiches should be available as a meal. It's easy for the guest and helps you build sales and drive-thru speed. Be built for speed and accuracy—Whether you choose to place headsets on the production staff or have the cashier announce the order into a microphone, have a system that allows the production team to begin making the order before the guest leaves the speaker box. Take it even a step further. Ask cashiers to repeat the order to the guest and describe what's in a bag as it's handed out to the guest. Pretty soon, guests will no longer look in the bag—they'll know it's right. Finally, be radical—round all prices to the nearest quarter so making change is very simple for the staff as the guest pulls up to the window. Movie theaters use this strategy quite successfully. Leverage technology—Don't just rely on remote printers or monitors. The kitchen staff has to wait for the order to show up, and it slows times. However, these tools can be a great double-check if your production system is set up as described in the previous point. Timers are also invaluable, but how about letting the guests see the timer? Add a guarantee message (e.g., “If we don't suggest X, it's free.”). The message deputizes the guest to ensure the employees are doing their job. Run an hourly pulse check—Football teams huddle after every play. While it's not realistic to huddle after every guest, take a few minutes each hour to take a pulse on the shift. Get outside, listen to the speaker box clarity, check the landscaping and the drive-thru loop for trash, look at the menuboard. Move inside and run a sales report (any labor adjustments needed?), check and communicate drive-thru times, view production and stock levels, and listen for hospitality being delivered. T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce. |
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