One of the competitive advantages that express services have long enjoyed is the
convenience due to shorter cooking times and the ability for the customer to pick up their
food at a drive-through or drive-in. That is no longer the case. I recently had a full service
restaurant that had a drive-through service for order ahead and pick up. Although it may sound
crazy, it’s not so far-fetched. With so many full-service restaurants offering takeout and
curbside pickup, drive-thrus are not far behind for them. Either way, the advantage you
once had it is shrinking.
Also, in many restaurants you can order online or speak to a call center that handles
calls to go. Have a great call center/web reservation service for a family
entertainment chain, I have seen the benefits of professional sales staff not only improve
sales, but also the quality of the telephone experience for the customer.
How can your customers order from you today? Eat dinner and wait in line. drive through and
talk to a speaker box. Phone ahead? Not in too many places. Fax it and I hope someone
see the fax so the food is ready when it arrives. There aren’t too many good options. Expensive?
It may look like it, but it’s similar to accepting credit cards — if it generates increases
business, the investment is worth it.
By making it easy for the customer to order and pick up their food, what happens?
dine in The phone stops ringing but the cash register doesn’t. Put in a quick line or
entrance with a dedicated POS terminal (or wireless payment device) for these people to
through quickly.
Drive-through. Think of accepting wireless payments on the self-service line. Not only
help these customers, but you can help break the line during peak hours by taking
orders and acceptance of payments with credit / debit to speed up window times.
Order sizes get bigger. Allowing the customer to pre-order (and pay in advance) will increase the
average order size. Suddenly a customer can now walk in and pick up the
order for the whole office, without the need to pay for each one individually and slow down the
inactivity time.
The customer base expands. You can now target businesses in your local business area for
promote an even faster level of service, as customers can pre-order and pre-pay.
Cha-ching! A new market for you to reach.
Do you feel threatened or challenged? Develop the systems to crush the competition and
Expand your sales to new areas by rising to the occasion!
