Franchise News
McDonalds Implementing New Drive Thru Ordering System
Accuracy is the main goal with the new system.
In an effort to help streamline the drive thru experience, McDonald's is introducing a new ordering system. It can be a bummer to sit idly in a car in a drive thru and not get the correct order after all that anguish. McDonald's restaurants hope to relieve this issue by introducing its new “Ask, Ask, Tell” policy.
The new method will involve drive thru workers repeating a customer's order and asking them if it is correct. As another measure to ensure accuracy, workers will repeat the order again and leave the bag open for inspection. On the surface this seems to be adding more time to the drive thru experience, but the company is OK with sparing a few extra seconds to ensure quality.
“You’re probably going to add a couple seconds, which I don’t think will be huge as long as you’re creating a friendly experience—and getting the order right,” said New Jersey-based McDonald's franchisee Terry Smith. “Customers are getting the items that they want.”
Some restaurants are even foregoing recorded greetings, instead opting to just say “hello.” A study from QSR Magazine found that the drive thru wait times were the longest they have been since 1998, and the brand got approximately 88 percent of those order correct. The hope is that all of these methods will ensure more accurate orders and improve sales, as the brand has seen a few dips in sales since CEO Steven Easterbrook came on board in March.
Easterbrook has worked to reshape the brand over the past few months by implementing an all-day breakfast menu, experimenting with new menu items and condensing drive-thru menus. The plan seems to be paying off as the company recorded its first gain in U.S. sales after seven consecutive quarters of being in the red, according to Bloomberg Business.
The new “Ask, Ask, Tell” is optional for franchisees, which equates to 90 percent of the brand’s 14,350 U.S. stores.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
