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The drive-thru window has <a href="http://money.com/money/3478752/drive-thru-fast-food-fast-casual/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">been around for restaurants since 1947</a>. Still, the system is anything but outdated. According to a new study from the<a href="https://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/Research/research_offpremises_201910?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> National Restaurant Association</a>, 39% of consumers have used the drive-thru more this year than last year, and a whopping 92% of consumers say they use the drive-thru at least once a month at QSR restaurants.As the need for quick and convenient foodservice offerings rises, operators have responded with multiple options to meet the off-premises needs of their guests, including <a href="https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-mobile-ordering-races-to-a-38-billion-future-2704150">mobile ordering</a>, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/third-party-delivery-apps-continue-to-take-over-the-game-2710464">third-party delivery partnerships</a>, <a href="https://1851franchise.com/pizza-hut-to-test-cubbie-system-pick-up-location-in-los-angeles-2710559">pick-up cubbies</a> and <a href="https://1851franchise.com/self-service-kiosk-market-to-reach-over-30-billion-2710538">self-ordering kiosks</a>. Although some predict that the drive-thru industry will be <a href="https://1851franchise.com/sonic-to-beta-test-ai-powered-voice-ordering-2710032">dominated by A.I. technology soon</a>, Chick-fil-A has been sticking with good-old-fashioned human interaction. The results speak for themselves.While <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/2019-qsr-drive-thru-study?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">QSR’s recent Drive-Thru Study</a> showed that Chick-fil-A has the slowest drive-thru service time, clocking in at nearly 323 seconds, the chain was also voted<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/drive-thru/drive-thru-accuracy-declines-after-two-year-improvement?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> best in both order accuracy</a> (94%), <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/drive-thru/chick-fil-still-americas-friendliest-drive-thru?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">and customer service</a>, scoring high in eye contact, pleasant demeanor, smiling, saying “please,” and being “very friendly”.These results prove that <a href="https://1851franchise.com/chick-fil-a-leads-in-customer-satisfaction-by-wide-margin-2710320">Chick-fil-A is setting the bar high for quick-service performance, and that’s especially true re. the drive-thru</a>. In response to long wait times—<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/drive-thru/drive-thrus-werent-busy-2019-new-normal?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">more than 35% of the Chick-fil-A’s restaurants have six-plus vehicles in line at any given time</a>—the chain employs “face-to-face ordering” 60% of the time. This means team members are positioned outside the dual-lane drive-thru with tablets, mobile card readers and cash drawers to take orders.&nbsp;While this approach may result in slower service times, it also leads to the happiest customers. According to the study, <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/truth-about-chick-fil-s-drive-thru?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chick-fil-A has the friendliest drive-thru in QSR by a huge margin</a> (65% of consumers consider the chain to be “very friendly,” versus No. 2 Taco Bell at 43%). With accuracy scores for the QSR segment overall dropping more than 5% this year, Chick-fil-A’s ability to keep customers satisfied sets it apart from the competition.&nbsp;Whatever Chick-fil-A is doing is working. Overall, the chicken chain generated <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/content/qsr50-2019-top-50-chart?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">over $4.1 million in sales per unit</a>, nearly twice as much as McDonald’s. This year, the chain surpassed Taco Bell and Subway for the No. 3 spot in the industry in sales, <a href="https://www.nrn.com/top-200-restaurants/2019-top-200-countdown-no-50-no-1/gallery?slide=45&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-chick-fil-as-unique-drive-thru-approach-may-become-a-new-trend-in-qsr-2711335" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">according to National’s Restaurant News</a>.&nbsp;In response to Chick-fil-A’s success, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other QSR and fast casual franchisors opting against drive-thru robots in favor of a smiling employee. More often than not, a good customer experience is worth the wait.

Why Chick-fil-A's Unique Drive-Thru Approach May Become a New Trend in QSR

1851 Franchise

Based on a new study, Chick-fil-A’s slow-yet-effective drive-thru technique is a customer favorite. 


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