Driving the Competition: Fast-Casual Chain Eateries Are Implementing Drive-Thru's to Compete with Fast-Food Giants

Expanding franchises such as Starbucks and Chipotle are testing the waters of the digital drive-thru, mobile orders and delivery world. As a means to compete against fast-food giants and provide convenience, fast-casual brands are re-entering the market with a veritable feast of options for customers on the go.

According to Business Insider, “In February, Chipotle announced it planned to open more mobile-order pickup lanes, called ‘Chipotlanes.’ Chipotle will open most of these at new locations, as opposed to adding the drive-thru lanes to existing stores.”

Delving into mobile-ordering pickup lanes certainly is a way for companies to bypass the third-party cost and ordering system with companies such as DoorDash and Grubhub. Since remodeling is only an option for some standing locations, the newest locations will include drive-up lanes or mobile-order pickup lanes as both are growing in popularity and aid revenue for brands.

According to Starbucks, over 80% of its new locations opened in fiscal 2018 were drive-thrus. Business Insider reported, “Stores with drive-thrus ‘well outperformed’ overall comparable sales, and the company plans to continue to focus on drive-thrus in the coming year.”

As mobile-order pickup lanes become popular in metropolis regions, suburban areas will see an increase in drive-thru locations.