Following years of sluggish wait times at the drive-through, Atlanta-based fast-food titan Chick-fil-A has devised a new “elevated drive-thru” restaurant design that is expected to hit the Atlanta area sometime next year.
Slated to open in 2024, the new restaurant design coming to the Atlanta metropolitan area is designed to “meet the evolving needs of our customers who desire speed and convenience,” the company said in a press release on Thursday. Wait times at fast food restaurants have steadily risen over the past 15 years, mostly due to the rising popularity of the drive-through.
According to a 2019 industry publication by QSR, Chick-fil-A featured the slowest drive-throughs among large fast-food chain restaurants with an average wait time of five minutes and 23 seconds. A separate 2020 study by Atlanta-based market research firm SeeLevel HX revealed that the incredibly popular fast-food chain’s drive-through’s remained the most time costly a year later. According to QSR, Chick-fil-A has retained the title of slowest drive-through throughout 2021 and 2022 as well.
“Digital orders make up more than half of total sales in some markets – and growing – so we know our customers have an appetite for convenience,” Khalilah Cooper, executive director of restaurant design said in a press release. “Understanding this desire for convenience, the locations for these tests were intentionally selected with the customers in mind, giving them more control over their desired experience and cutting down wait-time, while continuing to provide genuine hospitality and care to every guest.”
Fast-food eaters will be able to snag a meal in two different ways at the newly designed restaurant, but neither will include walking into the business. Customers can place an order with a Chick-fil-A team member and pick up their food through a traditional drive-through lane, or they can place a mobile order ahead of time and pick up their food directly from a mobile order-specific drive-through.
Chick-fil-A has not revealed a specific opening date or location for the upcoming Atlanta restaurant.
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