Chick-fil-A Plans To Open Drive-Thru, Pickup-Only Restaurant Prototypes in 2024

Chick-fil-A, the massively popular fast food restaurant chain famous for its chicken sandwiches, plans to open a series of new restaurant concepts in Atlanta and New York City, including drive-thru and pickup-only branches.

The company recently announced that it would start developing new restaurant ideas to test how they would work with the public. The concepts are scheduled to be open in 2024 and are designed to improve the fast food chain's drive-thru and mobile ordering experiences for its customers.

Chick-fil-A Plans New Restaurant Concepts

In a statement, the executive director of restaurant design with Chick-fil-A, Khalilah Cooper, said that digital orders make up more than half of the company's total sales in some markets. In a press release, he noted that this number was growing, meaning customers have an "appetite for convenience."

The concept of a drive-thru prototype is set to be constructed in the Atlanta area and will feature four lanes that pass under the kitchen and will be capable of handling as many as 75 vehicles. As per USA Today, this particular branch would also have a larger kitchen space and a food transportation system that will move customers' orders from the kitchen to an employee who will deliver the meal to the car.

Additionally, customers using Chick-fil-A's app will have their order sent to the kitchen as soon as they enter one of two designated mobile order lanes. This ensures they receive their order as fresh from the kitchen as possible. Furthermore, customers can order at the location if they wish.

The concept of a digital walk-up restaurant will be tested in New York City and will only serve as a point where mobile users can pick up their orders. Chick-fil-A said the idea was designed to fit into urban areas with heavy foot traffic.

Company officials said that they would use GPS tracking tied to the mobile app to ensure the customer receives their order as fresh as possible. The NYC restaurant concept was also said to make no sales.

Providing Better Service to Customers

The fast food chain focuses on speedy service, especially at drive-thru locations, because a long line or a bad experience can usually scare off customers. There are even some cases of backed-up drive-thrus creating congestion for traffic in other cities and towns, according to CNN.

In the last few years, fast-food chains have tried experimenting with new formats and ideas to cater to more customers. On Thursday, McDonald's announced its plans to test a smaller-format concept called "CosMc's."

Chick-fil-A's two new concepts come as the company is mindful of its millions of customers who buy its food every day. It has been conducting menu testing as part of the process and has been trying to change the layout of its 2,800 restaurant locations to optimum efficiency and profitability.

Cooper noted that the company was evaluating its customers' experience and whether they felt their ordering experience was easy or seamless. He added that the fast food chain is trying to determine whether its services can be navigated easily said The Takeout.