Food delivery services while popular are showing serious shortcomings  for both customers and restaurants.

Customers want the convenience of ordering their next meals, and personally getting them instead of through a third party. The pandemic has accelerated the new habits of not entering public places.

Who says?

Chipotle projects 40% of their orders will be digital after the pandemic, while Starbucks is experiencing 90% are mobile orders and drive-through. Both are investing heavily in the new on-the-go experience for customers.

Welcome to the new Drive-up experience

Customers are willing to make a quick stop to pick up their next meal to avoid delays, additional costs and risks of the foods being handled by a third person – provided they get an outstanding experience from beginning to end.

An increase in drive-thru usage may not come as a surprise. When the pandemic began proliferating across the country in March and April, the drive-thru was one of the few options available to access restaurant food.

Still, this added volume at the drive-thru can add to wait times, and the Bluedot report shows that a majority (81%) of consumers believe that waiting more than 10 minutes at the drive-thru is too long. Some chains have tried to alleviate this pressure by adding curbside pickup service, or drive-up.

Fortunately restaurants can quickly and inexpensively step up to provide an exciting new drive-up service that can potentially help them survive and even grow in the new normal.

They will first need to prioritize the preparation of drive-up orders in the kitchen, and use the proper technology to deliver an Amazon-like experience to customers.