You can’t put the genie back in the
bottle. Gen Z and Millennials continue
to drive change in retail food service according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at
Tacoma, WA based Foodservice
Solutions®.
The landscape has changed and as we all know,
over the past two years, dine-in closures forced customers to
switch to takeout, delivery, and drive-thru ordering.
A new study found, that despite widespread
reopening, this trend away from dine-in is expected to grow further with only
25 percent of those surveyed more likely to use dine-in compared to last year.
On the other hand, nearly half of the survey respondents (46 percent) are more
likely to order takeout and only 22 percent are less likely to place drive-thru
orders compared to a year ago.
The study was conducted by the Presto
Pulse of the Industry study (“Presto Pulse”), a survey designed to
understand customer trends and perceptions related to restaurant usage, quality
of service, and receptiveness to automation technology.
So, when asked about the quality of their
drive-thru experience, the vast majority of respondents (77 percent) felt the
situation is the same or worse than last year. Long wait time was identified as
the biggest issue with 27 percent of respondents saying it has gotten
significantly worse over the past year. Friendliness of service came in second
worst with 18 percent saying it has become worse. So while demand is shifting
towards the drive-thru, service levels are becoming worse, leading to greater
customer dissatisfaction.
“In many drive-thru’s it’s difficult to hear
the person taking your order,” said one respondent. “This leads to frustration
and inaccurate orders.”
“Use technology to make the order process
faster,” said another respondent.
So how can this situation be mitigated? 78
percent of those surveyed thought that automation technology is critical for
smooth operations of a fast-food restaurant. Most respondents felt that use of
technology at a restaurant makes the experience more efficient. They also felt
that a technology-augmented experience is more enjoyable, could lead to lower
menu prices, and is inevitable. However, a third of the respondents felt that
technology could take away from some of the personalized service and may make the
overall experience less personal.
“We need a drive-thru with shorter wait
times,” according to one respondent. “Automated order taking”, “designated lane
for advanced online orders”, and “faster payment methods” were some other
suggestions.
Regarding specific drive-thru technologies,
customers were the most comfortable with use of an artificial intelligence
(A.I.) voice assistant for faster ordering, personalized menus, customized
suggestions, and order / payment using a smartphone. Over 70 percent of respondents
indicated that they would be receptive to using one or more of these
technologies in the drive-thru if they result in shorter wait times and more
efficient service.
Going forward, the company plans to conduct Presto
Pulse every 6 months to gauge customer sentiment and identify trends across
the industry. The current survey had 243 respondents representing a wide cross
section of U.S. restaurant customers accounting for different
socio-demographic, economic, and lifecycle variables. The team at Foodservice
Solutions® thinks you should follow Presto Pulse.
Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business
development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food
retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu
integration strategy. Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit
us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter
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