How much difference does three seconds make? If you’re Chick-fil-A, it could mean the difference between success and failure, at least when it comes to drive-thru speed.
Taking a page from the NFL, Chick-fil-A is using sports software to analyze “game film” of its drive-thru operations, looking for ways to shave seconds off service times. According to The Wall Street Journal, an Illinois Chick-fil-A operator used this approach during a chicken sandwich promotion, combining drone footage with recordings from his kitchen and drive-thru lanes to pinpoint bottlenecks.
His goal? To beat his record of serving one car every 13 seconds—a crucial task, given that drive-thru sales account for 60% of Chick-fil-A’s revenue.
After reviewing the footage with colleagues, he found several issues. A veteran employee was taking on too much of the kitchen workload, slowing down the entire team. Weak internet in certain drive-thru areas was delaying tablet-equipped order takers. To fix these problems, he redistributed kitchen tasks, upgraded internet access, and even added a new service door to facilitate and speed up order pickups.
The result? A 50% increase in drive-thru efficiency since implementing the changes in 2022.
Chick-fil-A has long prioritized drive-thru speed. Some locations see such high demand that traffic backs up into the street, prompting store managers to climb onto rooftops to assess congestion. In the past, traffic concerns have even led to opposition against prospective Chick-fil-A locations from neighbors and nearby businesses.
With the fast-food industry shifting away from dine-in service, Chick-fil-A is staying ahead of the curve. The company recently opened a drive-thru-only restaurant in Atlanta, featuring four service lanes and a second-floor kitchen. As The Wall Street Journal puts it, Chick-fil-A is “on the vanguard of fast-food drive-thru science.”
