Are Delivery Platforms Crushing Your Spirit? What About Your Guests Experience?!

Have you seen significant order volume increase using 3rd Party Delivery Platforms such as DoorDash? How have you adjusted for this volume in your operation?... Please comment to share with our community how you have handled this in your production, order management, driver pick-up pass through and more.

Taking advantage of, and benefiting from, engaging these platforms can be incredibly positive for a single proprietor all the way to mid-large chains. But your restaurant was not built specifically for the volume of orders or the foot traffic (and car traffic) that success in this arena can bring. Many owners are struggling with the ability to handle nearly double and triple order volumes at peak times and we hear in most cases managing the 'pick up' process with the drivers. In many cases, it has become necessary to hire someone to receive, process, bag, and manage the drivers plethora of requests to ensure timeliness and accuracy of the orders. (Remember, the end-user is still YOUR customer!) This is not unlike the traditional model of self-delivery, except those drivers had access to your BOH and knew where everything was, whereas, in the new scenario, many of the drivers don't come to your store regularly.

KRP is watching closely how all types of brands are handling this and we have adjusted layouts to be thoughtful about the guest experience, as well as the workflow to ensure ticket times remain acceptable. We do our best to alter existing or design new stores to separate the delivery driver from the walk-in guest completely. Choosing an area behind the counter and setting up a 'pick up' area as close to the door and apart from the ordering kiosks or order placement line. Many concepts have simply set up a shelving unit by the door with A-Z organizing labels, if not next to the POS for the order taker to manage. I worry about staff noticing if something has sat unclaimed too long, someone other than the driver is retrieving the food (free lunch anyone?) and losing the ability to confirm the accuracy of all condiment and special requests are being fulfilled.

How are you accommodating these issues? Please share in the comments for the betterment of our community.

In this article snipped from NRN, Chipotle's CEO talks about adding 'Order Pick Up' windows, dubbed "Chiopotlanes" as a new solution. *My city is already changing 'Drive-Thru' codes to deal with this new format (rules are based on the number of cars before and after the "Order Board," well, what if there is no 'Order Board?!"

Is Chipotlanes the future of Chipotle?

In an interview with NRN, Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol said the chain currently has 25 restaurants with car lanes dedicated for pick up orders. That number should grow to 60 by the end of the year.

The company calls these lanes, Chipotlanes, as they are identical to a quick-service drive-thru lane except it is designed for fetching pre-paid digital orders.

In terms of economics, Niccol said he likes what he sees.

“We definitely see a sales increase associated with adding that additional access,” he said. “We love what the economics look like.”

For now, Niccol said the company is focused on adding Chipotlanes only with new stores where it makes sense. For example, they won’t be adding car lanes in Chicago or New York City.

In 2020, he said half of the brand’s 150 to 165 new restaurants will have Chipotlanes. One of those is expected to open in Costa Mesa, Calif., the first one near Chipotle’s headquarters. Niccol said the Chipotlanes will “play a huge role” in the company’s new build program because customers love the fast experience compared to a standard quick-service drive-thru.

“This is what drive-thru should be. The actual [QSR] drive-through experience is not great,” said the former Taco Bell CEO. “That order board -- people do not like that experience.”

After ordering ahead at Chipotle, Niccol said customers can use a Chipotlane to fetch their order in about 10 to 15 seconds.

“This is the fastest way to get food,” he said

Troy Hooper, CEO - Kiwi Restaurant Partners - www.krpusa.com