Background

Food delivery companies like DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats have created a range of opportunities for restaurants, including the ability to expand their customer base and increase revenue. At the same time, the rise of on-demand food delivery has also presented a number of challenges, such as increased competition, higher operational costs, and the need to adapt to new technologies.

Offering expanded hours is one opportunity restaurants use to allow the restaurants to close the dining area while continuing to provide food delivery through their drive-up. An unintended consequence is longer drive-up lines, longer wait times and growing customer dissatisfaction. Additionally, delivery companies such as DoorDash charge more if their 'Dasher' must wait for their pickup, increasing operational costs.

Partnering with a local McDonald’s restaurant, Cornerstone System Technology Group developed a solution to meet these challenges. Our solution meets the following goals:

• Shorter drive-thru lines.
• Shorter wait times.
• Improved customer satisfaction.
• Reduction in charges imposed by delivery companies.
• Provide the new service safely and securely.

Solution

Our solution focuses on allowing food delivery drivers to bypass the drive-up after hours. We did this by using technology and a store's vestibule to allow the drivers to quickly and safely pick up their orders.

• Cameras outside the store and in the vestibule to find the delivery driver picking up food. Cameras are accessed at the store and the internet.
• Intercoms outside the store and in the vestibule provide communication between store employees and delivery drivers.
• Locks on both the outside door and the vestibule door for safety. Note: After hours, the outside door stays locked until the inside vestibule is securely locked and store employees are safe inside the store. A managed door access system schedules the locking and unlocking of these doors based on the store's hours of operation.
• Push buttons in the store and vestibule allow drivers entry into the vestibule by store employees, and drivers to unlock the outside door to exit.

Results

Upon implementation of the technology, the store saw dramatic improvements to their operational flow. Delivery drivers quickly adapted to the new pick-up process and their wait-times reduced. The drive-up lines flow more efficiently. Even store satisfaction surveys have improved in both overall satisfaction and digital use satisfaction. Documented results included:

• Improved drive thru count resulting in increased sales.
• Noticeable visible reduction in cars backed up in drive through.
• Vastly lowered drive-thru Open End Present End (OEPE).
• Greatly reduced delivery driver wait-time.
• Substantial increase in delivery sales.

Conclusion

The surprising matrix results were unexpected. The store estimates the investment has already paid for itself in the first few weeks. Improved after-hour sales through the drive-up, faster response for the delivery drivers and improved satisfaction surveys all prove the success of this effort.

The local McDonald's Area Manager created a short video to share with other McDonald's Franchisee owners. He authorized permission for us to share this video for you to review. The short video shows the highlights of the store's delivery vestibule. He shows the technology used and the processes currently in place for his store.