- Chick-fil-A’s drive lines are longer than ever during the pandemic, causing problems.
- Workers take orders via iPad in the chain and have set up canopies and coats for outsiders.
- Chick-fil-A takes the pressure off the drive-thrus with delivery, new seats and ghost kitchens.
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Chick-fil-A is an undisputed expert.
The ability of the chicken chain is so well known that authorities called the driver at the local Chick-fil-A when a city in South Carolina crashed in front of a driveway through the COVID-19 vaccination site.
Chick-fil-A, however, put more and more pressure to keep the crowds going. The chain faced four lawsuits in 2020 over its massive transit lines, Insider found. The average waiting time reached eight minutes and eight seconds, minutes longer than competitors like McDonald’s and KFC.
Yet Chick-fil-A is working hard to adapt to new challenges with fresh innovation. The company said in a statement to Insider that “teams are committed to constantly innovating and testing new ways to enhance the experience of the guest and team member and to improve their efficiency.”
“Because we are always investing in this work, our local franchise operators were able to act quickly with the onset of the pandemic to adapt to the pressures caused by the closure of our dining rooms,” the statement said.
Here are six techniques the chicken chain uses to stay abreast of the drive-thru game.