Drive-thru analytics

Drive-thru analytics is the systematic computational analysis of drive-thru statistics, such as average service time, accuracy of order preparation, cars served per hour, etc.

What is drive-thru analytics?

Drive-thru analytics is looking at the data coming from drive-thrus, using drive-thru timers, security cameras, POS data, etc., to understand how the drive-thru is operating. Software can take all of the data coming in from these sources and display them in ways that provide actionable information to improve drive-thru service.

The following are some of the common drive-thru statistics that QSRs track:

• The number of cars per hour
• The average window dwell time
• The average transaction value

Once a company decides which statistics are important to their business, benchmarking is performed. The restaurant can view how their results change week on week or month on month to see whether their performance is improving.

Thresholding even allows operators to set warning levels for their key performance indicators (KPIs) and be notified in real time to any results outside of those values.

Why is drive-thru analytics important?

Drive-thrus have become the biggest source of revenue for many quick service restaurants (QSRs), especially during the pandemic. Some QSRs generate 70% of their revenue at the drive-thru window.

Here’s a recent study on drive-thru performance.

This means that increased throughput, especially during peak hours, is the only way to improve revenue generation at the drive-thru window. Drive-thru analytics provides the insights required to increase the number of cars that can be served per hour during peak hours.