The pandemic of 2019 changed everything, from the economy, to how people work, to even where people can go to eat. Everything changed and some were for the better while others for the worse. Drive Thru eating has taken over the food industry. With that said, nearly every business was forced to restructure one way or another and figure out a new way to integrate technology and non-contact methods into their business.
The world found a way to keep going during the lockdown and the primary method was through technology. Fast food especially was forced to refocus their efforts from their dining room and advertising to get customers in their restaurants, to finding ways customers could order and buy their food online and then drop by the restaurants to pick it up.
While some companies already had this in their original business plans, not everyone did and some had to really pick up the pace to keep up with the rest of the booming industry.
The Pandemic Mindset: Drive Thru Future
During the pandemic, many businesses were forced to shut down temporarily, which led to a lot of permanent closures due to the lack of income. The government was telling people not to leave their homes and people were afraid to leave their homes in fear of getting sick. Technology was already growing even before COVID was announced but it boomed even further once it was.
Work and school were being done from home, and businesses had to learn to focus their businesses on the online world. This was the pandemic mindset because the world could not just pause during a pandemic, life had to continue, and many figured out how to do it.
The Reinvention of the Brick-and-Mortar Experience With Fast Food
Fast food was one of the industries that took the pandemic as an advantage to help grow their businesses through their drive-thrus and online ordering. Restaurants were slowly adapting this method of ordering the few years before the pandemic but were kicked into high gear once the pandemic did hit.
Drive-thrus became the primary way for people to get fast food, and despite what many companies thought, people were much less afraid to go out of their homes as long as they didn’t have to leave their homes. Most businesses opted for closing their dining rooms partially or completely and focused all their efforts to their drive thru and delivery systems.
In 2021, these methods continued to the point of many businesses building drive thru locations where there’s no dining room available just a drive thru. Some companies have even claimed they make more money this way with less risk to their employees and the customers of contracting COVID.
It’s a happy medium for customers and employees and allows everyone to stay safe while still having the opportunity to get fast food if they choose to do so.
More Than Just Restaurants
Not just fast food restaurants have adopted this way of thinking either, many grocery stores and even Walmart have developed an option for customers to order their groceries and other items online and then have an employee deliver these items to them in the parking lot.
Stores have stated many times how much this helps with foot traffic and theft problems within the stores because it’s the employees who are finding the items.
Drive through doctors and pharmacies also became a common sitting in the beginning of 2021. Drive through pharmacies were already in action for many places to offer patients a quicker way to receive their medications without having to enter the store and standing in line for ages. This option also proved beneficial for disbaled customers who were not able to stand or walk for long periods of time.
However, these drive-thrus offer customers many more benefits than that following the pandemic. People could now get tested and vaccinated at a safe distance without the fear of contracting COVID. They could also go see a doctor quickly when they were feeling under the weather and make sure they didn’t have anything serious without putting themselves and others at risk.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic caused a lot of changes in the world and in every aspect too, but the world figured out how to keep going and how to keep doing the things we all wanted to do at a safe distance. Curbside pick-up is still a very popular method for businesses to stay open with the remaining guidelines involving COVID, but drive-thrus have really taken the world by storm.
All businesses now are trying to figure out a way to encompass drive thrus to keep their business up and running for themselves and for the customers. 2021 brought a new way for businesses to do their thing that can not only help while the pandemic is going on but also afterwards for many years to come. Drive-thrus are a must for 2021 to keep the pandemic at bay and to help people get out of their homes and be able to get the items they need as safely and as quickly as possible.
Contact the Experts
If you are looking to start a drive thu business or update a current business, contact our team of expert builders today at E.K. Bailey Construction.