Hello store owners and corporate restaurant folk - welcome to the Saturday edition of Restaurant Trade Area Research - the restaurant blog of Rick Phillips - a market researcher with over three decades of real fast food customer research at the street level (in the stores).
Today’s topic - drive thru operations. —- Over the years, many attributes have been associated with drivers/customers experiences while waiting to purchase your product without leaving their comfort cage (the car). But only one attribute will almost immediately turn away a customer if they have any alternatives for food - the long line before the speaker. Only with previous good experiences with the restaurant at the drive thru (with long lines), will maintain the customer in line for today.
With the drive thru often contributing over 50% in sales - this is not a lecture on the need for speed. And, indeed, many issues related to drive-thru’s will be explored in future postings. So, what this post is imploring in all operators minds is the new reality of 4.00 gas - to the point that the operator realizes that `while idling’ the customer is probably having this thought `what a waste’ (of money, more than time).
Marginal customers to the fast food customer base may be weakened more than usual by drive thru delays - especially those in SUV’s (if you get what I mean). So, this is more a time than ever to get your best crew on the window - don’t idle your drive-thru traffic away.
Now, onto today’s links.
Today’s Restaurant links (July 12th 2008)
Second Q Wendy’s Sales Up
Link - http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/07/07/daily32.html
Up over 1% at franchisee locations - up at company stores too - after a down first Q. RTAR - rating - 8 - Being from Ohio many years ago; yeah for Wendy’s. Perhaps the `choice’ of sides attribute helps.
Ruby Tuesday’s Same Store Sales Off for 4th Q
Down over 5% at both company and franchised units this Q. That said, many indicators look good according to the two minute article with quotes from the founder. >>>>>>>>>> RTAR rating - 5 - No one likes sales to fall significantly at a signature national restaurant (could it be those who loved the German Potato Salad?) - that said, much is sited in the article of importance including the satisfaction scores. So; is it a shrinking total trade area? (Trade area research on stores with prior existing studies done at the store level reveals this information. Indeed, this is the exact information I’ve given to clients on repeats within their markets.) Or, just the competitiveness for the discretionary dollar?
Green Fast Food - Really Here or a Green Dream
Link: http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2529.html This article is about a 4 minute read. It rehashs alot of the grist of what the environmenalists want out of companies and fast food restaurants inparticular. Styrofoam is the big meanie. However, several hundred have committed to a more aggressive program - this could be for you if you live in a highly committed `green community’ and could aid store usage by limited few - hippy, yuppie, and student oriented trade areas come to mind. >>>>>>>> RTAR rating - 6 - Just make sure you aren’t the LAST to do this if you are in one of the above stated communities. But, wait, do `environmentalists’ comprise a worthwhile worry or significant market for FF restaurants - not yet. Lastly, however, remember the Karma factor.
