Chick-fil-A to open first restaurant with 'elevated drive-thru': See what it looks like
Chick-fil-A is opening its first elevated drive-thru restaurant in the chain, the company announced Wednesday.
The restaurant, located at 2155 Jodeco Road in McDonough, Georgia, just south of Metro Atlanta, will begin serving customers on Thursday, Aug. 22 and is a first-of-its-kind restaurant for the popular fast food chain.
According to the company, the drive-thru only restaurant features four drive-thru lanes and an elevated kitchen with a "unique meal transport system" described by the company as a "sophisticated conveyer belt" that streamlines food delivery by "quickly moving the meal from the elevated kitchen above to a Team Member on the ground below."
The kitchen is double the size of a typical Chick-fil-A restaurant kitchen and the conveyer belt allows for a meal to be delivered to a Team Member every six seconds, according to Chick-fil-A. There is no dining room or dine-in services at this restaurant, Chick-fil-A noted, but the four-lane drive-thru has the capacity to support "two to three times more vehicles" than a standard Chick-fil-A restaurant drive-thru.
Two ways to get your meal
Chick-fil-A says the restaurant will provide two options for customers to get their meal:
- They can order ahead on the Chick-fil-A app and pick up using the dedicated Mobile Thru lines
- They can place their order with a Team Member in the traditional drive-thru lanes
"Our Guests lead busy lives, and we’re focused on designing our restaurants to best serve their needs” said Jonathan Reed, Executive Director of Design for Chick-fil-A, Inc., in the news release.
"With the new Elevated Drive-Thru design, featuring our first four lane drive-thru, we're aiming to deliver quality food and genuine hospitality in a way that’s uniquely Chick-fil-A, and gives our Guests time back in their day,” Reed added.
'Elevated drive-thru' is second new type of restaurant to open this year for Chick-fil-A
The new drive-thru restaurant concept comes just a few months after Chick-fil-A opened its first-ever mobile pickup restaurant in New York City in March.
The mobile pickup restaurant, according to the company, aims to "cater to busy New Yorkers by focusing solely on delivery and mobile app ordering for a quick and easy pickup experience." It is located at 79th Street and 2nd Ave on the Upper East Side.
According to Chick-fil-A, the new restaurant concept begins when customers order ahead for delivery or carryout via the Chick-fil-A app or online. The restaurant will be alerted by geofencing when customers are on their way to expedite the process and ensure each meal is timed with the customer's arrival.
Inside the restaurant, there are active status board screens designated for delivery or mobile pickup, so customers and delivery drivers can see when their orders are ready in real time.
Once the orders are ready, guests and delivery drivers receive their order. While the restaurant will not offer a seating area or dine-in services, Chick-fil-A says the company's "signature hospitality is prominent in every step of this digital-focused experience."
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.
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