Braum's

[mranderson]

A huge part of a fast food restaurant's profitability is based on drive through wait time. I could definitely see why they would want to do this.

Plus, I get frustrated enough as it is when a mini-van is in front of me buying burgers for the entire soccer team. I couldn't imagine waiting for someone to rattle off their shopping list too.

I HATE fast food drive thru's. They are very slow and cost fuel with the car ideling so much. If I can not go in, even for my take out order, I will not eat there.

How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.

[dismayed]

How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.

It's funny, I do the same thing a lot of times. I've found that so many people just use the drive though by default that you can usually walk right in, order, and get out long before the car you would have been behind even makes it to the window.

I have a friend in the restaurant management business and asked him about this. It turns out that almost all fast food places use some formula where they calculate the time from which you place your order at the speaker and the time you arrive at the window to get your order, and based on the average order price they calculate out how much they make in that window of time and are always trying to increase its speed.

I think perhaps the fatal flaw in that formula is that they start the clock when you place the order, not when you queue up into the line.

[PUGalicious]

How can the drive thru be based on profit? It makes no sense to me.

Seems to work for McDonald's. But, then again, I'm sure their business experience scarcely compares to your own.