Christina Volpe, Associate Editor of Hospitality Technology Magazine, discussed the technology within the drive-thru restaurant industry in her article, “Speeding up the Drive-Thru”. Many quick service restaurants are trying to become more efficient and have faster times in the drive-thru. Order confirmation boards and drive-thru timers are some of the technological advances within the hospitality field that help to improve efficiency. Church’s Chicken uses Texas Digital’s AccuView order confirmation boards and Acclaro drive-thru timers in their locations. The AccuView drive-thru timers activate as the car reaches the order confirmation board and end when the transaction is finished. In order to motivate the employees at the window the timer has designated colors: green, yellow, and red, which represent whether the order is on time or not. This system also has reports that can be distributed throughout the company to give incentive to do better. Hardee’s locations use Hyperactive Technologies' HyperView order confirmation boards and QTimer drive-thru timers. The QTimer systems also use screens with color coded cars on the drive-thru to show how fast the service is moving and reports which are shown over the internet, allowing executives to access them at their current times. Also the Hyperview order confirmation boards reduce glare from sunlight and are placed inside to prevent damages from the environment. Another device used in quick service restaurants is NCR’s tap and swipe credit card readers which are used by the majority of Whataburger locations. They allow the customer to swipe their credit card themselves; quickening the process and making the customer feel more secure.
I think these technological advancements are beneficial to the quick service restaurant industry because it makes it easier for the customer and the employee. People go to drive-thru restaurants in order to receive easy and quick food and these new technologies make the method even more efficient. The customer receives their food faster and the process of making it is more organized for the employee. The timers allow the employees to learn from previous experiences and then do better and the order confirmation boards make ordering easier for the consumer.