Does Starbucks need to pick up the pace at the drive-thru?
Source: Starbucks

Does Starbucks need to pick up the pace at the drive-thru?

Though Starbucks has a feverishly dedicated customer base, a new study indicates that the chain’s drive-thru experience could stand to be more caffeinated.

Despite ranking second in U.S. system-wide sales, Starbucks’ drive-thru rated slowest for average duration of a customer interaction in QSR Magazine’s “2016 QSR Drive-Thru Study,” with an average taking almost five minutes. Starbucks’ drive-thru ranked seventh for its order accuracy out of 15 companies.

But it seems as though Starbucks is aware of the problem. The coffee chain is trying out a new method of getting hot coffee into the hands of customers that could cut down on lines inside and outside of stores. At one location in Snoqualmie, Wash., the chain is piloting curbside pickup, reported Self. To use the service, customers order via app and pull into a pickup location. Their coffee is delivered to their car by a barista.

Last September, when Starbucks rolled out its Mobile Order & Pay feature to all of its stores nationwide, there was speculation that pre-ordering coffee via app would drastically cut down on long lines and wait times.

Starbucks has also made other moves in some markets that should have wicked off some foot traffic and cut down line length. In 2015 the chain rolled out a few pilot delivery services. Starbucks’s Green Apron Delivery services caters specifically to tenants working in the Empire State Building in New York and, through a separate partnership with Postmates, they offer delivery in certain parts of Seattle.

But the logistics of getting a hot, single-serving cup of coffee, no matter if it’s a Tall, a Venti or a Grande, to an office or home no doubt presents challenges, which may explain why there has not been much talk of delivery elsewhere throughout the country since then.

In March of 2015 USA Today reported that Postmates, as a company separate from Starbucks, operates in 22 markets nationwide.

BrainTrust

"Curbside service sounds like a good idea and I’m all for it. But will it actually be faster?"

Tom Dougherty

President and CEO, Stealing Share


"Curbside delivery is a good program but it’s only a two-foot jump over a four-foot wide gap."

Adrian Weidmann

Managing Director, StoreStream Metrics, LLC


"This is simple. If there is a problem, Starbucks will fix it."

Shep Hyken

Chief Amazement Officer, Shepard Presentations, LLC


Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Could curbside delivery put a dent in Starbucks’ problem with long lines at the drive-thru? Are long wait times enough of a concern for customers to damage Starbucks’ brand or earnings?

Poll

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Tom Dougherty
Tom Dougherty
Member
7 years ago

It depends. Curbside service sounds like a good idea and I’m all for it. But will it actually be faster? People want their coffee hot, which means the coffee must be made minutes (seconds?) before the customer arrives. Is Starbucks able to do that? Seems to me that it presents the same problem with the drive-thru. How fast can Starbucks make hot coffee?

Adrian Weidmann
Member
7 years ago

Curbside delivery is a good program but it’s only a two-foot jump over a four-foot wide gap. It still doesn’t address the actual wait time — it simply is another way to take more orders while customers wait in a holding corral. Why not implement mobile proximity technology that does not require an app? The customer can use the Starbucks app to order and pay for their beverage in advance of their visit. The technology will recognize the customer’s presence when they drive into the drive-thru lane or parking lot and alert the baristas. Then they can deliver curbside — everyone wins and the experience is valued by all.

Lyle Bunn (Ph.D. Hon)
Lyle Bunn (Ph.D. Hon)
7 years ago

Being locked into a line or getting an occasional wrong order is the price consumers (and brands) pay for convenience. For operators the critical success factor is throughput and success is measured by a three-minute timer. Drive-thru must be seen as different from an order counter, in particular at Starbucks where food sales are increased by the queuing strategy and the “vibe” is the experience. When “grab-and-go” matters, drive-thru operators have to realize the business they are in, and make it very, very easy to order. Data from drive-thru typically offers insights into daypart and consumer segment patterns, but custom product ordering requires special care and elements of staff-based ordering have to translate well into a different experience. Watch what happens at custom sandwich shops and Dutch Bros. Coffee (drive-thru).

Shep Hyken
Active Member
7 years ago

This is simple. If there is a problem, Starbucks will fix it. They are known for their amazing “Starbucks Experience” and slow service is not part of that. Obviously, they are already working on it. If curbside pickup doesn’t work, they’ll find another way.