KFC wants customers to ditch the drive-thru

By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business

Restaurant drive-thrus have become too popular for their own good. Kentucky Fried Chicken wants its customers to ditch them.

The chicken chain has created a new way for people to collect their orders, called Quick Pick-Up. Customers who want to use the new option can order ahead on its app or website, drive to a KFC location, park in a dedicated spot, and walk in to grab their food off a shelf near the register.

KFC’s goal is too alleviate the long lines that might be slowing down the drive-thrus or the lines inside the stores because of the ongoing pandemic. In a survey cited by KFC, the speed of using the company’s drive-thrus decreased by 26 seconds in 2021, to about 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

“Quick Pick-Up is changing the game by making fast food even more convenient and easy for busy customers,” said KFC US President Kevin Hochman in the release. “Santa may not be able to give you the gift of time this holiday season, but KFC can.”

As an incentive to get customers to use the new option, which is available in most of its roughly 4,000 locations, KFC is offering free large fries with a $5 purchase if they’re picked up at a Quick Pick-up.

Other chains have similar setups: Sweetgreen and Chipotle both offer shelves for customers to pick up their food. In addition, the popularity of the drive-thru option has prompted companies to redesign their own, including McDonald’s, Burger King and Popeye’s.

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