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Shake Shack on Thursday announced plans to add the company’s first ever restaurant with a drive-thru as part of a strategy to diversify the format of its stores, which have been clobbered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The new drive-thru restaurant, planned next year, could have at least three lanes dedicated for mobile pick-up orders, as well as in-person drive-thru ordering like a traditional fast-food chain, according to a rendering the company released late Thursday.
The company said it is specifically looking “to test drive-thru locations in suburban high-traffic” markets. It did not name the location of the new restaurant.
The New York City-based chain announced other tests in the U.S. and abroad: In the United Kingdom, the company is working with a cloud kitchen to test selling its food by delivery only. Curbside pickup through the brand’s app is now available at 10 stores, and will roll out to at least 50 restaurants by the end of the third quarter.
Shake Shack also plans to step up menu innovation with plans to bring back buzzworthy foods like Hot Chick’n Bites and spicy fries in the fall.
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The new revenue strategies and format changes come as the company adapts to a major change in consumer behavior due to the COVID-19 crisis. Despite enjoying a loyal fan base, the fast-casual chain has been hard hit by the pandemic as many of its top performing restaurants are located in tourist zones that have been wiped clean of foot traffic.
As previously announced, the brand is adapting to the contactless age of ordering by modifying restaurants to include drive-up lanes and walk-up windows to accommodate mobile orders. On Thursday, Garutti said roughly eight of these so-called Shack Tracks are in the works at existing restaurants.
The company also plans to upgrade its app in the next 6 to 12 months to include direct delivery and additional payment functionality. That follows a trend in the industry as chains look to reclaim their digital customers.
From : Food & Wine
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