Howard Company Blog

As consumer behaviors adjust and many businesses find success with their drive-thru lanes, is your brand ready to add a drive-thru to your locations(s)? There are numerous solutions and accessories to consider, but getting started with drive-thru essentials is also an option!

The top three components of a drive-thru are explained in the 'Bare-Bones Drive-Thru' video, which can be found below with Matthew Johnson, Inside Sales Manager: North America West.

The Howard Company did a social media survey that asked the question, 'Before entering a restaurant's drive-thru, how often do you know your exact order?' The answer options were 'Always, Sometimes, Rarely, and Never.' With 51 total participants, 37 individuals (73%) voted 'Sometimes, Rarely, or Never,' and only 14 individuals (27%) voted 'Always.'

In our small sample, nearly three-quarters of drive-thru customers say they do not know their exact order beforehand. At the same time, they choose the drive-thru for convenience and speed of service. This indecision hints at how important it is to present items before customers reach the main menu board—giving guests time to make a decision, upselling, and cross-selling with special, limited-time offers. The Howard Company designs presell boards for these scenarios.

Jim Reeder talks more in-depth about the top three reasons businesses should include a presell board in their drive-thru(s) in the video titled 'The Benefits of Adding Presell Boards.'

Imagine having the opportunity to upsell or cross-sell to each customer that enters the drive-thru. By showcasing limited-time offers, high-margin menu items, personalized recommendations, and other attention-drawing details on drive-thru digital menu boards, restaurants can enhance guest experience and increase sales. Managers don't have to worry about reminding drive-thru order takers to upsell consistently, and operators will be excited about the additional revenue.

In 'Increasing Drive-Thru Sales with Digital Menu Boards,' Matthew Johnson, Inside Sales Manager: North America West, highlights specific digital menu board strategies that have lead to positive outcomes. View the video here:

The Howard Company has many innovative solutions and a customer favorite is our outdoor digital menu board. It is named the ‘Flex,’ as it allows businesses to be flexible with their content in the drive-thru. While onsite, printed graphics and digital menu boards can easily be switched out in a short amount of time. The best part is that the drive-thru can remain open during installation!

In January of 2021, a few team members from The Howard Company (Grant Gustke: Regional Vice President, Jean Jones: Marketing Director, and Rob Vaccarella: Installation and Product Support Specialist) visited The Human Bean in Woodland Park, Colorado, to make this change on one of our three-door Drive-Thru Flex Digital Menu Boards. Watch the time-lapse of the transition below:

Wondering how to promote your brand's drive-thru and curbside pickup services? Along with digital communication channels such as social media accounts and loyalty apps, there are many other solutions to consider. When customized to your business, they are designed to increase guest traffic.

In the video below, Matthew Johnson, Inside Sales Manager: North America West, talks about a variety of different branding opportunities to drive more sales to the drive-thru and curbside pickup.