Taco Bell has launched a new restaurant concept designed to encourage mobile orders and keep drive-thru lines short.
Among the updated features of the Go Mobile concept:
- Minimization: The concept will be 1,325 square feet, nearly half the size of the average 2,500 square foot restaurant, with an emphasis on drive-thru.
- Smart-tech kitchen: Updated technology tells cooks the fastest way to make an order.
- Dual drive-thru: In addition to the traditional pick-up lane for on-premise orders, a second lane handles customers who order ahead through Taco Bell’s app, similar to Chipotle’s “Chipotlanes” lane. Mike Grams, Taco Bell president and COO, told Nation’s Restaurant News, “The priority lane is created for the emergence of digital demands — the ability to put the customer experience in their hands [where they can] order before they get to the parking lot.”
- Curbside pick-up: Orders can be received via designated parking spots and indoor shelves.
- Bellhops: Concierge staff, known as “bellhops”, will be available to take orders with tablets for drive-thru and curbside pick-up orders.
- Synchronized digital experience: Technology integrated with Taco Bell’s app will detect when customers arrive and suggest the quickest route for pick-up. Customers choosing the suggested pick-up method will earn more loyalty points. Mr. Grams compared the system to air traffic control at an airport. He told CNBC, “The customer still has control, but we help them.”
Taco Bell will debut its Go Mobile concept in two company-owned locations in the first quarter of 2021 and incorporate some aspects into existing restaurants.
Taco Bell has launched a new restaurant concept designed to encourage mobile orders and keep drive-thru lines short.
Among the updated features of the Go Mobile concept:
- Minimization: The concept will be 1,325 square feet, nearly half the size of the average 2,500 square foot restaurant, with an emphasis on drive-thru.
- Smart-tech kitchen: Updated technology tells cooks the fastest way to make an order.
- Dual drive-thru: In addition to the traditional pick-up lane for on-premise orders, a second lane handles customers who order ahead through Taco Bell’s app, similar to Chipotle’s “Chipotlanes” lane. Mike Grams, Taco Bell president and COO, told Nation’s Restaurant News, “The priority lane is created for the emergence of digital demands — the ability to put the customer experience in their hands [where they can] order before they get to the parking lot.”
- Curbside pick-up: Orders can be received via designated parking spots and indoor shelves.
- Bellhops: Concierge staff, known as “bellhops”, will be available to take orders with tablets for drive-thru and curbside pick-up orders.
- Synchronized digital experience: Technology integrated with Taco Bell’s app will detect when customers arrive and suggest the quickest route for pick-up. Customers choosing the suggested pick-up method will earn more loyalty points. Mr. Grams compared the system to air traffic control at an airport. He told CNBC, “The customer still has control, but we help them.”
Taco Bell will debut its Go Mobile concept in two company-owned locations in the first quarter of 2021 and incorporate some aspects into existing restaurants.
