| -> | | | | frieslawbeansurtots?" |
| We're your drive-thru customers. The ones who | | | | And so it goes. |
| pay your bills - so listen up. Ok, let's admit it, we | | | | Not all the drive-thru communication problems are |
| occasionally find ourselves in your takeout | | | | the result of cheap, faulty audio systems. Many |
| drive-thru line, particularly on football nights. Why | | | | drive-thru operations that pay their order takers a |
| can't we understand anything your menu board | | | | whopping $7.00 to $9.00 per hour, feel these |
| says? It's not a lot of fun sitting out here talking | | | | minions should multitask to earn their lofty wage. |
| to a backlighted piece of plastic under the best of | | | | They are fitted with a wireless headset (an |
| conditions. But when it spits out a bunch of verbal | | | | endemic source of communication mayhem), |
| gibberish, we begin to doubt ourselves. Maybe we | | | | freeing them to fill drink orders and sack orders, |
| just don't have the right stuff to order drive-thru | | | | while taking orders, cashing out orders, and |
| takeout. | | | | handing the orders through the delivery window. |
| Drive-thru operations with talking menu boards | | | | Five for one: not a bad deal - if the operator |
| existed long before we put men on the moon. | | | | discounts our frustration when the overtaxed |
| We have no problem talking to the men on the | | | | person just can't keep your drive-thru moving |
| moon. Law enforcement agencies beam a listening | | | | along smoothly. |
| device at our living room window from the next | | | | It would be an interesting study to determine the |
| block and hear us whispering. But talking to your | | | | cost/return ratio of putting a real live, smiling, |
| drive-thru order taker 100 feet away seems | | | | happy person in the drive-thru line for three hours |
| beyond current technology. | | | | each at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That's nine |
| Probably after a monumental operational study | | | | hours daily of personal contact with us, your |
| and several Board of Director's meetings, Jack | | | | drive-thru customers: greeting us; taking our |
| decided to add a "pre-ordering" menu board to | | | | orders; selling us lots of extra stuff; keeping us |
| the Jack in the Box drive-thru. Imagine the loss of | | | | satisfied and streamlining the whole operation to |
| self-esteem suffered by us drive-thru customers | | | | process more orders in less time. The increased |
| shouting at this mute piece of plastic, especially | | | | sales could be shocking. |
| when the yardman tells us that around the | | | | Since that idea is way too radical for most |
| drive-thru corner, hidden behind some bushes, is | | | | operators, then how about trying these solutions |
| an identical menu board with a squawk box. Then | | | | to help us out: |
| discovering that we can't understand a word it | | | | 1) Convince your order takers that they are |
| says, anyway. We leave, broken shells of our | | | | communicators, not speed-talkers. 2)Let your |
| former selves, holding a white paper bag | | | | order taker do just that: process the orders, |
| containing God knows what. | | | | collect the money, and hand the orders to us. 3) |
| This is a common drive-thru conversation (Only | | | | If there is a better order taking system, buy it. |
| the names have been changed to protect the | | | | Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, a South Texas chain with over |
| innocent.) | | | | 60 stores, opted for all three above. Their audio |
| eone shouting)chick(cash register ringing)edsteak" | | | | system is good, and their order takers are not |
| "What?" | | | | overtaxed and usually are comprehensible. Here's |
| "welcometobicsbett(scratchy | | | | the big difference. Immediately next to their |
| sound)burgersmay(cough)akeur(cash register | | | | backlighted piece of plastic, they placed a pylon |
| ringing)der. | | | | containing an LCD screen that shows our order as |
| "Do you want my order?" | | | | it's punched into the cash register. What a sense |
| "goheadplez" | | | | of accomplishment, just knowing that our order is |
| "Go where?" | | | | correct. |
| "What-would-you-like-to-order?" | | | | In a survey of your drive-thru customers, most |
| "Wow! You speak English great." | | | | would vote for the real, live person. If you feel |
| "Eight what?" | | | | you can't do this, then any of #1, #2 or #3 |
| "Never mind, just give me: 2 - #1's, 1 - #2, and 3 | | | | above would help us. Or follow Bill Miller's lead and |
| - #4's" | | | | do all three, and we'll keep on driving-thru. |
| "Ok, that's: a #1, a #2, a #3, and a #4. | | | | |
