Breakout Session / Tuesday / October 7, 2025 / 11:45 AM
Drive-Thru Dynamics: Navigating the Evolving Landscape & Boosting Off-Premise Profits
The drive-thru experience is undergoing a significant transformation driven by technology and changing consumer expectations. This session will explore the evolving landscape of drive-thru dining and equip attendees with strategies to navigate these changes while maximizing profitability for off-premise orders.
We'll delve into:
- Emerging technologies, including digital ordering and mobile payments, implementing dynamic menu boards, voice-activated ordering, using AI-powered recommendations to personalize order suggestion.
- Customer experience trends.
- Innovative approaches to increase check size and drive customer loyalty, such as exclusive deals and promotions for digital and mobile orders, subscription models and loyalty programs tailored to off-premise customers.
- Minimizing wait times and ensuring order accuracy and providing a seamless pick-up experience.
- Analyzing order data to identify customer preferences.
- Tracking KPIs to measure the effectiveness of off-premise strategies.
- Utilizing customer feedback to refine operations and enhance the overall drive-thru experience.
PANELISTS
John Lucas | VP of Brand & Franchise Development | Farmer Boys
John Lucas is an industry veteran with over 35 years of hospitality and restaurant experience. In his role, John ensures Farmer Boys upholds our consistent operational standards and delivers a high-quality, reliable guest experience in every restaurant. Additionally, Lucas oversees all the system’s franchised locations and is responsible for building upon Farmer Boys’ high service standards at those locations. Lucas joined the Farmer Boys team in 2017 as a franchise business consultant and now serves as the Vice President of Brand and Franchise Development.
Dawn Nielsen | Chief Operating Officer | Kolache Factory
Ashley Reed | Director of Digital & Off-Premise Sales | Taco Cabana
