FredHeads rejoice: Freddy’s testing out Chick-fil-A style drive-through system in Wichita
Anyone who’s been through the Chick-fil-A drive-through knows that it’s next-level amazing.
As I detailed last August, no matter how long the line of cars waiting for chicken sandwiches at a Chick-fil-A drive through, there’s no need to panic because an army of teens clutching iPads and wearing headsets is conducting seamless choreography that will get you to front of the line in no time.
Now, a homegrown restaurant chain is testing out a similar setup at its Wichita stores, and it’s already making a difference.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, known for its amazing smash burgers and shoestring fries, is also known for having a drive-through that requires patience. Freddy’s food is worth the wait, but if you’re in a hurry, you can’t always do it.
Over the weekend, though, I drove past the Freddy’s on Ridge Road near Kellogg and spotted an employee clutching a hand-held computer and taking a drive-through order at a car window. I immediately reached out to the Freddy’s folks in Wichita.
The Freddy’s chain, I was told, is in fact testing out a new drive-through setup intended to get customers through the line more quickly. Ben Simon, senior vice president of corporate operations for the chain, said that the chain started the test at a few restaurants in Wichita earlier this year and recently expanded the test to include all Wichita Freddy’s restaurants with drive throughs. A few franchised restaurants in Colorado and Nebraska are also part of the test group, he said.
So far, the test is going well, he said, and he expects that within the next six months, Freddy’s corporate will decide whether to expand the program to the rest of the chain, which includes more than 400 restaurants.
“It’s something we’re pleased with so far,” he said.
I returned to the Freddy’s drive through on Ridge Road earlier this week to see how it was working.
Although Freddy’s hasn’t deployed a Chick-fil-A sized army, the changes still cut down on my wait time. When I visited just after noon, there were two employees outside: one for each of the drive-through lanes. The employees would approach cars as they got closer to the drive-through speaker and take orders on their hand-held computers. Customers paid the employees after they ordered.
That kept the front of the line moving quickly. Orders were ready when cars got to the window, and because people had already paid, they just grabbed their food and left. I’d estimate that the process cut seven to 10 minutes off of a usual Freddy’s drive-through experience.
Since the concept is still in its testing phase, Simon said, customers might visit a Wichita Freddy’s sometime and find the traditional drive-through setup still in use. But stores are trying to use it during peak lunch and dinner hours.
“We’re still working out a few of the kinks,” he said. “But when we can, it’s going to be on.”
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