Walk Up "Cutters" at Drive-Thru Shop - Barista Exchange2024-03-29T14:45:45Zhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/walk-up-cutters-at-drivethru?commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A697940&feed=yes&xn_auth=noIt is my personal view that c…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2010-11-28:1688216:Comment:9728372010-11-28T22:43:53.170ZMichellehttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Michelle68
It is my personal view that customers will <b>ALWAYS</b> do something annoying and disruptive. There is no way to change the situation without looking idiotic yourself.<br />
<br />
I have 16 years of drive through experience so here's is what I would do. I would serve them in order of appearance just like I do at my double sided drive through. This will allow you to work on two drinks at once and thus both lines move quickly. If you can't work on multiple drinks at once then you need to work a slower…
It is my personal view that customers will <b>ALWAYS</b> do something annoying and disruptive. There is no way to change the situation without looking idiotic yourself.<br />
<br />
I have 16 years of drive through experience so here's is what I would do. I would serve them in order of appearance just like I do at my double sided drive through. This will allow you to work on two drinks at once and thus both lines move quickly. If you can't work on multiple drinks at once then you need to work a slower shift. I really do not see the huge problem as long as their parked car is not interfering with the lanes of travel. Serve them with a smile and remember that they are paying your paycheck.<br />
<br />
**5 AM Rockstars Unite** Paige, Thank you for clarifyi…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-29:1688216:Comment:6996562009-11-29T03:22:01.685ZChristopher Zimmermanhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/ChristopherZimmerman
Paige, Thank you for clarifying for me and others... It seems to me that you are in a difficult situation... The order in advance suggestion is a great one... That is how major fast food chains serve customers and get their serving times as quick as they do, as we all know... The one big question I have for you is the positioning of your 2 windows... If you can take an order and have them pay at one window and then serve at the other one you can speed up that "limbo" time... just like most of…
Paige, Thank you for clarifying for me and others... It seems to me that you are in a difficult situation... The order in advance suggestion is a great one... That is how major fast food chains serve customers and get their serving times as quick as they do, as we all know... The one big question I have for you is the positioning of your 2 windows... If you can take an order and have them pay at one window and then serve at the other one you can speed up that "limbo" time... just like most of us do in our cafes... if not my feedback would include towing warning signs, especially on the sidewalk... and you may have to weigh the option of closing the walk up window during peak times... If people park across or down the street or in a valid parking lot we have to consider them as walk up customers, sucks I know, but its just like the dilemma of pulling into the lot of any shop that has a drive thru and deciding to park and go in or shoot thru the drive thru... don't get me wrong, I understand there's NO parking at your place... My other suggestion may sound extreme and you may not have room for it... Can your drive thru be converted into a parking lot with 4 or 5 spaces? then you could solely do walk up and the cutting would be no more... It sucks that no matter what changes you make you will lose customers, but you will also gain customers :-)... Definitely inform with signs of any changes and your customer base will appreciate it... Good luck to you...<br />
Cheers,<br />
Chris Paige,
Thank you so much for…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-28:1688216:Comment:6994412009-11-28T21:24:35.957ZJoseph Robertsonhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JosephRobertson
Paige,<br />
Thank you so much for posting this problem or issue. I mean bringing this to our attention. I am in the planning stages of my first drivethru and these situations are and will continue to be common problems that we need to work with and turn them to our favor, keeping as many customers as possible in the process.<br />
Joe<br />
--<br />
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform.
Paige,<br />
Thank you so much for posting this problem or issue. I mean bringing this to our attention. I am in the planning stages of my first drivethru and these situations are and will continue to be common problems that we need to work with and turn them to our favor, keeping as many customers as possible in the process.<br />
Joe<br />
--<br />
Ambassador for Specialty Coffee and palate reform. Jason Shipley said:Have you t…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-28:1688216:Comment:6993942009-11-28T19:12:54.488ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
<cite>Jason Shipley said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/walk-up-cutters-at-drivethru?page=1&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A699252&x=1#1688216Comment698956"><div>Have you though about having an employee walk down the line and take orders, having the orders earlier can give your production team inside more flexibility and allow them to pump out drinks faster. Also they could run drip drinks out and allow your regular coffee customers to get out of the…</div>
</blockquote>
<cite>Jason Shipley said:</cite><blockquote cite="http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum/topics/walk-up-cutters-at-drivethru?page=1&commentId=1688216%3AComment%3A699252&x=1#1688216Comment698956"><div>Have you though about having an employee walk down the line and take orders, having the orders earlier can give your production team inside more flexibility and allow them to pump out drinks faster. Also they could run drip drinks out and allow your regular coffee customers to get out of the line. If you have employees managing the line then your customers are less likely to get out and walk past them to the walk up window. It sounds like you're busy enough that an extra person should just raise your production capacity and should easily pay for themselves.</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Perfect! I agree with Jason Shipley. W…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-28:1688216:Comment:6992522009-11-28T15:32:03.962ZJordan Jedhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JordanJed
I agree with Jason Shipley. We do that on a regular basis and customers love it. You can expidite the easier and quicker cups of coffee and (if your set up allows) let them pull out of the line. Even if your line doesn't allow for easy pulling out, it would still speed things up considerably when your entire line dissapears in a few seconds after the first cusomer pulls out. Get the rep for quick service. It wont make sense to stop and get out of your car. Just remember, every customer counts.
I agree with Jason Shipley. We do that on a regular basis and customers love it. You can expidite the easier and quicker cups of coffee and (if your set up allows) let them pull out of the line. Even if your line doesn't allow for easy pulling out, it would still speed things up considerably when your entire line dissapears in a few seconds after the first cusomer pulls out. Get the rep for quick service. It wont make sense to stop and get out of your car. Just remember, every customer counts. Have you though about having…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-28:1688216:Comment:6989562009-11-28T03:46:22.026ZJason Shipleyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JasonShipley
Have you though about having an employee walk down the line and take orders, having the orders earlier can give your production team inside more flexibility and allow them to pump out drinks faster. Also they could run drip drinks out and allow your regular coffee customers to get out of the line. If you have employees managing the line then your customers are less likely to get out and walk past them to the walk up window. It sounds like you're busy enough that an extra person should just…
Have you though about having an employee walk down the line and take orders, having the orders earlier can give your production team inside more flexibility and allow them to pump out drinks faster. Also they could run drip drinks out and allow your regular coffee customers to get out of the line. If you have employees managing the line then your customers are less likely to get out and walk past them to the walk up window. It sounds like you're busy enough that an extra person should just raise your production capacity and should easily pay for themselves. Hi Paige,
To me, it looks li…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-27:1688216:Comment:6988532009-11-27T23:34:45.415ZBradyhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/Brady
Hi Paige,<br />
<br />
To me, it looks like you got lots of great feedback so far. I'm with the suggestion that you close the walk-up window during peak car traffic times if at all possible. You have people that have fallen into a pattern of cutting, and there will be no other way to get them to stop. Post a sign explaining, in a straightforward manner, why you are doing this. Am I right in thinking that your prime times for walkup traffic are not the prime commuter times anyway?<br />
<br />
Be prepared to lose some…
Hi Paige,<br />
<br />
To me, it looks like you got lots of great feedback so far. I'm with the suggestion that you close the walk-up window during peak car traffic times if at all possible. You have people that have fallen into a pattern of cutting, and there will be no other way to get them to stop. Post a sign explaining, in a straightforward manner, why you are doing this. Am I right in thinking that your prime times for walkup traffic are not the prime commuter times anyway?<br />
<br />
Be prepared to lose some of these customers, but I think you are probably ok with that.<br />
<br />
To Jarreds comment, you might also take a good look at your efficiency and speed. I hope you are not offended by this suggestion, because to me the root cause of your problem sounds like you have more customers than you can currently handle in a timely fashion during some times. This is a problem we all have to deal with, it just manifests itself in different ways. I'm sure you're already running pretty fast, but are there any opportunities to gain more efficiency? If not, then your line will take care of managing your customer count for you.<br />
<br />
Good luck! To those who were truly tryin…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-27:1688216:Comment:6987612009-11-27T21:26:18.392ZPaigehttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/DavenportCoffeeHound
To those who were truly trying to help and wished me to clarify; yes, some do leave their car in the drive-thru line and proceed to order at the walk up window. Most times we get their order not knowing they have left their car in the drive-thru line until we got back to the window to have them pay or even give them their drink and go, “Hey where he/she go?” Many also park literally on the sidewalk and walk up.<br />
<br />
Thank you to those who understood my dilemma and sought to help a sister barista…
To those who were truly trying to help and wished me to clarify; yes, some do leave their car in the drive-thru line and proceed to order at the walk up window. Most times we get their order not knowing they have left their car in the drive-thru line until we got back to the window to have them pay or even give them their drink and go, “Hey where he/she go?” Many also park literally on the sidewalk and walk up.<br />
<br />
Thank you to those who understood my dilemma and sought to help a sister barista out! I am new to the barista exchange and am taken aback by some disrespectful comments. My dilemma was not unreasonable, and certainly not malicious. OH NO You have too many custo…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-27:1688216:Comment:6985842009-11-27T15:32:25.335ZJarred Hoffpauirhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/JarredHoffpauir
OH NO You have too many customers! If you want to get rid of a few of them without singling anyone out then just tell every third customer "F*** you very much" as you hand them their drink. I think that should solve your problem.<br />
<br />
Oh I guess you could make your drinks faster but that seems unreasonable.
OH NO You have too many customers! If you want to get rid of a few of them without singling anyone out then just tell every third customer "F*** you very much" as you hand them their drink. I think that should solve your problem.<br />
<br />
Oh I guess you could make your drinks faster but that seems unreasonable. If people are parking in the…tag:www.baristaexchange.com,2009-11-27:1688216:Comment:6983532009-11-27T01:46:24.517ZThomas Ervin-Wardhttps://www.baristaexchange.com/profile/ThomasErvinWard
If people are parking in the cue and getting out then it is a 'Occupational Health and Safety Issue' -- they must stay in their cars. If they are parking in a non-parking/no-standing area of YOUR property then it is also a safety issue and you must ask them to either stay in their car or park in a designated spot.<br />
If they are parking somewhere else and walking to your store -- then serve them -- or take the walk-up window away. You could try looking at your order and prep. processes to speed…
If people are parking in the cue and getting out then it is a 'Occupational Health and Safety Issue' -- they must stay in their cars. If they are parking in a non-parking/no-standing area of YOUR property then it is also a safety issue and you must ask them to either stay in their car or park in a designated spot.<br />
If they are parking somewhere else and walking to your store -- then serve them -- or take the walk-up window away. You could try looking at your order and prep. processes to speed and streamline, or hire more staff for the peak period.<br />
<br />
Either way it shows that you are exceeding capacity for your peak periods. View your walkup window as a way to increase your capacity for customers. If you can't find a way to service that capacity with your staff & equipment you probably shouldn't have it.