Curbside Pickup Leads the Restaurant Industry’s Digital Shift

As restaurants increasingly adopt tech features, curbside pickup is proving to be the most common digital offering.

By the Numbers

Most restaurants now offer curbside pickup. According to a PYMNTS Intelligence study last year, 55% of all restaurants have implemented curbside pickup, and that share jumps up to 63% for quick-service restaurants (QSRs). These percentages were greater than any other technology or digital feature.

The Data in Context

Restaurants are increasingly finding ways to drive pickup adoption. For instance, QSR giant Domino’s announced earlier this year an integration with Apple CarPlay to power in-vehicle ordering, enabling consumers to make purchases via the pizza chain’s app on their car’s console by tapping or by calling.

“We know how frustrating it can be to wait in a drive-thru line just to place an order,” Christopher Thomas-Moore, Domino’s senior vice president and chief digital officer, said in a statement at the time. “Domino’s app on CarPlay is a great alternative to that, as customers still have the convenience of staying in their car and can place an order from wherever they are without waiting in a long drive-thru.”

Meanwhile, McDonald’s is tapping geofencing to improve its pickup offerings. The company shared in the spring that it is updating its mobile order and pay capabilities to inform back-of-house staff when mobile order-ahead customers are near the store, such that the kitchen can prepare the order to be warm and ready just as the diner arrives, to both boost efficiency and improve the customer experience.

“We’re committed to consistently delivering a fast and more seamless experience for fans using the McDonald’s app,” McDonald’s USA stated in an email at the time. “We’ve rolled out app updates that will improve the mobile-order experience, making it fast and convenient for those ordering ahead through the McDonald’s app for curbside, table service or in-store pickup.”