Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX: QSR) (NYSE: QSR) (TSX: QSP), announced that it is modernising the drive-thru experience at more than 10,000 Burger King and Tim Hortons locations, with Popeyes beginning its own rollout later this year.
More than 40,000 digital screens are being installed with powerful ‘predictive selling’ technology, integration with restaurant loyalty programs and the ability for remote, contactless payment, reflecting the strategic importance and value of the drive-thru experience to Restaurant Brands International’s iconic restaurant brands.
Jose Cil, CEO of Restaurant Brands International said “Our guests have sought out our drive-thru lanes for our iconic food and beverages throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – even in the face of mandated dining room closures around the world. We believe strongly that it is time to modernize our drive-thru lanes throughout the US and Canada to provide even better, quicker and contactless service for our guests. This includes presenting menu options on digital screens that are tailored for each guest, as well as integrating our loyalty program at the moment of ordering and providing remote, contactless payment to speed up our drive-thru lanes in the near future”.
The 40,000+ outdoor-rated 46″ screens will be powered by the latest STRATACACHE Media Engines that are clustered together, redundantly, for high-availability – meaning that if any one of the four digital screens in a standard drive-thru loses communication with its primary media player, the secondary media player will take over and ensure that content continues to be displayed correctly.
Josh Kobza, Restaurant Brands International’s Chief Operating Officer added “We have been on an exciting digital journey to become a leader in our industry. We have attracted exceptional digital and technology talent to join our global team and our digital drive-thru menu board initiative is just one in a series of strategic projects that we are rolling out over the next year to strengthen our business model and improve the level of service we provide to our guests”.
As of September, Tim Hortons has installed digital drive-thru menu boards at approximately 800 locations in the U.S. and Canada; Burger King has installed digital drive-thru menu boards at more than 1,500 locations in the U.S.; and Popeyes is starting installation at new locations later this year. A typical drive-thru lane includes four digital screens, while double drive-thru lanes typically include a total of seven digital screens. Restaurant Brands International is assessing drive-thru locations and, where possible, is installing double drive-thru lanes to increase capacity and efficiency at our restaurants.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world’s largest quick service restaurant companies with approximately $31 billion in annual system-wide sales and 27,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. RBI owns three of the world’s most prominent and iconic quick service restaurant brands – TIM HORTONS®, BURGER KING®, and POPEYES®. These independently operated brands have been serving their respective guests, franchisees and communities for over 45 years.
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