Chick-fil-A is, in my humble opinion, one of the best fast food restaurant chains in the world, and it’s not just because they are Christian owned and go to the absolute max to provide high quality service and products. The chain also does a ton of charity work and stays closed on Sundays in order to allow their employees to be able to attend church services. In other words, they put their proverbial money where their mouth is when it comes to carrying out the commands of Jesus Christ.
And now Chick-fil-A is all set to open up a unique, first-of-its-kind restaurant in New York City next week, which will not have any menu boards, cash registers, or seating. So what kind of establishment are we talking about then?
Check out the details from Christian Headlines:
According to The Christian Post, the restaurant, which will be a 400-square-foot “grab-n-go” style establishment, is set to open on NYC’s Upper East Side March 21.
Customers will order ahead through the Chick-fil-A mobile app, and the restaurant will be notified by geofencing when they are on their way to pick up the food. Upon arrival, customers can see their name on a monitor and whether their order is ready or still being prepared. Once it’s ready, customers can pick up their food from an employee.
According to the company, the concept behind the new restaurant will “ensure each meal is timed with the customer’s arrival.”
This is a prime example of what I mean when I say the restaurant chain goes out of its way to do cool things for customers. And not only that, they are attempting to innovate within the industry, push it along the path of progress. It’s a pretty cool idea.
Jared Caldwell, who once owned and operated a Chick-fil-A location on 3rd Avenue and 86th Street, is set to head up the new store located on the Upper East Side.
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“[W]e are always looking for ways to innovate and enhance the Guest experience,” Nathaniel Cates, senior principal design lead, went on to say in a statement. “While digital concepts are becoming more prevalent, it’s important that we evolve in a uniquely Chick-fil-A way — meeting the changing needs of our customers without compromising the signature service and care they’ve grown to know and love.”
According to NBC’s Today show, about 50 percent of Chick-fil-A’s purchases are through mobile orders across the United States, with the amount being higher in urban areas such as New York City.
“Chick-fil-A wants to focus on serving the customer in the way that they want to be served,” Cates said in a statement made to the outlet. That is exactly the way businesses should function and how they should be focused. It’s amazing there are so many companies out there in the food service industry who simply do not grasp this simple concept.
In recent years, fast-food chains have given customers the opportunity to order ahead on their respective mobile apps, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which prevented customers from dining in.
Under the apps, customers can place their orders for pick up in drive-through, in-store or curbside delivery.
This isn’t the first unique idea the folks at Chick-fil-A have had. Last year, the company announced it would be building a restaurant where the kitchen was above four drive-thru lanes. Yes, you read that correctly.
“By building the kitchen above the drive-thru lanes, meals are expedited to the Team Member who delivers the order directly to the customer in a space protected by the upper level, so hospitality won’t be sacrificed for speed of service,” the announcement, which was made last July, says. “Regardless of how you choose to order your meal, the restaurant design is made to elevate and accelerate the experience but keep the human interaction at its core.”
Very cool.