With many sit-down restaurants becoming obsolete and customers preferring to order fast-food deliveries, Chick-fil-A has developed an alternative.
Chick-fil-A has started plans for a digital-only restaurant, which they believe will be a hit with fast-food lovers.
Chick-fil-A’s First Digital-Only Restaurant Will Open in New York City
Chick-fil-A is set to open its first digital-only restaurant in New York City, a city famous for the hustle and bustle of life.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, it will be located on the Upper East Side of New York City and will open on March 21, 2024.
A Restaurant with No Seating Area
Most restaurants tend to have at least some sort of seating area, even if it is very limited, but Chick-fil-A has taken a different approach.
As the restaurant is digital only, customers and delivery drivers will only be able to go to the restaurant to pick up their order and take it anywhere they wish to eat it.
Chick-fil-A’s Digital Restaurant Will Have Clear Pathways
To try to limit the need for queues, Chick-fil-A’s digital restaurant will have clear lines for customers and delivery drivers.
Each path will contain a status board that will state whether an order is being prepared or is ready to be picked up. When a customer’s order is ready, they will be able to go to the front of the queue, and this should prevent the congestion that many fast-food restaurants face.
The Digital-Only Restaurant Due to Mobile and Delivery Orders Increasing
Chick-fil-A will open the first digital-only restaurant due to the increase in mobile and food delivery orders all over the world.
In 2022, the U.S. made $17.1 billion from food delivery revenue, and the food app industry is set to make $165 billion by 2029, according to Business of Apps.
Chick-fil-A’s Digital-Only Restaurant Will Hire Just 40 People
Despite a recent Chick-fil-A restaurant opening in Hawaii having 140 employees, according to Chick-fil-A’s website, the digital-only restaurant in New York City will employ just 40.
The majority of these employees will be based in the kitchen; however, a few will be front-of-house to help assist with any order issues.
Food Orders Will Be Timed to the Customer’s Arrival
Unlike most food places where you’re told when your order’s ready and when you can go to collect it, Chick-fil-A is taking a different approach.
The Chick-fil-A website states that customers will order on their app or website, and the restaurant will be alerted to the order and will receive a further notification when the customer is coming to pick up the order so they know to start preparing it in the hopes that it will be done by the time the customer arrives.
New York City Perfect for the Test Restaurant
The idea for Chick-fil-A’s digital-only restaurant was to deliver speed and convenience, so New York City was the perfect place for them to test out this entirely new concept.
Many New Yorkers are constantly on the go and have to fit in eating with their busy schedules. This allows them to order ahead so they can have their food ready to be picked up at a time that is convenient for them.
This Hospitality Meets the Demands of the New York Lifestyle
The idea for this Chick-fil-A digital-only restaurant was to be in convenient locations and offer a fast-paced service.
This makes it the perfect place for New Yorkers, as their busy lifestyles will determine whether this restaurant is a success or a failure.
Chick-fil-A’s New Restaurant Offers Flexibility
With customer preferences growing, especially in the digital age, Chick-fil-A wants to grow with its audience to ensure they are meeting their needs.
Nation’s Restaurant News spoke to Khalilah Cooper, Chick-fil-A’s chief director of restaurant design, who said they look at how customers engage with Chick-fil-A and try to meet their needs that way.
Walk-In Orders Are Also Available
Even though Chick-fil-A expects the majority of orders will be placed online ahead of time, it has developed a system to help those who might want to pop in and order.
QR codes will be situated around the restaurant for customers to scan on their phones, and they can order their food from there, so they should still get their food in good time.
Chick-fil-A Has Always Been Proud of Its Hospitality
Whether Chick-fil-A has an in-person or digital restaurant, hospitality is at the core of everything.
The Sun reports that the design plan for Chick-fil-A’s digital-only restaurant focused on the hospitality aspect to ensure better customer service when it comes to orders.
