How Brands Can Use the Drive-Thru Study as a Challenger Brand

Imagine standing on the sidelines of a race where the frontrunners have all the resources, the biggest crowds, and the most advanced gear.  

If you’re not the leader of the pack, it’s easy to feel like you're constantly playing catch-up, trying to guess what the leaders know that you don't. A challenger brand is any brand that isn't the top market leader but is actively looking to disrupt the status quo through agility and innovation. It's a brand that doesn't just want to participate in the industry; it wants to redefine it by outmaneuvering the giants. To do that, you can't rely on intuition alone. You need the same high-level, defensible data that the industry leaders use to sharpen their competitive edge.

Our Annual Drive-Thru Study is your roadmap to the top. While the study officially features the biggest names in the business, the data it uncovers is a goldmine for any brand looking to scale. Whether you're an analyst, an operations leader, or a franchise performance director, this research provides the benchmarks you need to run data-backed pilots and make smart investments. It’s about taking the guesswork out of your growth strategy and replacing it with evidence that can't be ignored.

The Challenger Brand Playbook: Turning Drive-Thru Data into Action

1. Fast Benchmarking and Executive Alignment

Your first move should be to focus on the specific KPIs where you suspect your brand either lags or surpasses the industry average. This could be anything from total service time to the frequency of suggestive selling. To align your team, follow these steps:

• Identify Red Zones: Find the "Lagging KPIs" where the industry is significantly faster or more accurate than your current internal estimates.

• Highlight Strengths: Identify your "Winning KPIs" to highlight your unique competitive advantages to your board.

• Create a One-Page Brief: Share a simple comparison with your leadership team to get everyone aligned on what needs to change.

• Engage Franchisees: Present a "where we sit" brief to franchisees that shows exact gaps in seconds or satisfaction points. It’s not about their market being different but about focusing the team on hitting measurable benchmarks.

2. Training and Frontline Coaching with Evidence

One of the most valuable parts of the study is the "Super Driver" evidence. This data identifies the specific behaviors that have the biggest impact on the customer experience. For example, the study proves that friendly service drives dramatically higher satisfaction and repeat intent. Use these specific benchmarks to train your team:

• The Friendly Baseline: Show your team that friendly service leads to a 97% satisfaction rate across the industry. This makes training feel like a strategic tool for success rather than a vague corporate mandate.

• The Clarity Standard: Use the study’s findings to show how clear communication directly impacts the bottom line.

• The Personal Touch: Use data on personalized greetings to encourage staff to move beyond robotic scripts.

We’ll go beyond this and look at the “Super Drivers” specific to your brand. Being a challenger brand doesn’t just get you access to an industry overview, it gives you a brand-specific roadmap to follow. 

3. Operational Experiments and Technology ROI

You can’t afford to waste money on technology that doesn’t work. The Drive-Thru Study allows you to stop guessing if your POS or kitchen display systems need an upgrade. The math in favor of optimizing technology can be simple and compelling. If you’re looking to upgrade drive-thru speakers, look at this:

• Time Saved: Good clarity saves 54 seconds per car.

• Time Wasted: Repetition adds 1 minute and 25 seconds.

• ROI Calculation: Show your CFO exactly how many more cars you can process per hour by reducing communication errors.

4. Evaluating Emerging Drive-Thru Advancements

The Drive-Thru Study can help Challenger Brands assess which new technologies are actually improving performance and which may create new friction. This can include:

• digital confirmation boards

• improved headset technology

• automated ordering tools

Voice AI ordering is one example. While it may improve speed, it can also create challenges around customization and order accuracy. For Challenger Brands, these insights can support smarter decisions about which innovations are worth pursuing and how to use them to compete more effectively.

Choosing the Right Package for Your Goals

We offer two primary ways to access this goldmine of data:

Complete Reporting Package:

• Perfect for brands that want to understand the industry standard.

• You get access to data through pre-configured, interactive dashboards that allow you to slice and dice the findings, plus all the data for the core brands included in the study.

• You get the ability to download raw data files in CSV or Excel formats for internal analysis.

• Includes a personal advisory call with our experts to help you interpret the results.

Benchmark Research Package:

• An ultimate tool for a Challenger Brand.

• Includes everything in the Complete Reporting Package.

• You get 150 Mystery Shops conducted at your own specific drive-thru locations.

• We handle all shopper fees and food reimbursement.

• Your data is pre-loaded into the Intouch Platform to see your brand side-by-side with industry leaders. This is the most effective way to quantify impacts at your actual sites and provide an airtight business case.

Ready to Claim Your Competitive Edge?

The drive-thru landscape is changing faster than ever, and you can’t afford to be left behind. Don’t let another year go by without knowing exactly how you stack up against the best in the business. 

Buy the Complete Reporting Package today to get immediate access to the interactive dashboards, or step up to the Benchmark Research Package for 150 targeted shops at your own locations.