Panera Bread, a fast-casual food chain with more than 2,100 bakery-cafes in the US and Canada, is trying to increase the number of digital orders they receive by allowing customers to order from the drive-thru inside their own vehicles using Apple CarPlay. According to a press release that was echoed by PYMNTS, the company began a partnership with Apple’s CarPlay on the 6th of September, 2022.
The announcement coincides with consumers’ growing desire to shop for food with extreme convenience. According to AutoEvolution, users of Panera’s app within their car’s infotainment system will be able to create a new order, see recent and favorite orders, and complete the checkout process. The MyPanera Loyalty program is a requirement for drivers who want to use Panera’s Apple CarPlay app.
With Panera’s Apple CarPlay app, a customer must pick up their order in-store or select curbside pickup. Subscribers to the company’s Unlimited Sip Club who use CarPlay can redeem their drinks from their vehicle’s dashboard.
Customers who self-order through Apple CarPlay allow a quick-service restaurant like Panera to staff fewer employees to deal with these requests.
According to PYMNTS, quick-service restaurant drive-thru revenues have increased dramatically since 2020, and these restaurants have struggled to find and keep employees as drive-thru sales have soared.
Results from the 2022 edition of the PYMNTS Restaurant Readiness Index, developed in partnership with Paytronix, and based on a survey of over 500 managers of quick-service and full-service restaurants, show that about one in three restaurants report that their level of service has decreased as a result of staffing issues. In addition, 28% of restaurants have adopted newer technologies in an effort to overcome these difficulties.
Furthermore, this bakery-cafe chain revealed that it was putting the “Tori” drive-thru voice assistant, developed by the IT firm OpenCity, to the test.
The prospect of AI drive-thru technology is “very exciting for us,” said Debbie Roberts, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Panera. “We are excited to evaluate the results of these tests and the possibility of spreading this technology in additional bakery-cafes.”
Panera is not the first company to offer voice ordering features or to let customers place food orders using the digital features of their cars. For instance, BurgerFi, a fast-casual restaurant chain with more than 120 locations in North Palm Beach, Florida, began testing in-car ordering through dashboard touchscreens or voice commands in collaboration with Mavi.io.
According to Cynthia Hollen, CEO and co-founder of Mavi.io, “drivers… want to make the most of each trip by being able to shop from their cars safely and comfortably.” “Mavi’s in-car marketplace promotes new customer acquisition, loyalty, and sales for both retailers and service providers, guaranteeing they can fulfill their on-the-go customer’s expectations for immediacy and convenience.”
The notion of a drive-thru restaurant was first introduced in 1947. Red’s Giant Hamburg’s drive-thru allowed patrons to make orders and pick up their meals by pulling up to a window. Since that time, drive-thrus have continuously contributed a sizable portion of the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) revenue.
Every major restaurant brand reported considerable drive-through revenue growth by the end of 2021, and drive-thrus accounted for 52% of the customer traffic share for QSRs.
Restaurants are vying for business at the drive-thru these days, hoping to draw customers, satisfy them with quick service and conveniently packaged food, and persuade them to come back for more.
In order to deliver exceptional customer experiences throughout the drive-thru channel’s customer engagement lifecycle, restaurant chains are investing more and more in a variety of technological solutions and drive-thru concepts.
The drive-through concept is not exclusive to Panera. Other companies, including McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King, are introducing modernized restaurant layouts that include fewer dine-in areas and more drive-thrus.
Panera’s Apple CarPlay Continues to Make Waves in the Automotive Market
Apple is attempting to enter the auto business by leveraging the success of the iPhone. All types are merchant services with auto businesses are being targeted.
In June 2022, Apple unveiled the upgraded version of its CarPlay software. All interior screens’ user interfaces are taken over, and a digital gas gauge and speed dial are replaced with ones that the driver’s iPhone powers. Apple claimed that CarPlay aided in the sale of automobiles.
According to Apple Engineering Manager Emily Schubert, CarPlay is already installed in 98% of new vehicles in the United States. In addition, she provided an astonishing statistic: 79% of American buyers claimed they would only buy a car if it supported CarPlay.
During a presentation of the new features, Schubert remarked that it was a “must-have feature when shopping for a new vehicle.”
A significant new source of income for Apple may come from this CarPlay software.
First, users are less inclined to switch to an Android phone if they enjoy the CarPlay interface on their iPhones. That is a strategic goal for Apple, whose hardware sales account for the lion’s share of its revenue.
Second, even though the company does not presently charge automakers or suppliers, it may eventually start selling car services in the same way it does with iPhone software.
Apple confirmed that they had explored features to integrate commerce onto the dashboard of cars. According to Reuters, This summer saw the introduction of a number of new features, one of which allowed CarPlay users to locate gas stations and pay for their petrol right from the dashboard.
If Apple ever decides to charge for services in cars, the tens of billions of dollars it presently makes from the App Store could increase.
