How Smashburger is rethinking the drive-thru

Why is Smashburger ditching traditional drive-thrus? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Carl Bachmann, president of the fast-casual burger chain that is looking to get back on the growth path after some difficult years. The chain is operated by the Philippines-based Jollibee Corp. It operates fewer than 250 locations, down by about a third over the past five years. But Bachmann talks on the podcast about why the brand is ready for growth again and what Smashburger has been doing to prepare for that growth. And he talks a lot about the company’s new “virtual” drive-thrus, or mobile-order drive-thrus and why that will be the company’s option going forward. That goes in a different direction from many other fast-casual chains that have focused on increasing the number of traditional drive-thru lanes. It’s an interesting discussion about fast-casual drive-thrus so check it out.