Drive-thrus: Convenience Or Lazy?

The most common reason a drive-thru was used was for getting coffee which was reported by 63% of the respondents and 60% reported using a drive-thru to get fast food, at least three times a week. 20% of the respondents reported using drive-thru banking at least once a week, and 13% said that they also tend to use pharmaceutical drive-thru options. 

According to the analysis, most people start showing up at the drive-thru windows around mid-morning, with 35% of the respondents reporting that they generally shop between 8 AM to 12 PM. 27% of the respondents think that drive-thru coffee shops should be available past midnight and into the wee early morning hours, and 26% feel the same way about fast food restaurants. 

Walk-in shoppers are more likely to be introverted (63%) than they are to be extroverted (34%), and drive-thru shoppers are more likely to be extroverted (53%) than introverted (44%), according to the results. Interestingly, 77% of the respondents who prefer to use drive-thrus consider themselves to be patient. 

When it comes to actually getting out of the car and going into a shop only 6% of those who would prefer to use a drive-thru feel anxious when talking to shop employees, while 28% of those who prefer to go in and shop for themselves report that they sometimes feel anxious when talking to employees. In fact, 31% of the drive-thru shoppers report that they are more likely to feel confident when talking to employees while in-store, while only 24% of the walk-in shoppers reported that they are more likely to feel confident when talking to employees in-store. 

“Drive-thrus can be intimidating when you’re not familiar with the place,” says the senior vice president of brand at Dutch Bros, Charles Swindler. “Here, everyone should feel like they are getting a fun experience along with a great drink, all from the front seat of their car!”  

Why are drive-thrus so appealing to many Americans? 61% of the respondents report that it tends to be the faster option, 61% appreciate not having to get out of their car, 52% say that drive-thrus help them to avoid standing in long lines, and 69% say that they think that they get better service in a drive-thru than in the store. 

On the flip side, walk-in shopping has perks too as 72% of the respondents report that going into the store helps them to avoid waiting in long lines of polluting cars, 64% like to see what they want to get in person, and 62% like to get up and walk around to stretch their legs. 

When it comes to drive-thrus, looks matter here as well, with 68% of the respondents admitting that they judge the quality of a store by their drive-thru area, and 44% said that they avoid going to shops with unkempt or boring-looking drive-thrus. 

56% of the respondents say that they appreciate colorful artwork or artistic decorations in drive-thru areas, 56% think that it would be great to be able to connect to interactive games or activities with the shop from in their car, 53% said that music makes the experience more fun and 46% think that having a unique way to request/receive an order also make the experience more enjoyable. 

“An early-morning experience at a drive-thru can make or break your day,” adds Swindler. “But that doesn’t have to be your entire day — whether you’re having a good or bad day, a delicious pick-me-up can easily make it a better one!”

According to the Online Grocery Shopping Report 2023 Edition, Americans have continued to buy their groceries online as well. This survey of 1,000 consumers reveals that in the past 90 days, 72% of the respondents purchased their groceries online, which is the same percentage as last year. 40% of the respondents report ordering groceries online for both delivery and pick up weekly, and 56% report that they are actually ordering online more now than in the past. 

40% of online grocery shoppers do so on a regular weekly basis, with 41% of the respondents being very likely and another 40% being likely to reorder products from a previous online order using the order again functions. While the vast majority admit that they order online because of convenience, 37% of the respondents prefer to shop online because they can comparison-shop and feel that this makes online grocery shopping cheaper. 42% of the respondents spend from $51-$100 on each order, and another 33% spend $101 to $200 per order. Those who spend $201+ are more likely to order daily or weekly to save on fees.