Tech-forward chain Cava is testing a drive-thru lane for digital order pickups at several locations.
The pickup-by-car lane is slated to open at five Cava units this year, the company said. It allows customers to place an order online or via the chain’s app, schedule a pickup time and drive to a designated window to grab the food.
Cava opened its first drive-thru pickup lane in April in Waverly, N.C., and is expanding the test.
“We wanted to rethink the ability of getting food at the drive-thru,” Cava CEO Brett Schulman told Forbes. “The drive-thru itself isn’t that efficient—you order on-site; you wait in a long line. To be able to order your food from an app, choose your pickup time and drive up and receive your food, we’re taking the friction out of the drive-thru completely.”
The Rockville, Md.-based chain has become known for its technological innovation. It uses sensors to monitor food safety on delivery trucks and as a video learning system for employee onboarding, and is focused on using data to make systemwide changes to the customer experience.
Cava Group Inc. acquired Mediterranean fast-casual chain Zoes Kitchen last year in a $300 million, go-private deal that was funded in part by Act III Holdings, the investment group created by former Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich.
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