Just Salad CEO Nick Kenner said that he takes pride in the fact that this is a real drive-thru lane, unlike many other fast-casual concepts many of which have leaned into drive-thru pickup lanes instead.

“We have sensors built into the drive-thru outside so it can recognize a car, and the employees hear a chime, so we always know when somebody's outside,” Chantelle Nisbett, director of field and operations technology for Just Salad, said. “In the drive-thru lane, we can track and see how long we take to start and complete orders, so we can see that flow with the standard in-store process we have. Now we’re managing both sides.”

Besides the drive-thru lane, the Livingston location looks very similar to other suburban Just Salad stores. With indoor and outdoor seating, Just Salad balances the speed and convenience needs of its guests with those who want to sit down and take their time.

Each store also has a unique mural that represents the community, commissioned by a local artist. The Livingston store features landmarks such as the nearby Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Turtleback Zoo.

As guests pull through the drive-thru lane, they will see digital menu boards that also display the user’s order and total after the employee enters it into the system, so that an order can be corrected if needed.

For now, the drive-thru lane uses modernized versions of the classic drive-thru technology and does nor utilize AI. However, Nisbett said the brand is exploring AI and automation tools for future drive-thru stores.

All Just Salad drive-thru orders are made to order, and the average execution time is less than three minutes, which is comparable to quick-service drive-thru formats. Just Salad CEO Nick Kenner said employees are able to do this because they prioritize drive-thru orders over other channels.

Kenner added that he expects the drive-thru lane to help pick up average traffic, and this appears to be true so far: On the Livingston store’s opening day in mid-December, there was a steady stream of cars going through the drive-thru lane during peak lunch hour.