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Take a look at Chick-fil-A’s new elevated drive-thru prototypeTake a look at Chick-fil-A’s new elevated drive-thru prototype

The test restaurant includes four drive-thru lanes flowing under and beside an elevated kitchen and it is expected to generate at least twice the volume of a traditional Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Alicia Kelso, Executive Editor

August 22, 2024

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Chick-fil-A has opened its first elevated drive-thru restaurant, located about a half hour south of metro Atlanta off Interstate 75. The prototype features four drive-thru lanes – two designated for traditional drive-thru customers and two for mobile-order-ahead customers, including delivery drivers. It also features an elevated kitchen that transports food to team members below via a “meal transport system.”

The restaurant was intentionally designed to meet high demand; the kitchen is twice as big as a standard Chick-fil-A kitchen and the food transport system allows a meal to be delivered to a team member every six seconds. As such, the restaurant – one of two test prototypes for the company – is expected to deliver at least twice the amount of volume as a traditional restaurant.

About the Author

Alicia Kelso

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News

Alicia Kelso is the executive editor of Nation's Restaurant News. She began covering the restaurant industry in 2010 for QSRweb.com, FastCasual.com and PizzaMarketplace.com. When her son was born, she left the industry to pursue a role in higher education, but swiftly returned after realizing how much she missed the space. In filling that void, Alicia added a contributor role at Restaurant Dive and a senior contributor role at Forbes.
Her work has appeared in publications around the world, including Forbes Asia, NPR, Bloomberg, The Seattle Times, Crain's Chicago, Good Morning America and Franchise Asia Magazine.
Alicia holds a degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, where she competed on the women's swim team. In addition to cheering for the BGSU Falcons, Alicia is a rabid Michigan fan and will talk about college football with anyone willing to engage. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her wife and son.

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