If you’ve ever driven by a Chick-fil-A, chances are you’ve seen a line draped around the building, waiting to get up to the pick-up window. That’s all about to change. The fast-food chain has unveiled a new restaurant concept featuring a 4-lane drive-thru, an overhead kitchen, and chutes to deliver food to customers. Designed to cater to the fast-food giant’s digital business, the new design will debut next year at a restaurant in the company’s home base of Atlanta, Ga. The elevated building has a sophisticated food transport system made up of an overhead conveyor belt with chutes down the sides that will deliver the chain’s famous chicken sandwiches to employees stationed at the ground level. The 4-lane drive-thru will be able to accommodate 75 cars, twice the capacity of traditional locations. Customers will be able to either order ahead through the chain’s mobile app, or order as usual from an employee as they approach the drive-thru lane. A second design — a walk-up store with no cashiers designed for locations with lots of foot traffic — is also slated to be rolled out in New York City in 2024.
