Drive-thru wait times at fast-food restaurants are often unpredictable, especially during peak hours. This unpredictability frustrates customers who expect quick service and creates operational inefficiencies for restaurants. Since drive-thrus are a major revenue source for fast-food chains, long or uncertain wait times can hurt customer satisfaction and sales.

Real-Time Wait Time Integration

One way to address this issue is by integrating real-time and predictive drive-thru wait times into navigation apps like Google Maps. When users search for a restaurant or view it on the map, they could see an estimated wait time, similar to live traffic updates. This could work using:

• GPS data from users in drive-thru lines to estimate queue movement
• Historical trends based on time, day, or local events
• Optional user-submitted reports for crowdsourced accuracy

Restaurants could also opt to share order volume data from their point-of-sale systems to refine predictions further.

Benefits and Stakeholder Incentives

For customers, this feature would reduce uncertainty, helping them choose faster options. Restaurants could use the data to optimize staffing and promotions. A navigation platform like Google Maps could enhance user engagement while potentially generating ad revenue from restaurants.

Implementation Approach

A phased rollout could start with a basic MVP:

1. Launch manual wait time reporting by users via the app
2. Add automated GPS-based queue tracking as adoption grows
3. Partner with restaurant chains for direct POS integration for higher accuracy

Privacy concerns could be addressed by anonymizing location data and providing opt-out options.

While similar navigation apps track general business busyness, a dedicated drive-thru wait time feature could provide unique value for fast-food customers. Early testing with select locations could validate accuracy before wider release.