Chick-fil-A will open a drive-thru in Honolulu's Makiki neighborhood as it experiments with new restaurant layouts.
The chain's press release says the custom-designed site will debut this week.
Dual-lane drive-thru service was built for the restaurant, which will not provide dine-in. Walking clients will have three walk-up windows and third-party delivery
Chick-fil-A is the latest fast-food chain to focus on delivery, drive-thru, and takeaway. This is the first drive-thru-focused Chick-fil-A's O'ahu
facility isn't its first such design. The chicken franchise has built over 30 drive-thru-only eateries and a Nashville delivery and catering facility in
recent years. A Charlotte, N.C., drive-thru Chick-fil-A opened in 2021 to reduce traffic from dine-in units.
There may be no diners, but the new site won't be automated. The 150 full- and part-time employees at the new Hawaii restaurant will serve
diners at the three walk-up windows (no AI yet). Other personnel will take orders at drive-thrus using iPads. While one drive-thru staff gathers
orders, another will pay each automobile. Everything will be designed for speed. Chick-fil-A claims this method will speed up ordering compared to a speaker
Of course, Hawaii is hot. Lucky for Chick-fil-A, Inc., apparel brands created vests and moisture-wicking uniforms to keep staff cool.