With drive-thru service now accounting for up to 70% of fast food sales, the mind boggles to hear that companies are trying to speed up their drive thru service. One method of speeding up service is to route calls to call centers - instead of simply receiving them inside the restaurant over a speaker or radio - to increase accuracy. Companies have found this to be relatively effective, particularly in areas where their employees have limited English skills. The call centers enter the menu items onto a central computer, which transmits the order directly into the restaurant's computers. Another strategy is to replace the traditional written menu board with a photo illustrated or digital one, hoping that tempting food imagery will help customers choose their food faster. There are even computer programs that average how much food needs to be cooking at any given moment.

Though it is important that employees assemble the food and deliver it to the customer quickly, this is the only aspect of the fast food transaction which cannot be sped up. Digital ordering and processing happen very fast. Food can be pre-cooked and reheated in seconds. Workers can only move, unfortunately for business, at an all too human pace. Though the companies have not yet begun to test completely automated food delivery systems - which might lower the customers' quality of experience - an automatic and faster order-taking process is the next best thing. The vast majority of customers will wait for their order once it is placed and paid for, no matter how long it takes them to get their food. They will not demand a refund and leave the line. Orders that are completed are what count in the business and getting the orders placed quickly will keep customers there.

Closing the "eat-in" portion of these fast food restaurants would direct all traffic to the drive-thru, increasing business from 70% to 100%. The goal of the fast food companies is not to simply drive more business to their drive thru windows, but to increase business overall. With a shorter turnover time, they are hoping that customers with ever-tightening schedules will squeeze in an extra trip or two for french fries if they know that it will only take an extra 30 seconds off their day.