Sweetgreen to Pilot Digital Drive-Thru
Sweetgreen will open its first location with a digital drive-thru -- what it is dubbing the sweetlane concept, in Schaumburg, Ill., within the next year.
To access the drive-thru, customers at the Schaumburg location will place orders in advance exclusively through sweetgreen’s digital platform. Sweetgreen is among the brands seeing surging online orders; almost 50% of total revenue in 2021 came through orders placed on sweetgreen’s mobile app or website.
Demand for Drive-Thru
Drive-thrus, according to market research firm The NPD Group, are the key to the industry's future. Drive-thrus have always been the ultimate in convenience and speed but during the pandemic they were the lifeline for QSRs and fast-casual brands. Consumer demand for drive-thru has spurred brands to revisit their store development plans, adding drive-thrus and contactless pickup options to their new designs. In December, Chipotle opened its first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen that offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup.
The sweetgreen location will also feature a round observation window for customers in their cars to watch the fresh prep as they pick up their orders, bringing the in-store experience to drive-thru digital customers. Pick-up orders may also be placed inside the restaurant, where dine-in service will be available.
“We are always innovating to provide more convenience for our customers, which is why we’re excited about our first sweetlane concept in Schaumburg,” said sweetgreen Co-founder and Chief Concept Officer, Nicolas Jammet. “Digital customers are our most habitual users and we believe this new format will provide us with more options to connect people to real food.”
The new restaurant will be located at 1320 N. Meacham Road and the opening date and hours of operation have yet to be disclosed.
