See Chick-fil-A's wild new restaurant design with a drive-thru that runs through the middle of the building

Nancy LunaJul 28, 2023, 16:44 IST

Chick-fil-A is debuting an elevated store design next year in Atlanta. The restaurant has four drive-thru lanes.Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is introducing two new restaurant designs in New York City and Atlanta next year.
One concept has four drive-thru lanes that flow below an elevated building with a large kitchen.

Chick-fil-A, whose busy drive-thru lanes often spill into city streets, is building two new restaurant concepts that cater to the chain's growing digital business.

One restaurant design, an elevated building with four drive-thru lanes that flow below the store, is set to roll out next year in the chain's home base of Atlanta. The second concept is a digital-focused walk-up store with no cashiers. It is set to debut next year in New York City.

"These types of digital first formats allow us to uniquely care for a customer in the way that they want to experience us as a brand," Ash Pait, a strategy and development executive, said in a corporate YouTube video.

Take a closer look at the two designs:

Chick-fil-A is opening an elevated restaurant design with four drive-thru lanes.

Chick-fil-A

The chain said the new concept, set to debut next year in Atlanta, can hold up to 75 cars.

Chick-fil-A

The elevated building will have twice as much kitchen capacity as a traditional restaurant. A chain executive told Nation's Restaurant News that the parcel size is consistent with a traditional Chick-fil-A restaurant, but "we get space back by elevating the kitchen."

Chick-fil-A

The elevated building will have twice as much kitchen capacity as a traditional restaurant. A chain executive told Nation's Restaurant News that the parcel size is consistent with a traditional Chick-fil-A restaurant, but "we get space back by elevating the kitchen."

A "sophisticated food transport system" will ferry meals to employees stationed at the ground level, Chick-fil-A said.

Chick-fil-A

The elevated drive-thru concept will have an order-ahead lane for customers picking up mobile orders. Customers will also be able to place their orders with an employee like a traditional drive-thru lane.

Chick-fil-A

The elevated drive-thru concept will have an order-ahead lane for customers picking up mobile orders. Customers will also be able to place their orders with an employee like a traditional drive-thru lane.

As mobile ordering customers get close to the restaurant, "their orders are fired to the kitchen so that they're hot, fresh, and ready to eat when they arrive at the pickup point," the chain said in a video presentation.

Chick-fil-A

As mobile ordering customers get close to the restaurant, "their orders are fired to the kitchen so that they're hot, fresh, and ready to eat when they arrive at the pickup point," the chain said in a video presentation.

Chick-fil-A said the elevated restaurant will be the chain's first with four lanes.

Chick-fil-A

The new elevated Chick-fil-A concept looks similar to Taco Bell Defy, a four-lane drive-thru that debuted in 2022 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The two-story restaurant has a proprietary vertical lift to transport meals to drive-thru customers.

Taco Bell's new concept at Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.Taco Bell

The new elevated Chick-fil-A concept looks similar to Taco Bell Defy, a four-lane drive-thru that debuted in 2022 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The two-story restaurant has a proprietary vertical lift to transport meals to drive-thru customers.

Chick-fil-A also plans to debut a walk-up-only store next year in New York City.

Chick-fil-A

The store is designed for mobile customers.

Chick-fil-A

There are no cash registers or drink towers.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fi-A told Insider that the two new designs "were strategically developed with an emphasis on digital ordering and convenience." The company said digital orders make up more than half of total sales in certain markets.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fi-A told Insider that the two new designs "were strategically developed with an emphasis on digital ordering and convenience." The company said digital orders make up more than half of total sales in certain markets.

Chick-fil-A is not the first fast-food chain to design a store for digital orders. In 2019 Starbucks Coffee debuted a pickup store in New York City's Penn Plaza.

Starbucks

In November 2020, Chipotle debuted a restaurant with no dining room in New York. It caters only to digital orders.

Chipotle

Last year, McDonald's rolled out a prototype store in Texas designed for to-go and delivery orders.

McDonald's

Chick-fil-A has separately opened over 40 drive-thru-only restaurants. These stores do not have dining rooms and cater only to drive-thru and pickup orders.

Chick-fil-A opened a drive-thru focused location in O‘ahu on July 27.Chick-fil-A

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See Chick-fil-A's wild new restaurant design with a drive-thru that runs through the middle of the building

Chick-fil-A is opening an elevated restaurant design with four drive-thru lanes.

The chain said the new concept, set to debut next year in Atlanta, can hold up to 75 cars.

The elevated building will have twice as much kitchen capacity as a traditional restaurant. A chain executive told Nation's Restaurant News that the parcel size is consistent with a traditional Chick-fil-A restaurant, but "we get space back by elevating the kitchen."

A "sophisticated food transport system" will ferry meals to employees stationed at the ground level, Chick-fil-A said.

The elevated drive-thru concept will have an order-ahead lane for customers picking up mobile orders. Customers will also be able to place their orders with an employee like a traditional drive-thru lane.

As mobile ordering customers get close to the restaurant, "their orders are fired to the kitchen so that they're hot, fresh, and ready to eat when they arrive at the pickup point," the chain said in a video presentation.

Chick-fil-A said the elevated restaurant will be the chain's first with four lanes.

The new elevated Chick-fil-A concept looks similar to Taco Bell Defy, a four-lane drive-thru that debuted in 2022 in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The two-story restaurant has a proprietary vertical lift to transport meals to drive-thru customers.

Chick-fil-A also plans to debut a walk-up-only store next year in New York City.

The store is designed for mobile customers.

There are no cash registers or drink towers.

Chick-fi-A told Insider that the two new designs "were strategically developed with an emphasis on digital ordering and convenience." The company said digital orders make up more than half of total sales in certain markets.

Chick-fil-A is not the first fast-food chain to design a store for digital orders. In 2019 Starbucks Coffee debuted a pickup store in New York City's Penn Plaza.

In November 2020, Chipotle debuted a restaurant with no dining room in New York. It caters only to digital orders.

Last year, McDonald's rolled out a prototype store in Texas designed for to-go and delivery orders.

Chick-fil-A has separately opened over 40 drive-thru-only restaurants. These stores do not have dining rooms and cater only to drive-thru and pickup orders.