Before the pandemic, the bulk of orders at fast-food restaurants came from onsite customers. The size of the kitchen and seating capacity were paired for optimal business outcomes to serve them.
During the pandemic, people became used to ordering online. This new behaviour eventually became habitual as consumers became used to the convenience. Post-pandemic, they continued to order online.
There’s no denying that the rise of online ordering and mobile ordering has transformed the fast-food industry, allowing for more revenue streams. At the same time, with more orders coming in through various channels, the production aspect may not be able to correspond at the same pace and capability as technology. Hence, the imbalance.
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lingering challenges, such as staff shortages and supply chain disruptions, which have further impacted the ability of fast-food chains to meet customer demand in a timely manner.
It is not surprising that restaurants are struggling to keep up with the volume of orders, resulting in slower service and longer wait times for customers.
If the back-of-house is not able to cope with the demands from the front-of-house, especially when their physical facilities are built mainly for onsite business, this will cause things to slow down.