Expect Your McDonald's Drive-Thru Wait To Increase 'A Couple Seconds' As Company Revamps Pick-Up Method

As the latest plan in its ongoing comeback strategy, McDonald's is looking to make its drive-thru experience more accurate and personal, with a new method called "ask, ask, tell," which requires an employee to verify an order three times before the customer leaves.

Restaurants have also been asked to turn off any prerecorded drive-thru greetings so that customers can receive a real greeting from real live workers, instead. What's more, employees are now being instructed to leave the paper bags open instead of folding over the tops, so that the items can be inspected.

The push for a better customer experience and greater accuracy across the board is important as the company fights to stay popular and desirable to consumers, especially given that an estimated 70 percent of business is conducted in the drive-thru, according to Bloomberg. 

In recent years, employees have struggled with menu accuracy as McDonald's continued to introduce new or limited edition items, most of which failed to make headway. In response, the chain removed dozens of such items from its outdoor menus in hopes of streamlining the process.

"You're probably going to add a couple seconds, which I don't think will be huge as long as you're creating a friendly experience — and getting the order right," franchise owner Terry Smith told Bloomberg. "Customers are getting the items that they want."