Watch the Innovation Studio: Reinvigorating roadside

Drive-through restaurants are now used by a “variety” of customers, not just “people on the go”, said James Hamilton, property and store development director at Costa Coffee.

“It is not just people on the go, it is remote workers especially, it’s kids after school, it’s families”, he added, speaking at Completely Retail Marketplace’s Innovation Studio session, ‘Reinvigorating roadside’.

“They’re just really convenient, accessible, clean, and safe. I think that’s why they’ve been such a huge growth engine.”

He was joined by Alfred Bartlett, founder of Ogle Property, who said that the story was different for quick service restaurants (QSRs), which require a “settled catchment”.

QSRs need good traffic flow, visibility, accessibility, and nearby complementary users, he added.

This was in comparison to more “transient” forms of roadside retail, such as coffee shops, which can benefit more from passing traffic.

Other topics at the discussion, which took a look at how roadside dining has changed, included staffing issues, electric vehicle charging, old roadside favourites, and new contenders such as Brightside.

Watch the full Innovation Studio session above.