As part of a corporate push to innovate and enhance customer experiences at its restaurants, Chick-fil-A is poised to introduce a new design concept at two of its locations, whereby kitchens will be built to sit directly over drive-through lanes, as Fox News reports.

The groundbreaking facilities are set to be situated at facilities in Atlanta and New York City and are expected to boost the efficiency of an ordering and delivery process that has, at times, been known for creating unmanageable logjams and traffic hazards in surrounding areas.

Chick-fil-A touts new concepts

The beloved fast-food giant explained its new drive-through concept in a press release issued on July 27, which outlined the ways in which company executives believe customer experiences will be improved at the target sites.

Citing its desire to continuously explore “new ways to serve our customers to better meet their needs and lifestyles,” the company described its burgeoning “elevated drive-thru” and “walk-up” design concepts.

According to the press release, the plans will “combine digital ordering with Chick-fil-A's signature hospitality” to increase convenience for fans of the legendary purveyor of sandwiches and sides.

The pair of designs are referred to by the company as “additions to Chick-fil-A's growing suite of specialized restaurant concepts...designed to meet the evolving needs of our customers who desire speed and convenience, while infusing every touchpoint with reasons for our guests to smile.”

Overhead kitchen design explained

The drive-through concept announced by the chain has garnered particular attention, in that the kitchen facility itself is slated to be constructed to sit directly over the drive-through traffic lanes.

This set-up will allow restaurant employees to expedite food delivery while offering team members the continued ability to provide swift customer service under cover of the kitchen structure itself during inclement weather conditions.

With four lanes of drive-through traffic planned for the site, upwards of 75 customer vehicles can be accommodated at a given time, according to the company, and patrons will be able to order via mobile app or by directly engaging with a member of the restaurant's staff.

Numerous communities in which Chick-fil-A restaurants have opened in recent years have struggled with resulting increases in traffic congestion, with some – such as Santa Barbara, California – even having to threaten franchisees with public nuisance declarations, so hopefully this new corporate strategy will alleviate such complications and make it easier for fans to get their chicken fix whenever they wish.

Walk-up convenience coming

The chain is also poised to test a walk-up concept the company says is “designed to fit seamlessly in urban areas with heavy foot traffic.”

According to the aforementioned press release, the new design “allows guests to conveniently order their favorite items ahead of time in the Chick-fil-A app so that when they arrive, their freshly prepared order is handed to them with a smile, and they can quickly be on their way.”

“We want to leverage technology to elevate the human touchpoints in our restaurants. These new digital formats make the customer and Team Member experience more seamless, and therefore more memorable, and give back precious time to connect with each other,” said Khalilah Cooper, executive director of restaurant design for Chick-fil-A.

Whether these new concepts receive a warm reception from Chick-fil-A loyalists remains to be seen, but hopefully the strategies will help alleviate historical process hiccups and service delays and make it easier for fans to get their poultry fixes whenever they wish.