Fast Food Restaurants Refine Delivery Options to Stay Afloat Amid Coronavirus

Domino's Pizza is now offering carside delivery service, allowing customers to stay in their cars while one of the pizza company's workers delivers their order to them.

The chain said Monday that customers can choose the new contactless carryout option when placing a prepaid order online. It is available in U.S. stores.

When a customer places a carside delivery order online, they'll be prompted to add their vehicle color, make and model, which will be used to identify them when they arrive at the store. Customers can also choose where they'd like their order placed – the passenger side, back seat, trunk or the option to decide when they arrive.

The parent company of Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons says sales are improving even though most North American restaurants are only offering takeout and delivery. Restaurant Brands International said Popeyes' same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – were in the high 20% range in mid-June thanks to its popular chicken sandwich. Burger King's U.S. sales, which were down more than 30% in March, are now flat compared to last year. Tim Hortons sales are still down more than 15%; about 10% of the brand's restaurants in Canada remain closed.

U.S. restaurants saw fewer customers in mid-June as coronavirus cases surged in multiple states. Customer transactions at chain restaurants fell 13% from the previous year in the week ending June 21, according to The NPD Group, a data and consulting firm. That was softer than the 12% decline the week before.

It was the first time in two months that transactions didn't improve week-over-week. Restaurant transactions fell in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Nevada, all of which reported spikes in coronavirus cases. "The U.S. restaurant industry's road to recovery is going to have some bumps along the way," said NPD food industry analyst David Portalatin.