The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
Volkswagen's Autonomous Plan with Uber, Lincoln Nautilus Black Label review, Amtrak: Bigger Faster Newer, The Best Fast Food Drive-Thrus
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The mobility revolution is accelerating across multiple fronts, and this episode dives deep into the most exciting developments reshaping how we move.
Volkswagen has emerged as a surprising contender in the autonomous vehicle race, announcing plans to deploy thousands of self-driving ID Buzz electric minivans on Uber's platform starting in Los Angeles next year. This bold move comes after a decade of quiet development following the company's post-Dieselgate transformation. While Waymo currently leads with hundreds of thousands of autonomous rides weekly across three major areas, VW's entry signals growing competition in this space. Uber, meanwhile, continues executing its original vision—eliminating human drivers to boost profitability by partnering with multiple automakers rather than developing the technology in-house.
On rails, Amtrak is finally modernizing with new Airo trains featuring panoramic windows, more comfortable seating, and improved accessibility. These trains, capable of traveling 125 mph while producing 90% less emissions, represent Amtrak's ambitious plan to double ridership by 2040. Though America still lags behind countries like France and Japan in high-speed rail infrastructure, last year's record 32.8 million passengers suggests growing appetite for train travel.
The luxury SUV segment sees Lincoln making a compelling statement with the 2025 Nautilus Black Label. Unlike competitors who often mimic European design language, this American luxury vehicle carves its own path with a striking 48-inch panoramic display that stretches doorpost-to-doorpost, "magic" front seats, and thoughtful interior touches. At $79,545 as tested, it delivers a uniquely American luxury experience that impressed with each mile driven.
Even fast-food drive-thrus are being revolutionized through data analysis. Taco Bell leads with the fastest service (4.3 minutes), while Chick-fil-A takes nearly twice as long but achieves an impressive 92% order accuracy. This detailed comparison reveals how even routine aspects of mobility are being optimized through analytics and technology.
What mobility innovations are you most excited about? Call our hotline at 872-222-9793 or email talk@techmobilityshow.com to join the conversation!
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Welcome to the Tech Mobility Podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm Ken Chester On the docket my review of the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label SUV Amtrak newer, bigger, faster and the fastest most accurate fast food drive-thrus. Because you know, you got to know this stuff. So we're going to share, to join the conversation, be it to ask a question, share an opinion or even suggest a topic for future discussion, because I'm always open to ideas. Call or text the Tech Mobility hotline. That direct number is 872-222-9793. Or you can email the show directly, talk at techmobilityshow. Be sure also to follow, like and subscribe to our social media account, our YouTube channel, and if you subscribe to Substack, you can find me there too. It's at Ken, the letter C, iowa. So that's K-E-N-C-I-O-W-A From the Tech Mobility News Desk.
Speaker 2:We've talked about autonomous trucks. We've talked about robo taxis. We've talked about Waymo. We've talked about Uber. Maven and a host of other companies that were trying to get into this business for one reason or another have fallen out. What if I told you that there's another automaker planning to deploy thousands of robo-taxis on Uber's platform in the United States? Bet you could never tell me who it is. And no, I'm not talking about Volvo. We've already covered that ground. And we're not talking about Jaguar. Yes, I know We've reported that here too. No it. I know We've reported that here too.
Speaker 2:No it is European, though, and, believe it or not, it's Volkswagen, volkswagen, and it's interesting how VW got here. They managed over this last 10 years to turn something that could have killed the company into a major benefit for them to refocus, and probably not a minute too soon. Had Dieselgate not happened in 2015, volkswagen might still be making diesel motors and still going along their way and not fully embracing EVs and everything that goes with it and autonomous vehicles like they needed to like. They had to like. Actually, a lot of the settlements that they arranged required them to, because they got slapped, not just in the United States but around the world. They spent a lot of money for the discretions. One of the things they had to do in the United States was set aside $2 billion billion with a B, and that money had to be invested into EV charging in the United States. Volkswagen single-handedly supported the nurturing and growth of that industry with their money, of that industry, with their money, that we have a more robust and growing EV charging industry because of the mistakes they made earlier and what they had to spend with Toneform. So here we are now.
Speaker 2:The German auto giant will use its all-electric IDBuzz minivans, which are sharp. Tried to drive one this past week, didn't get a chance to do it. They are sharp and I will tell you they have a sticker price of over 70 grand. So, yeah, I might have to wait a little longer, but they're planning to use that for their autonomous ride handling in the United States, and I'm not talking 10 years from now. They expect to launch this in Los Angeles next year, and Volkswagen isn't typically mentioned in conversations about robo-taxis, but, as we just mentioned, the German auto giant has been quietly working on its own self-driving technology for over 10 years, and now they're finally ready.
Speaker 2:Of all places, uber starting with a commercial robot taxi service in LA. Their ID Buzz electric minivans will be equipped with self-driving sensors and software developed by their subsidiary, moya. The long wheelbase version of the Buzz can seat at least 7 passengers. So VW is trying to maximize its ride-hailing potential, and the goal, they said, is to ultimately have thousands of vehicles operating in multiple US cities over the next decade. The automaker says. Just for point of reference, Waymo that started in Arizona, currently offers right now, this moment, commercial autonomous ride hailing services in three major areas, and they are giving hundreds of thousands of automated rides all week right now, and have been for a while. So if you're trying to tell me that RoboTac is not a thing, you're late by quite a bit. Not only is it a thing, it's going to be more of a thing. Vw will start testing the service later this year using vehicles with safety drivers behind the wheel. The company says it will only proceed with fully driverless operations after receiving the necessary permits and clearances from regulatory agencies. Volkswagen no offense no offense. I'll believe it when I see it, because your history isn't all that reassuring.
Speaker 2:Even though they've been testing its self-driving technology in the United States for a number of years and, ironically, you didn't know this they deployed autonomous buzz vehicles in Austin two years ago, after a number of years testing them in Germany. Now, the vehicles they tested in Austin used the technology developed by Mobileye, the driver-assist sensor software company owned by Intel, as well as sensors like radars, cameras and LiDAR. Vw said that they will put vans in service as a ride-sharing fleet under its subsidiary, moya, which already has been operating a fleet of electric vehicles as part of its ride-pooling service in Hamburg since 2017. Vw's anonymous driving software is developed by Mobileye. Now, if you've been paying attention to the news and if you've been listening to me, we've talked about how VW's dabbled in autonomous driving for years and didn't end all that well. They had partnered with Aurora and Argo Argo, which was a joint venture with Ford, and unfortunately it was forced to shut down that one after the automaker, along with Ford, they pulled their funding and Aurora ended up getting bought by GM and then shut down. So autonomous vehicles outside of trucking continue to have a checkered past, but it's not all or nothing. Like I said, waymo's been doing it. There's still a lot of test autonomous vehicles in development on the roads in the United States of America. That has not changed. If anything, we're going to see more as they try to get this resolved, even though you've seen the videos and the one that was making the rounds when somebody decided to put a road hazard cone on the hood of one of these cars and it confused it to no end and just stopped. Yeah, yeah, that was Aurora, by the way, that had that problem in San Francisco and yeah, them getting their permit pulled is probably part of the reason why GM decided to back out.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile, uber has been on a streak of striking deals with AV operators as it seeks to become a one-stop shop for robo-taxes and autonomous delivery vehicles of all brands. Let me stop right here. When Uber was started in 2009, the whole goal from Jump Street was to provide these services without a human driver. That has always been Uber's MO. The human drivers were at best, a crossover or temporary to get them started, but it was never meant to be their lead-all, main-all, be-all of their operating model ever. This is where they're going and by eliminating the driver, uber expects to be widely profitable.
Speaker 2:Now to the point, uber was spending this money on their own at one time, directly, and what they've done now is they've taken a step back and they're working with automakers, but they're not necessarily leading it. They're providing the platform and the automakers are providing the hardware. In addition to Volkswagen, uber has partnerships with Waymo, motional, avride and WeRide for self-driving cars and Serve, harken and Nuro for delivery robots Nuro particularly cool, because we talked about Nuro at length and their little food delivery robots on college campuses when Nuro launched. So that should be interesting.
Speaker 2:But where they're going here is they want to go automated, because if they can eliminate the labor, that goes straight to the bottom line, because they can spread that cost over miles and the cost drops the more the vehicles get used, and because they didn't end up with the development costs. Then again, leverage, because the automakers are the ones carrying the load of development. They're just leasing the platforms and providing a way to do it. So it's pretty cool and we'll see how the VW does and we'll continue With vehicles like the Nautilus SUV in the lineup. It's easy to understand why Lincoln is on a roll. You are listening to the Tech Mobility Show.
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Speaker 2:AONmeetingscom, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. Social media is the main place to be these days, and we are no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Facebook videos, from my latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary of a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Facebook. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page.
Speaker 2:Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology-related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar. For those of you that listen to podcasts, we have just the one for you. Hi, I'm Ken Chester. Tech Mobility Topics is a podcast where I upload topic-specific videos each week, shorter than a full show. These bite-sized programs are just the thing, particularly if you're interested in a particular topic covered on the weekly radio show. From Apple Podcasts to iHeartRadio and many podcast platforms in between, we got you covered.
Speaker 1:Just enter Tech Mobility Topics in the search bar, wherever you listen to podcasts, In the spirit of taking great things and making them better. Wait till you see what's next, Introducing the all-new 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, Mark LT and Navigator Lincoln reach higher.
Speaker 2:It was an interesting year for Lincoln that year and I would not fault you if you're like the Mark LT, what's that? It was Lincoln's attempt at making a pickup truck. They could have went further with it. They didn't. They basically lightly redid an F-150. And I really think that they could have really made a case for it if they were willing to spend the money, which at that time they weren't. The Zephyr would become the MKZ the next year and is actually based in the Mazda 6 platform and was pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:And, to be blunt, lincoln pretty much for the last 25, 30 years until recently, has been mainly carried by their large Navigator. People love that thing. It's always been a home run since the day it was launched, but that was then. This is now. Henry Leland would be proud, and it's okay if you don't know who Henry Leland is. He's the original founder of the Lincoln Motor Company and him and Henry Ford have history which I will not get into here. But Henry bought the company after Henry Ford bought the company in 1922 when Henry Leland got caught in a cash squeeze in the recession of 21. Henry Ford was exacting revenge and was going to close it down and choke Leland, basically. But Edsel Ford, his son, talked him out of it and, as they say, the rest is history. But remind me we'll talk a little bit more why there was such animosity between the Henrys.
Speaker 2:And although actually now it's been a division of Ford for over 100 years, lincoln over the years was positioned to be the automaker's luxury marquee. During the middle part of the last century, lincoln duked it out with Cadillac in the American luxury car marketplace, but times changed and both automakers struggled Lincoln even more than Cadillac. As German makes like BMW and Mercedes-Benz began to make inroads into the luxury vehicle segment, the heat got turned up with the entry of Toyota's Lexus, honda's Acura and Nissan's Infiniti brands in the mid to late 80s. For a while it seemed that Lincoln lost its way. Customers were getting older and young buyers didn't even bother to consider the brand. However, during the last 30 years, there's been sign to life at Lincoln.
Speaker 2:The introduction of the full-size Navigator luxury SUV put the nameplate back on the map for a small but growing segment of the marketplace. The seeds of the current success of the brand were planted back in 2006. The vehicle was originally known as the MKX, a midsize luxury crossover SUV that rode on the automaker's CD4 platform. The Ford Edge and Flex, along with the short-lived Lincoln MKT, were mechanical siblings. Don't ask, we'll talk about the MKT another time. Just think of the Lincoln version of the Flex and you'll be mostly there.
Speaker 2:But 2019, lincoln had phased out most of its MK model names, choosing Nautilus in place of the MKX. For the luxury crossover's mid-cycle refresh of the vehicle's second generation, 2019 Nautilus adopted the styling of the newly introduced Continental Navigator, transitioning from the previous split-wing grille to a large leg-tailor grille with a large Lincoln star emblem. The second-generation Nautilus for the US market was introduced in April 2023 as a 2024 model. The all-new 2024 Nautilus arrived with a new evolved design, an available hydrid powertrain and new connected features, and this included the all-new Lincoln Digital Experience and Lincoln Blue Cruise hand free highway driving technology. Now, to be clear, this review just covers the gasoline models only, available in three trim levels. Power for the five-passenger Nautilus is provided by a two-liter, four-cylinder gasoline power plant that makes 250 horsepower and produces 280 foot-pounds of torque. Energy is communicated to all four wheels via an eight-speed push-button automatic transmission. The driver also has a push-button to activate one of four drive modes to further customize the driving experience. Epa fuel economy numbers are 21. City 29. Highway Cargo capacity ranges from 68.8 to 71.3 cubic feet, depending on the trim level. Towing capacity is 1,750 pounds with the optional trailer towing package.
Speaker 2:So here's what I liked about the crossover SUV. The Lincoln Nautilus is a refreshing take on luxury that does not imitate or mimic any other automaker, including Ford, and, to borrow an old Lincoln tagline, honestly and I believe this, it's what a luxury car should be. It looks that good. From the minute I opened the driver's side door, I knew immediately that this was indeed a luxury space Beautiful, sophisticated, elegant and unique. I was without words, you can believe it. The literal doorpost-to-doorpost digital display presentation. It works.
Speaker 2:The Nautilus showcases a flowing horizontal instrument panel integrated into a 48-inch panoramic display, the largest in its class, introducing new levels of connectivity and personalization. The vehicle is solid, boasting a quiet ride and a drivetrain that is smooth and responsive at speed. The driver enjoys a good outward view of the road. Inside, something I call magic front seats greet driver and passenger. Inside, something I call magic front seats great driver and passenger. Entry and exit is easy and convenient. For all four doors and for models equipped with the Lincoln Digital Scent feature, there's a collection of three in-cabin scents that are housed in the center armrest and, if you can believe it, four new available scents have been added and are available for purchase. Meanwhile, there's plenty of rear legroom, along with four USB ports for the backseat passengers alone. Split folding rear seats have a power fold function for loading convenience from the rear cargo hatch opening. A panoramic sunroof adds to the feeling of airiness.
Speaker 2:The cargo area is cavernous. The spare tire, yes, is located under the cargo area floor and is accessible from inside the passenger cabin. So here's what I didn't like about the vehicle Didn't have fog lights. There's no head-up display, although honestly that's kind of a eh, it's a like to have. So I'm not going to ding him for that, it's a like to have. I would have liked to have it. But if it doesn't, I'm all right.
Speaker 2:But here's something 22-inch tires. 22-inch tires, I'm thinking replacement cost of those and the rims if they get damaged. You bend one, you blow one, you wear one out. Ouch, that ain't going to be cheap. And something else More nooks and crannies throughout the passenger cabin would be nice. Just, you know, to put stuff, store stuff, it'd be nice. And although the rear seats fold, they don't fold what I call true flat, which is even with the floor in. Yeah, I know, I know I'm being picky, but it's me and really honestly, it's something you come to appreciate if you use the cargo area and fold the seats down to haul stuff. It's one of those little things that makes a big deal.
Speaker 2:Here's the bottom line, and I'm going to say this as directly as I can. The more I drove it, the better I liked it and I really like the fact that this Lincoln is actually making its own personal statement. I drive a lot of vehicles and a lot of luxury vehicles, and you can see where folks kind of mimic other folks or copy stuff. This doesn't copy and for a changed Lincoln, you struck out in your own way and I say kudos to you. Manufacturer suggested retail price for the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label crossover SUV starts from $77,130. Destination charges add $1,595. Understand the Black Label is the top end of the gasoline version of the Nautilus. You can start this for almost $20,000 less if you're willing to consider the Premier, but this is the black label. The one I drove is tested, came out to $79,545 with the optional jet appearance package, but I really, really liked this vehicle and was pleasantly surprised. Faster, bigger, more comfortable. Amtrak is rolling out new trains.
Speaker 2:This is the Tech Mobility Show. Do you listen to podcasts? Seems that most people do. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. If you've missed any of our weekly episodes on the radio, our podcast is a great way to listen. You can find the Tech Mobility podcast just about anywhere. You can enjoy podcasts. Be sure to follow us from Apple Podcasts, iheart Radio and many platforms in between. We are there. Just enter the Tech Mobility podcast in the search bar. Wherever you listen to podcasts Social media it's the place to be. We no exception. Hi, I'm ken chester, host the tech mobility show. Several times a week, I post to tiktok several of the topics that I cover on my weekly radio show. It's another way to keep up on mobility, technology news and information. I've built quite a library of short videos for your viewing pleasure, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe. That's the tech mobility show on tiktok. Check it out.
Speaker 2:I have a confession to make. I love trains Always, have Always have. The first 20 years of my life, I had never been more than four miles away from the Boston to Maine line, what was known now as the Fitchburg line between Boston, massachusetts, and Williamstown, massachusetts, going across the northern part of the state. I grew up in north central Massachusetts and I was never further away where I could not hear a train whistle from that line for most of my early days growing up. So I wanted to preface that because I want to talk about Amtrak and I want to talk about some progress Amtrak is making, rolling out the first of its new AeroTrains and that's A-I-R-O. They come with panoramic windows, comfier chairs and more accessibility features. The National Rail Service is currently constructing up to 83 of the new and improved AeroTrains, which will operate on around 15 existing routes in the eastern US and Pacific Northwest.
Speaker 2:And the train aficionados got a question and I'm just asking will they be featured on the Empire Builder? I'm asking for a friend. This is topic B. There are two routes that Amtrak currently runs that were run by its predecessor railroads. That has been on my bucket list in my life. I want to travel Amtrak on both of these. One is the city of New Orleans, which runs the Mississippi from Chicago to New Orleans. The other one is called the Empire Builder and it runs from Chicago to Seattle or, depending if you take the Portland route to Portland. They tell me the scenery is beautiful. I want a cabin with, I want a sleeper, I want to do it right and I want that. So if Amtrak's going to, you know, be rolling out these new trains on either one of those routes you know I'm in the route to New Orleans would have been on the former Illinois Central and the Empire Builder, primarily on what was the Great Northern Railroad, now the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. So yeah, a little bit. Currently these new trains are being built at Siemens Sacramento Plant, California, and they expect the testing of the first train to begin later this year. By modernizing its fleet with a variety of design improvements, amtrak is making a play to attract more Americans to train travel instead of flight, a step towards its ultimate goal to revitalize America's passenger rail system and double its ridership by 2040.
Speaker 2:If you go back 150 years, train travel pretty much particularly across most of this country once you got outside of rural areas, was the only way. We did not have a system of roads back then and the little roads we did have went town to town and they were muddy when it rained and awful in the winter and darn near impossible A lot of the towns west of the Mississippi were laid out by railroad companies and a lot of that land was given away on either side of the right-of-way by the government. If you go across most of Nebraska, most of those major towns were named by the chief engineer of the Union Pacific. General Granville Dodge named most of those towns from Omaha to Cheyenne that are along the Union Pacific and settled them and the railroad sold property. So we have this history Even here in Des Moines.
Speaker 2:Des Moines was a sleepy little village until the early 1860s when the first railroad actually came up from the northeast. Southeast part of the state Didn't even go east-west. It went northwest from Keokuk at the river, at the Mississippi River, to Des Moines and the Des Moines Valley Railroad was the first railroad that got here. The Rock Island would follow later and other railroads would be built, but that was the first one. And the funny thing of it is that railroad most of it doesn't exist anymore and the little bit that does is used for storage. But railroads have this big history Now in Europe and in Japan they have developed, they have perfected high-speed rail travel.
Speaker 2:It's a thing and it's a big deal and we are playing catch-up Because for so long being an automotive-centric nation. We pretty much kicked our railroads to the curb after the Second World War With the federally funded interstate system and the money that went into state roads and state highways and county roads and county highways. Iowa was still pouring cement and county roads when I got here in the early 1980s and it's poured hundreds of miles of county roads to facilitate farm-to-market. Meanwhile, railroads are privately owned and all that money got spent by the freight railroads when passenger service went south as it did. After the Second World War, passenger service started going away to the point where the government stepped in in 1971 to create Amtrak. That's how we got here.
Speaker 2:On the inside of these new cars, new seating offers movable headrest, a cup holder, bigger and sturdier tray tables and plenty of legroom. And to make finding your seat simpler, each car will be color-coded based on its class, while each chair will be labeled with an individual number. Does not sound like a big deal, but you know what? Baby steps, people, baby steps. And more thought has also been given to the train's amenities. In the Aero's Cafe cars, riders will now have a self-service option rather than waiting in one long line to order from a single attendant. You think the Cafe cars, as well as the bathrooms, walkways and vegetables have also been modified to allow wheelchair users to navigate more easily, and that would help us older folks who need a little extra room and a little extra time to get around, because them narrow hallways are no joke. Aesthetically, the A stayed gray and blue in tears, still lagging far behind. The train designs might find overseas Still.
Speaker 2:The Arrow represents a technological improvement on former Amtrak models that it can travel up to 125 miles an hour and produce 90% less particulate emissions in diesel operations, and we're playing catch-up. It's a good time for Amtrak to be investing in new trains, given that some of its old cars are going out of service. Just last week, the rail service announced they'll be suspending its entire Horizon fleet after inspectors uncovered potentially dangerous corrosion on several cars. Bear in mind that when Amtrak was created over 50 years ago, it inherited the run-down cars from the railroads that were running it. That didn't put no money in it because they were losing money for the previous 15, 20 years. So Amtrak's been trying to update and update and upgrade, and we haven't even talked about routes and everything else that they're having to deal with that should hit the tracks in 2026, next year, are the first phase of ANTRAC's larger plans to refresh its existing fleet and expand its service across the US.
Speaker 2:A hand up here, des Moines would be fine, please. I would love to take the train to Chicago, really would. I would not miss. Not driving five hours Would not hurt my feelings. Would do that Because airfare from here is kind of expensive. And then you got to deal with O'Hare. Would rather not deal with O'Hare. Yeah, I'll take the train, Not a problem.
Speaker 2:Former leader of Amtrak had said that in the United States it was still operating like Victorian railways in 21st century. Meanwhile, countries like France, japan, switzerland and China are moving light years ahead in terms of their high-speed rail system. We've got one the Acela route from Boston to Washington DC. One In all of this country one. But here's some good news. Last year Amtrak set a record for ridership 32.8 million passengers up from 28 million. They want by 2040, 66 million riders. That means new routes, new equipment and new way of doing things. But honestly, to be honest with you, if you've never taken the train, you're cheating yourself.
Speaker 2:Took it once in college, commuter rail from Boston to my little town. Loved it, loved it. Washington Post has compiled a list of the fastest, most accurate fast food drive-thrus. How does your favorite place stack up? We are the Tech Mobility Show. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website.
Speaker 2:Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow. Did you know that Tech Mobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out.
Speaker 3:Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars and staying connected? Look no further than AONmeetingscom, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AONmeetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars and stay in touch with family and friends all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part you can endure a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. Aonmeetingscom, where innovation meets connection.
Speaker 2:Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. Social media is the place to be these days, and we're no exception. I'm Ken Chester of the Tech Mobility Show. If you enjoy my program, then you will also enjoy my weekly Instagram videos, from the latest vehicle reviews to timely commentary on a variety of mobility and technology related topics. These short features are designed to inform and delight you. Be sure to watch, like and follow us on Instagram. You can find us by typing the Tech Mobility Show in the search bar.
Speaker 2:How much time and how much gasoline do we waste in drive-thru lanes at fast food chains and, more importantly, how often can we depend on the place to get our order right? Trust me point of contention here there's nothing more frustrating than getting your order, driving five or six miles home and finding out they left something out or screwed something up or God forbid gave you the wrong order, all of which has happened to us, me and my wife. Well, the Washington Post took a look and used some industry leaders that does this kind of thing and they crunched some numbers. And this is topic C Fast food drive-through. It's an American institution.
Speaker 2:We're in a hurry, you don't want to get out the car, you're hungry. You want something. You drive up and, depending on the chain, fast food is sometimes often in quotes fast supposed to be, but doesn't end up being that way. And then I don't know about you, but if I choose a place to spend my money, a little common courtesy would be really nice. And in a lot of cases they act like I'm doing them a favor or they feel like I, the customer, are inconveniencing them. That's how I feel, and usually when I encounter a place like that, I don't go back. So where are we at?
Speaker 2:here, on this stuff. Well, again a little context, because you know I like context. Before the pandemic, two-thirds of fast food sales came through the drive-thru window, and that's according to Revenue Management Solutions. And they are the food data aficionados whose analysis helped chains price their cheeseburgers. That figure soared to 83 percent as lockdowns hit and have recently settled back down around 63%. As prices soar and delivery proliferates, drive-thru traffic continues to fall. By January of this year it was down more than a quarter from its pre-pandemic level.
Speaker 2:And you think about it? It's the next logical progression Eat-in, drive-thru home delivery. That's why Uber, eats and Grubhub and all of them are making a killing. Because at the end of the day, when you come to your home, you don't want to food the drive-thru, you don't want to go back out. Yeah, bring me some food. Here's a restaurant I want you to buy it from. Deliver. Welcome to the instantaneous gratification society we're in.
Speaker 2:But the big picture analysis doesn't tell us much about the drive-through conditions on the ground. So the Washington Post turned to an outfit called In Touch Insight, whose data allowed them to drive surprisingly deep on specific restaurants. Now get this. You'll like this part. For over 25 years, the firm and its predecessors have dispatched secret shoppers to top fast food outlets throughout the United States. And in case you're thinking that they did, like you know a hit piece, the shopper squad visited outlets from each of 10 chains at least 160 times. That's each focusing on the lunch and dinner hours, so it wasn't one and done. They gave him a chance. The shoppers collect data on just about everything, from how many cars were in line to how long they waited to place an order, to the temperature of their food and whether the clerk said please and made eye contact. And I can tell you in a lot of cases they don't and I'm not okay with that. But there is a lone exception and I'm not surprised and the numbers in this piece bear me out and I'll get to that in a minute. And I found that to be consistent For the 10 major chains in the public sample.
Speaker 2:It took five and a half minutes for the average car to get food in 2024. And you would have thought it was 15 to 20 minutes sometimes. That's the best drive-thru performance since 2020, when the novel coronavirus pushed wary Americans mask first into the low contact drive-thru lifestyle. Pushed wary Americans mask first into the low contact drive-thru lifestyle. And in case you're wondering, because we talked about AI and fast food delivery and drive-thrus, a new analysis from the same outfit found AI ordering systems sped up total waits by 11.5 seconds, although they attribute that mainly to speaker quality, because AI enabled locations tend to have better speakers. An InTouch Insights 2024 report showed that a clear, understandable speaker sped up service time by 28 seconds almost a half a minute, if you can imagine.
Speaker 2:To be sure, some foods are faster than others. Company taking the fast crown second straight year Taco Bell 4.3 minutes. By comparison, chick-fil-a customers waited almost twice as long 8 minutes. In fact, the long wait times at Chick-fil-A are the only constant in a fluctuating data set. On average since 2016, chick-fil-a and McDonald's take the longest, while Dunkin' and KFC have the shortest waits. Yeah, I'm shouting out to y'all in the Northeast and y'all can have your Dunkin' I'm a Northeaster but I can't get with the coffee, I'm sorry. And KFC, yeah, I got my reasons. I'm going to keep them to myself right now, but check this out.
Speaker 2:And they give a caveat to why Chick-fil-A is so long. Much of that has to do with popularity. Chick-fil-a had an average of five vehicles waiting to holler at the speaker or tablet-wielding employee at a given lane at a given time over the past five years almost double second place McDonald's. And let me tell you something they get it right, they're polite, they're clean and they say thank you. I can tell you all that about Chick-fil-A. I get it and I get why people would come back. You wonder at the crush of people they've got how they get it right each and every time. But I will tell you this I've never had one miss at Chick-fil-A. Can't say that about McDonald's, though, but I can definitely say that about Chick-fil-A. That at least my personal experience. I have never had a messed up order.
Speaker 2:Now this piece goes on to say if you adjust for the number of cars in line, chick-fil-a moves the fastest, which is not surprising given their money ball-like approach to chicken distribution. Apparently they go into big league sports style film breakdowns and apparently they dispatch elite drone equipped and analytic squads to speed up individual restaurants. Chick-fil-a takes dwell time in line seriously. They want to make sure you get your food fast, right and quickly and they don't play the InTouch Insight. Shoppers also measure how much of their order each chain got right.
Speaker 2:Guess what? The Georgia-based chicken slingers consistently and that's Chick-fil-A come in near the top of that one as well 92% accuracy since 2019. Burger King and McDonald's are next at 88% and I've noticed the difference difference. Kfc struggled. They had the worst at 81%. That means almost two out of every 10 orders that KFC fills is wrong and over nine out of every 10 that Chick-fil-A fills is right. Think about that for a minute the next time you're in line. Mcdonald's had half as many cars as Chick-fil-A, but it took almost as long. Chick-fil-a had more cars but got the orders right quickly. Yeah, think about that for a minute and then polite about it Because, honestly, you have a choice where you spend your money and people should be grateful that you choose them when you have a choice.
