Psychology 4 Hidden Dutch Bros® DriveThru Faves

Your organization will succeed by focusing all operations on the primary motivator for your most valuable potential customers. Focus on a mental image of the guest who stays with you or the one you want to attract. Not so easy, right?

Different demographics.

Varying preferences.

The customer experience includes multiple possible times of day, special events, ways to order food and different accompanying guests.

The wide range of customer preferences drives QSR marketers to promote basic factors such as affordable prices and easy access and diverse menu options. Psychology provides a straightforward scientific understanding which reveals the four core elements that guide customer restaurant and drinking venue choices.

These motivational drivers function as enduring and foreseeable patterns that help marketers understand customer behavior at QSR establishments so they can develop stronger marketing strategies.

Through its 2015 release Inside Out demonstrates how a young girl experiences daily life by studying both external environments and internal brain processes. The movie functions as a basic representation of psychological foundations to unveil the essential distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations which QSR marketers should grasp. The core psychological principles …

Behavior that originates from within the individual stems from personal interest combined with curiosity and self-improvement needs.

The behavior of people is extrinsically motivated through external rewards and punishments which include money and social recognition.

Internal motivation stands in opposition to external motivation to establish the four drivers of choice. The first two drivers operate from within the individual.

First, the intrinsic driver that everyone starts with: Rational.

The behavior trap catches numerous marketers because most restaurant visitors believe they carry out these actions when they actually do not. People often inform market researchers about their thorough nutritional review and ingredient examination followed by price comparison before ordering. The actual guest behavior exceeds what QSR executives accept as true based on guest statements because more happens in real-life situations.

Starbucks receives recognition from most customers as the brand that supports this principle according to the general population. The perception of expertise about the brand and menu along with the experience drives customers to engage with Starbucks rather than tangible facts alone. A casual Starbucks customer picks “grande coffee” as their drink but regular mobile users ask for “iced vanilla latte with oat milk and a pump of vanilla” Knowledge development leads to strong experience development through the application of established knowledge.

Several strategic tips exist for winning guests into this mindset.

• Guests need straightforward comparative data on elements such as ingredients, nutritional information and prices to achieve a sense of control.
• The presentation of numerical data measuring benefits (such as ounces per dollar and protein content) helps customers “collect” information.

Now let’s dig deeper, unpacking the second intrinsic driver: sensory exploration

The second driving factor derives from humans seeking sensory experiences as well as new discoveries which stem from that natural curiosity. The driver manifests itself naturally within newer concepts that grow rapidly but extends beyond fresh concepts. An ongoing sensory experience stays alive through limited-time deals combined with innovative tastes and interactive in-app features which create continuous curiosity and high levels of interest. These customers are not solely driven by hunger or thirst because their primary interest lies in discovery.

Current market demand leads customers to visit Shake Shack along with Raising Cane’s and Dutch Bros and Crumbl because of this driver. The decision to visit a specific destination depends on the chance to experience its offerings. Every brand that has established itself can offer regular adventures for their customers. The obvious examples of McDonald’s sensory experience include their adult happy meals, celebrity meals and Grimace Shakes. Guests who explore through curiosity should experience traditional promotions such as LTOs and entertainment tie-ins but these can also be made more creative and interesting.

The restaurant delivers sensory engagement through digital channels and drive-thru and in-restaurant platforms.
Promotions should be treated as exciting adventures instead of discounts (for example online gaming and cheat code access).
Allow customers to customize menus through hacking systems which allows them to experience full control over their dining adventure.
The first two drivers operate from within the individual. The individual guest represents the core target at these locations so serve each person directly rather than focusing on groups.

The last two drivers operate from outside factors. People base their decisions on outside elements which include rewards and consequences together with social influences.

The most obvious extrinsic driver: The wisdom of the tribe

Social alignment stands as one of the major factors affecting guest behavior because customers make their choices to gain approval from their groups and uphold shared principles. Guests choose more than food at these establishments because they obtain social connections that allow them to support their group members.

The industry recognizes Chick-fil-a as the leading company which successfully implements this motivational force. And not because of nice dining rooms or play places. People engage with Chick-fil-a for emotional connection rather than anything else. The consistent value Chick-fil-a maintains for community stands as its main social media and shared-meal promotions replacement method.

The motivation of this model requires guests to serve their social network unselfishly while providing for them. Research shows that the extrinsic mindset typically emerges when people perform repetitive tasks. People usually look for external rewards when performing repetitive tasks or tasks they find unenjoyable because these rewards serve as motivation to finish the work. A mom expressed her dislike for dinner preparations during a fifth grade basketball game while speaking to my wife and me in the bleachers. What’s for dinner. Shopping for dinner. Making dinner. Did they eat the dinner …”

The tribal reward system exists primarily during dinner time but dinner remains its only tribal domain. Exploring occasions and group dynamics unlocks a substantial key that activates and delivers the tribal decision mechanism.

And last but not least, instinct and impulse …

The fourth driver operates based on the immediate need to feel good and look good in customer decision-making processes. People who have read Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow would classify this driver as the most automatic and subconscious among behavioral drivers.

Taco Bell utilizes this driver successfully throughout its business strategy while directing its marketing messages. The emotional preference rests between the “value meal” and the “Luxe box” options. The company uses movie trailer-style promotions for their Nacho Fries products to stimulate consumers’ impulsive responses through curiosity and excitement.

Popeyes launched their initial sandwich while using the impulsive driver to achieve success alongside starting the Chicken Sandwich Wars. The marketing campaign combined tactile imagery along with a powerful sense of satisfaction anticipation which generated an exceptional proportional increase of consumer demand.

The winning strategy for impulsive choices requires marketers to understand that feelings dominate facts. The marketing approach should focus primarily on emotions rather than just facts. A few sure-fire techniques:

• High-impact images of food products need to be used because they activate consumer cravings.
• Create bold, memorable flavor profiles.
• Companies should develop marketing content and design programs to deliver instant satisfaction to consumers.

Applying the science

Marketers gain empowerment through psychology-based knowledge that shows them four fundamental drivers they can utilize. Moving forward with knowledge of drivers represents only the beginning stage. The actual opportunity emerges from identifying the driver that demonstrates the strongest relationship with your target segment and customers. The limitations of traditional market research require avoidance since they indicate customers rely strictly on reason-based factors when studies show underlying motivations differ completely.

A value-oriented QSR chain would find that their dedicated customers value dining with friends above all else instead of focusing on price offerings. Such key insights would transform how companies approach menu creation and customer experience design as well as their marketing plans.

Your complete operation needs to support the core motivator which drives your most valuable customers to succeed. The gained perception opens opportunities for enhancing competition by examining customer psychological needs past traditional quick-service restaurant marketing methods.