The current problem is staffing. Until these franchisors start to take a hard line with these franchisees and prohibit this "drive through only" practice during certain hours of operation (say 7 AM to 7 PM) it is going to continue with some locations taking advantage.Super S wrote: ↑February 26th, 2022, 8:07 am Oregon and Washington are some of the last states to still have indoor mask restrictions, but this will end in both states by the end of March (unless they reinstate them again which happened last time). I have noticed that more restaurants are opening up the dining rooms. Notable is Arby's, where it has been closed almost the whole time since the pandemic started. But I did notice last night that the local Jack In The Box was drive-thru only. But at least that location, which had an extensive renovation a couple years ago, had a well-lit parking lot and looked like they welcomed you, unlike some I have seen which don't even have the parking lot lights on let alone the restaurant and you can't tell if they are open or closed.
This is something that has varied from one area to the next in Oregon/Washington with different franchise operators etc. It's a given that some locations have taken a hit during the pandemic, but the ones slow to return to normal hours hint at other problems brewing, and I will not be surprised if more locations end up closing down.
I have fast food chains in my area who have the same employee count as they've ever had and continue to be drive through only, they say, due to short staffing. Well it is 8 PM and you had 3-5 employees in this unit for the past 20 years I've been visiting it at that time, now you have 5 employees and you are still drive through only- why. Your unit manager says it is short staffing; it seems the unit manager just doesn't want to have inside open because it is easier for the employees. Oh and why is one of your other locations a few miles away with only 3 employees (this I'd argue is short staffed) offering the dine in option as well? These franchisors really need to hit the hammer down on some of these franchisees to get consistent again.
Many Taco Bell, Burger King, and Jack in the Box locations in my area do not operate some days and have very limited hours other days, some Jack in the Box units are only open 8:30-3:30 (drive through only of course) then in other parts of town they are open until 1 AM (and dine in is open); same franchisee. The Taco Bell units are controlled by some San Francisco based investment group and to their credit they have made a real push recently to reopen dine-in even for limited hours but the employees still don't often unlock the doors. One location back in December had a sign up that said lobby open 11-7 then it was locked and I must have pulled it hard enough they heard me and they came and opened it and let me in and then said you have to knock on the door; then the next week I went back to that same unit at lunch and they had their sign up again that was up for months before "lobby is closed for the safety of our guests and team" sign again- that was in early January. The Burger King is a local franchisee and they are run so poorly I am not surprised at all to see what is happening there. The Jack in the Box is more confusing as that is a local franchisee who historically had pretty strong operations. I think some franchisees may be using this as an opportunity to try and purge locations they do not want by basically running them on fumes in hopes they can get out of the lease/franchise agreement.
Then there are some chains who somehow stayed open inside the whole time- El Pollo Loco, In N Out... a number of McDonalds franchisees... not sure how they figured out how to do it.
