In New York and a few other densely populated areas, you may sit in a Starbucks () -, look out the window and see another Starbucks. This is a bizarre sight, but it makes sense in an area where the occupants of a single office building might keep a cafe busy all day.
Starbucks, which is more than any other business, has adopted the concept that one of the solutions to busy stores is to simply open more. In large cities, the coffee company has expanded into mobile-order stores alongside its traditional cafes.
Starbucks recreates the idea that people will wait long enough, and sometimes the only way to be productive is by having additional locations.
Chipotle () has resolved the same problem in a different way. It has added a so-called make line in all its stores to handle digital orders. That doubles the capacity in its restaurants, improving the experience for in-person customers as well.
White Castle, a new famous fast-food business, has a problem with one of its restaurants being too busy, and it's borrowing the Starbucks solution.
White Castle Falles
White Castle is famous for its sliders and little burgers that people buy by the bag, and has opened its largest building in Orlando in 2021.
The restaurant has quickly reached the milestone and will now sell more than five million hamburgers in its first year. The location has been impressive, with it being open from 7 to 4 a.m. to the open air this summer.
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"We had so many loyal supporters in Central Florida who were eager to anticipate White Castle's arrival, but the response this year has far exceeded our expectations," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle.
That's less demand than the store can handle, and White Castle has a solution to the problem. Because it is already pushing its Orlando kitchen to the brink, White Castle intends to open a takeout-only location next to its existing Orlando castle.
"The purchase in this new space allows us to offer a delivery and pickup option for people on the go who are looking for convenience," White Castle vice president Jamie Richardson said.
It's not a simple solution, but a bold bet because it's operating from the assumption that demand for White Castle in Orlando isn't driven by novelty. This is the chain betting that having a location in a city that is a huge draw for tourists will continue to pay off.
White Castle Returns
White Castle has sparked nostalgia at a time when burgers have surpassed five others. The Original Sliders from the chain are a throwback to simpler times when fast food was about being fast and tasty (and nothing else).
The company has not developed up until the present day, but it also offers a fish slider, a chicken and waffles slider, and a plant-based Impossible slider.
According to the company, the Columbus, Ohio, restaurant has over 375 establishments in 14 states. It "sells its famous fare in retail stores across the country, in a growing number of international locations, and in military exchanges around the globe."
