Americans Are Gobbling Up Takeout Food. Restaurants Bet That Won’t Change.

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McDonald’s Corporation A new restaurant outside Fort Worth, Texas, has no tables or seats for customers and a conveyor belt that delivers food to drivers who order ahead. Chipotle Mexican Grill ink Ohio allows no seating for customers inside restaurants that only take digital orders. Taco Bell is evaluating a new design that has four drive-thru lanes, double the usual two.

America’s largest restaurant companies bet during the pandemic that you will eat food made on their premises elsewhere. Now they’re gambling you’ll want to do so for years to come.