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Automatic Doors Add More 'Service' to Foodservice

Industry embracing automation outside the kitchen to enhance productivity

Blog 35, April 2025

A few years ago, the foodservice industry faced its greatest challenge in a generation, perhaps ever: changing consumer behaviors brought on by a worldwide pandemic. Government orders in some states shut down dining rooms and even carryout – delivery became a necessity. When diners were permitted to return to in-person dining, many didn't.

During that time, the American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) took a closer look at the fallout from these changes through its specific lens. We wondered if heightened concern about germs and transmission of illness had prompted more eating establishments to install automatic doors – thereby furthering a "hands-free" experience for customers. The theory being that the fewer surfaces touched, the less likely transmission would be.

Automatic doors seem made for use in foodservice. They can enhance efficiency, accessibility, and hygiene, particularly in high-traffic areas like drive-thrus and entrances, while also improving customer experience and staff workflow.

At the time AAADM visited the subject, in 2022, results were mixed. Despite nearly two-thirds of diners indicating that the presence of automatic doors would influence their decision to patronize a restaurant, foodservice was still lagging behind in embracing the idea.

Three years later, has anything changed? Updated surveys and stats are hard to come by, but empirical evidence suggests the answer is a resounding yes.

Look no further than the big changes that have happened to the QSR drive-thru line. Those familiar chest-high service windows are being replaced by full – and fully automated – doorways. These full-length cut-throughs enable employees to walk right up to cars, straight from the kitchen. In busy times, workers can easily serve larger orders or run them out to parked cars.

According to QSR Magazine, the automatic door systems "have been tested in drive-through restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores throughout the country and have a proven track record of improving productivity and increasing revenues.”

Perhaps it took the added benefit of efficiency-through-automation to be added to the promise of a no-touch world for the industry to find motivation.

Foodservice is a frequent incubator for innovation, from point-of-sale kiosks to automated kitchen functions and more. It's only natural for the industry to continue looking for ways to incorporate automatic doors where they can help improve workflow, customer experience, and hygiene.

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