A computer implemented method comprising:
- providing a quick service restaurant (QSR) fulfillment facility having separate multiple drive through restaurants for managing a pick up time for a recipient of an online order to pick up the online order at a specific drive through restaurant of the QSR fulfillment facility, wherein each drive through restaurant of the separate multiple drive through restaurants at the QSR fulfillment facility comprises an individual electronic barrier gate for each drive through lane of each drive through restaurant, wherein the individual electronic barrier gate for each drive through lane of each drive through restaurant grants or denies access to a customer or delivery driver trying to access the specific drive through restaurant responsive to receiving an identifying gate entry code and an arrival time, further comprising, allowing access to the customer or to the delivery driver to a pick up window or other access point of the specific drive through restaurant that is located a distance behind a specific individual electronic barrier gate on a specific drive through lane associated with the specific drive through restaurant only if a correct identifying gate entry code is entered at a correct arrival time, wherein only the specific drive through restaurant is accessible by the pickup window or other access point and not any other restaurant of the separate multiple drive through restaurants;
- by one or more computer systems, receiving a notification for the online order from the customer for an item provided by the specific drive through restaurant store of the multiple drive through restaurants, wherein the online order is made by the customer and purchased by the customer on an online application associated with the specific drive through restaurant in advance of arriving at the QSR fulfillment facility and not at the particular drive through restaurant;
- by one or more computer systems, after receiving the notification for the online order and prior to admission of the recipient past the individual electronic barrier gate of the specific drive through restaurant store, determining the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to transmit to the customer or the delivery driver to pick up a fulfilled order from the specific drive through restaurant of the multiple drive through restaurants at the QSR fulfillment facility, wherein determining the arrival time further comprises calculating the arrival time based on items selected for the online order, wherein the arrival time is calculated by a QSR computer module integrated into the one or more computer systems of the specific drive through restaurant at the QSR fulfillment facility;
- by one or more computer systems, transmitting the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to a phone number of the customer or to the delivery driver associated with the online order, wherein the arrival time is an expected time when the fulfilled order is expected to be ready for pick up from the specific drive through restaurant at the QSR fulfillment facility, wherein transmitting the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to the customer or to the delivery driver associated with the online order who will pick up the fulfilled order further comprises communicating the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to the phone number of the customer or to the delivery driver such that the customer and/or delivery driver receives the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to be entered into the individual electronic barrier gate prior to the admission through the individual electronic barrier gate of the specific drive through restaurant further comprising:
- transmitting via a text message to the phone number for either the customer or the delivery driver the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time;
- by one or more computer systems, transmitting the identifying gate entry code and the arrival time to an operating system of the individual electronic barrier gate of the specific drive through restaurant where the online order is expected to be ready for pickup;
- by one or more computer systems, responsive to receiving the identifying gate entry code at a display panel for the individual electronic barrier gate from the customer or the delivery driver, determining, by a processor associated with the individual electronic barrier gate, whether the arrival time associated with the identifying gate entry code has occurred or has not yet occurred;
- by one or more computer systems, responsive to determining that the arrival time associated with the identifying gate entry code has passed, allowing access to the drive through lane associated with the specific drive through restaurant at the QSR fulfillment facility;
- by one or more computer systems, responsive to determining that the arrival time associated with the identifying gate entry code has not yet occurred, denying access through the individual electronic barrier gate, wherein the individual electronic barrier gate does not automatically open to allow a vehicle to pass through to the drive through restaurant;
- and responsive to the arrival time associated with the identifying gate entry code not yet occurring, directing the vehicle using signaling equipment or other means of communication to wait in a dedicated waiting area associated with the QSR fulfillment facility until the arrival time occurs.