May 6—Drive-thru restaurants and coffee shops are more popular than ever coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Aroma Joe's was way ahead of the curve.

Forget the laptop because 60 out of its 100 stores only offer drive-thru or walk-up service. It was a West Coast concept the brand brought to New England with its smaller, hut-like buildings in 2000.

In recent years, the model has been gaining popularity across the country, especially in a post-COVID world.

An Aroma Joe's with this concept opened in Keene last month. Another 850-square-foot location is under construction in Manchester's North End.

"It really worked well on the West Coast, and they wanted to bring that idea to New England," said Carrie Riley, chief marketing officer.

Major chains including Burger King, Chipotle, McDonald's, Panera Bread, Taco Bell and Wingstop have also launched new to-go only and digital drive-thru models in response to shifting customer demands. Time-strapped customers, real estate costs and a challenging hiring environment are seen as some reasons behind the shift.

Dunkin' has launched this model in recent years, but mostly in new markets.

Taco Bell's new concept — coined "Taco Bell Defy"— is almost spaceship-like with customers driving underneath the kitchen with proprietary vertical lifts lowering the meals directly to cars.

Drive-thrus are seen as essential for a fast-food restaurant to thrive post-COVID, but are sometimes controversial with neighbors because of an increase to traffic, noise and pollution from idling cars.

The developer of a gas station on Edward J. Roy Drive in Manchester said it will now be tough to land a tenant after the zoning board denied a special exception to add a drive-thru.

Mike Somers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, said most quick-serve restaurants offer at least a few seats for people to enjoy their beverage or meal.

"Businesses have recognized, especially for a younger demographic, they are perfectly comfortable with just grab-and-go options," he said.

The growth

The drive-thru only model offered by Aroma Joe's is attractive to franchise owners because of lower costs to get up and running, Riley said.

"It is less expensive to build something without indoor seating," she said.

Riley said the company was ahead of its time with competitors like Starbucks also reducing their footprints in recent years.

"People thought they would go and congregate and they do in some instances," she said. "But if you watch Starbucks they went from only being in store experiences to now they have drive-thrus."

Aroma Joe's did the opposite and now has seating in about 40% of their stores, including on Beech Street in Manchester.

The brand is looking to open 15 to 20 new stores this year. The stores have expanded from New England to across the Northeast, including three in Florida and two in Pennsylvania. The majority are in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

Some brands are shifting toward digital-only sales for its drive-thrus, like Chipotle Mexican Grill.

The chain plans to open a 2,400-square-foot store on Crystal Avenue in Derry with a Chipotlane, the brand's digital order drive-thru/pickup lane. The restaurant will have limited seating indoors.

The company says the "pick-up lanes have demonstrated higher volumes and greater returns than a traditional Chipotle restaurant format."

A new Domino's in Hooksett also has a drive-thru, which allows customers to pick up online orders without getting out of their car.

Aroma Joe's drive-thrus are unique in that they don't use intercom systems and people order and pick-up from a person. Many customers look to the baristas for suggestions for drinks.

"It doesn't feel like just a transaction," Riley said.

The benefits

One of the reasons for the shift is because of the lack of workers. Some people walk into a store only to be told the drive-thru is the only option.

Somers said a lot of locations can operate with one or two employees depending on the shift, which can also create a challenge if someone is sick and can't work their shift.

Local chain Pressed Cafe opened a drive-thru only location on Cotton Road in Nashua as an experiment in 2018. Owners Miri and Roi Shpindler just wanted to try it and see how it went.

"It was the perfect timing with COVID," Miri Shpind-ler said. "It ended up being our busiest location during COVID."

The newest New Hampshire location in Bedford has it all: drive-thru, fast casual seating and a full bar.

"Now it is a must," Shpindler said of drive-thrus. "It is a deal-breaker on a location. We won't do another no drive-thru restaurant."