Tucson sees more take-out only restaurants during pandemic

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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) – Tucson has seen a surge in drive-thru and take-out practices in restaurants recently. It was a busy Saturday at the new Black Rock Coffee Bar near the University of Arizona.

The café has always had a mostly drive-through business model.

“We started in a small, 300-square-foot building that’s just a drive-thru kiosk,” said Clay Geyer, vice president of operations for Black Rock Coffee Bar.

That quick pick-up-and-go strategy made a huge difference over the past year.

“We went through a phase in which we closed our lobbies and only made drive-through,” said Geyer. “That really helped us get through the pandemic.”

It’s a model that Arizona restaurants are adapting to. According to the Arizona Restaurant Association, before the pandemic, 5% of sales came from takeaway. But in 2020 that number jumped to 25%.

“Drive-Thrus became paramount in 2020,” said Steve Chucri, President and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association throughout my 20-year career. “

The association helped more than 2,500 restaurants in Arizona customize their service last year.

“The requirement was if I don’t have a drive-through how can we get one,” said Chucri. “I think even Chipotle looked at how we can add drive-thrus now.”

This year take-away-only spots have popped up across Tucson. Including “By the Bucket”, which has two upcoming storefronts. It’s the main selling point, a quick take-away service for spaghetti and meatballs.

“It goes in and out, right, you come in, get your bucket of spaghetti and you’re gone, takes about 45 seconds,” said Bret daCosta, the founder of by the Bucket.

DaCosta started its franchise a year before the pandemic. As other restaurants adapted their business models, they grew exponentially by buckets. DaCosta says he just had the right idea at the right time.

“It allowed our business to grow because people discovered my spaghetti and said, ‘Hey, why should I sit around in an Italian restaurant, I can get my spaghetti in a bucket,'” said daCosta.

If Tucson continues to follow this trend, the to-go industry will remain.

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