At busy times, the Starbucks near me even goes farther. They have an extra employee ask people in line for their drink orders and marks them on the cup before you even reach the cashier so that the only bottleneck is actually paying for the drink.
They're taking your order as soon as you walk in the door so that by the time you realize that you'll be standing there for 20 minutes waiting for your coffee you're already committed. You'd feel guilty walking out, so they get your business where they otherwise might not.
this started happening at a local Chipotle i go to at lunch. you actually pay while in line, then order your food, then show your receipt to cashier as proof. seems weird to me in this setting because what if i change my mind on what i want to eat based on what looks good. i guess it is more efficient though.
