COMMENTARY
Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) helped pioneer and change the face of architecture. This quote is attributed to him, “form follows function.” In this context, writer Mark Wilson reviews fast food chains’ $290 billion race for the perfect drive-through.
What does this have to do with animal health? Drive-throughs have been a staple of fast-food revenue for decades, representing 65 percent or more of a store’s revenue. They have only become more popular in 2020. It is estimated 74 percent of Americans have visited a drive-through the same amount or more often than usual this year. Fast foods’ customers have found drive-through convenient and a safer way to interact. These are the connections to animal health; convenience and safety.
We now have multiple virtual tools to interact with animal owners and avoid menu-board delays described by fast food companies. Pre-screening and prioritizing curb-side veterinary care by animal and client versus walk-in trade is part of re-thinking the service model. Additionally, curb-side pickup and home-delivery services increase the user friendliness of veterinary care while virtual tools can increase both frequency and recency of veterinary-client interactions.
Sullivan’s student and protégé, Frank Lloyd Wright, suggested that Sullivan didn’t go far enough intellectually and spiritually, but never rejected his ideas.
Less is only more where more is no good. Form follows function is mere dogma until you realize the higher truth that form and function are one.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)
Source: Fast Company, August 27, 2020. Link.
INSIGHTS: So? What will the curbside or drive-through experience look like at veterinary clinics in 2025? Maybe some of the lessons from fast food will apply. If you watch Nat Geo veterinary TV programming, it is common to see veterinarians and veterinary nurses leave the clinic building to interact with animals and their owners in the parking lot. That makeshift tent enclosure out the back door is going to be cold soon if you’re located north of I-20. Fuel for thought!