Five checks before adding cash access to your drive-through

The drive-through is the most time-sensitive lane in a dispensary. A payment step that adds thirty seconds at the counter barely registers; at the window it backs cars into the street. Before adding a cash-access terminal to your drive-through, confirm these five things.

1. Handheld terminal access and reach

The handheld 4G terminal should be passed safely through the service window so the driver can reach the PIN pad without opening the vehicle door. Keep the terminal charged, connected, and within easy reach of staff. Staff should maintain control of the device while confirming the transaction and retrieve it immediately after payment.

2. 4G connectivity at the lane

The handheld terminal uses a 4G cellular connection rather than the building’s wired or Wi-Fi network. Test cellular signal strength and transaction reliability at the drive-through window before launch. Weak coverage or a timed-out authorization can delay the entire line, so confirm the terminal maintains a stable connection throughout the service area.

3. The receipt exchange

Every cash-access transaction produces its own receipt, separate from your sales receipt. Decide in advance how both get to the driver: printed together, handed in one pass, stapled to the bag. Small choice, but it is the difference between a clean handoff and a fumble at every car.

4. A script your team actually says

The customer at the window has less context than the customer at the counter. Give staff one or two sentences that explain the step: what the customer does, what they get, and that the purchase finishes in cash. Train it like you train the greeting.

5. A before-and-after measurement

Time your lane for a week before the terminal goes in: cars per hour at peak, average seconds per car. Then measure again after. That baseline is what turns "the line feels faster" into a number you can publish. One EllaCash merchant, Inhale Dispensary, reports drive-through business up over 300 percent; a claim like that is only as strong as the baseline behind it, which is why we push merchants to measure first.

Window deployments are one of the three scenarios we walk through in a fit check, including the hardware, the receipt flow, and what your lane timing looks like today.