I wonder how much of this goes back to store or even franchisee management. I worked fast food nearly 45 years ago and it was drilled into us to the point it became part of our DNA.
Back then we used to have an older gentlemen come into the restaurant on Sunday mornings around 11 AM or so (Arby's), same order 2 roast beef sandwiches, potato cakes and a cup of coffee. Sunday mornings were a bit slower (except for coupon weeks) so as soon as we saw the car drive in (no drive thru then) we would start the sandwich, make the coffee and make sure the potatoes were warm.
Now the majority of my Sunday mornings are spent at the CW Visitor Center, most of the volunteers are retirees, all in our late 60s, 70 or older. It's not hard to do a good greeting and even try to answer some of the silliest questions. (I do bite my tongue sometimes when I get the folks who are just passing thru and say they have about 2 hours to kill)