Drive-through

A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word through) is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products (or use the service provided by the business) without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the United States in the 1930s and has since spread to other countries.

Drive-through facilities typically come in one of three forms. Single lane, where the agent is in the kiosk on the driver's side; dual lane, with the left lane on the left side of the kiosk facing the right side of the vehicle, and the right lane on the right side of the kiosk, facing the left side of the vehicle, with either an agent for each lane or a single agent handling both lanes; and multilane, with two or more lanes all with an agent on the driver's side of the vehicle. In some cases, a single lane kiosk may be approached in either direction at the driver's choice as to whether the driver or the passenger interacts with the agent.

A drive-up window teller was installed at the Grand National Bank of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1930. The drive-up teller allowed only deposits at that time.[1]

Orders are generally placed using a microphone and picked up in person at the window. A drive-through is different from a drive-in restaurant in several ways - the cars create a line and move in one direction in drive-throughs, and normally do not park, whereas drive-ins allow cars to park next to each other, the food is generally brought to the window by a server, called a carhop, and the customer can remain in the parked car to eat. However, during peak periods, to keep the queue down and avoid traffic flow problems, drive-throughs occasionally switch to an "order at the window, then park in a designated space" model where the customer will receive their food from an attendant when it is ready to be served. This results in a perceived relationship between the two service models.

Drive-throughs have generally replaced drive-ins in popular culture, and are now found in the vast majority of modern American fast food chains. Sometimes, a store with a drive-through is referred to as a "drive-through", or the term is attached to the service, such as, "drive-through restaurant". or "drive-through bank".

Drive-throughs typically have signs over the drive-through lanes to show customers which lanes are open for business. The types of signage used is usually illuminated so the "open" message can be changed to a "closed" message when the lane is not available.

Drive-through restaurants

A drive-through restaurant generally consists of:

Drive-through designs differ from restaurant to restaurant; however, most drive-throughs can accommodate a queue of four to six passenger cars or trucks simultaneously. Most drive-through lanes are designed so the service windows and speaker are on the driver's side of the car, for example, in left-hand traffic (right-hand drive) countries such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, India and New Zealand, the windows will be on the right side of the drive-through lane, and vice versa in right-hand traffic (left-hand drive) countries such as North America and mainland Europe. There are a few drive-through lanes designed with service windows on the passenger side, but these lanes are few and usually confined to ordinance compliance situations, as they cannot be used easily by driver-only vehicles.

Coffee is often sold through drive-through only coffee shops.[2]

A speaker and microphone for customers to place their orders
A speaker and microphone or wireless headset system for employees to hear the customer's order (when a speaker is used)
A trigger pad beneath the concrete to activate the microphone and headset

Drive-through banking

In 1928, City Center Bank, which became UMB Financial Corporation, president R. Crosby Kemper opened what is considered the first drive-up window. Shortly after the Grand National Bank in St Louis opened up a drive-through, including a slot to the side for night time deposits.[14] Westminster Bank opened the UK's first drive-through bank in Liverpool in 1959, soon followed by Ulster Bank opening Ireland's first in 1961 at Finaghy.[15]

In recent years, there has been a decline in drive-through banking due to increased traffic congestion and the increased availability of automated teller machines and telephone and internet banking. Many bank buildings now feature drive-through ATMs.

Drive-through stores

Grocery shopping

Harold Willis and his father, Robert Willis, first incorporated a dairy and eggs drive-through service in Redlands, California, in the early 1940s, supplying milk and eggs quickly and efficiently to driving customers; this utilized a dairy conveyor belt that Harold Willis had invented.[16] Farm Stores began drive-through service in 1957 in Miami Florida, and soon added locations throughout the SouthEast.[17] Crafty's Drive-Buy Grocery Store in Virginia started offering the service. In 2012, the Dutch chain Albert Heijn introduced a "Pick Up Point" where one can collect groceries bought online.[18] In the UK, this service was first announced by Tesco in August 2010.[19]

Drive-through medical testing

During the COVID-19 pandemic, drive-through testing became a common approach around the world for testing people who were potentially infected with the virus.[21] In 2020, drive-through testing facilities were set up in many countries to test whether passengers were infected with COVID-19 (the first being in South Korea).[22][23]

This approached allowed medical workers to process high volumes of tests quickly while reducing exposure and risk of infection between those being tested by keeping patients isolated in their vehicles.[24]

The process typically saw patients present their ID before being swabbed while remaining in their vehicles, before driving off once the test was complete. Their results were then typically shared with them either via text message or via their doctor.[25]

Emissions and traffic

Emissions

In recent years, drive-through restaurants and other drive-through facilities have faced increased scrutiny due to the higher levels of emissions that they create – compared to walk-in equivalents.[26] A 2018 study by QSR Magazine found that the average waiting time at a McDonald's drive-through restaurant in the US took 3 minutes and 15 seconds, with an average of 3.8 cars waiting at any one time.[27] This figure rose to an average of 4 minutes 25 seconds in 2019.[28]

If the average motorist avoided idling for just 3 minutes every day of the year, emissions would be reduced by 1.4 million tonnes annually, or the equivalent of taking 320,000 cars off the road.[29][30]

Other examples

Some other examples of drive-through businesses include:

Postal services at a drive-through mailbox
Prescriptions at a drive-through pharmacy
Marriage (primarily at special drive-through marriage chapels in Las Vegas in the United States)
Funeral home where mourners can drive by, view and make offerings to the remains of their loved ones through windows.[38][39]
Pennsylvania State Representative Kevin P. Murphy installed a drive-through window designed to speed constituent service.[40]
Photo processing at Fotomat.

Non-car customers

Pedestrians sometimes attempt to walk through the drive-through to order food. Many establishments refuse drive-through service to pedestrians for safety, insurance, and liability reasons.[42] Cyclists are also usually refused service with the same justification given.[43] However, in the summer of 2009, Burgerville gave use of the drive-through window to bicyclists.[44]

Walk-up windows

Some companies provide a walk-up window instead when a drive-through may not be practical. However, the walk-up windows should not be confused with small establishments that customers are lined up for services such as mobile kitchens, kiosks, or concession stands. These walk-up windows are value-added services on top of the full services provided inside the stores.[45]

External links

References

Popular Mechanics Books.google.com, Hearst Magazines, July 1930, retrieved 2016-06-02^
Drive-Thru Coffee Shop Saw Success in 2008 QSR, 2009-01-16, retrieved 2021-09-16^
Danny Klein. The 2024 QSR Drive-Thru Report

Service time

According to QSR's 2024 annual survey, Taco Bell was the fastest fast-food chain in the United States regarding drive-thru service time, with an average wait of 194.16 seconds. This was significantly faster than the overall average of 244.86 seconds. Other chains with relatively fast service times included KFC (206.41 seconds) and McDonald's (271.81 seconds). Chick-fil-A, known for its long lines, had an average service time of 298.27 seconds, but also had an additional wait time of 181.15 seconds, resulting in a total customer wait of approximately 479.42 seconds (8 minutes).[3]

History

In 1921, Kirby's Pig Stand introduced the drive-in restaurant, in which carhops delivered meals. In 1931, a California Pig Stand franchise introduced a drive-through service that bypassed the carhops. The first identified drive-through restaurant was established in 1947 at Red's Giant Hamburg located in Springfield, Missouri.[4] A year later in 1948, Harry and Esther Snyder of the In-N-Out Burger chain built a drive-through restaurant, featuring a two-way speaker system that Harry Snyder invented himself earlier that year. By the 1970s, drive-through service had replaced drive-in restaurants in the United States.[5]

The first McDonald's drive-through was created in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Fort Huachuca, a military installation, to serve military members who were not permitted to get out of their cars off-post while wearing fatigues.[6] The original McDonald's was closed down and demolished in 1999 and a new McDonald's replaced it.[7]

In 1987, Bob Charles pioneered the concept of the double vehicle drive-through. Charles, a McDonald's franchisee based in Boulder, Colorado, was the first to design and implement this innovation, which resulted in significantly increased per-unit volume.

In 1981, Max Hamburgers opened Northern Europe's first drive-in in Piteå.[8]

Another early drive-through restaurant in Europe, a McDonald's drive-through, opened at the Nutgrove Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland, in 1985.[9]

In the US, drive-throughs account for 70% of McDonald's business and the average drive-through order is fulfilled in under 3:30.[10] Outside of the US, McDonald's drive-throughs are variously known as "McDrive"[11] and "AutoMac".[12]

In 2010, the Casa Linda, Texas, franchise of McDonald's opened a drive-through/walk-up-only store with no indoor seating although it has a small patio with tables.[13]