"drive through" news and stories

Should someone in a wheelchair be allowed to use the drive thru windows at fast food places and coffee shops?

That's the question in Weymouth, MA. Donald Hayes has to use a motorized wheelchair, and he used to go to his local Dunkin' Donuts every morning to get coffee at the drive thru window, but then the establishment stopped serving him, since he wasn't in a car. They cite safety concerns, and a spokesman says that they don't have a corporate policy regarding wheelchairs, even if it is a "motorized vehicle."

Hayes is thinking about suing the coffee and donut giant (and one lawyer says he has a case since the place isn't wheelchair accessible), but says what he really wants is to be able to get his coffee every morning at the window.

Readers, what do you think?

If you're lucky enough to live somewhere that doesn't have horrendous traffic, then you can skip this post. However, for those of us who live in places like L.A., where a one-way commute from the office back home could be well over an hour, then something like the eDesk might be helpful. It attaches to your steering wheel and provides a small desktop in your car. Hopefully, you would only use it when traffic is a complete standstill. Or by your carpool-mates in the backseat.

Though the original site (in Japanese) seems to showcase the eDesk more for work activities, i.e. as a place to put a laptop, we do see how this could be useful when you've missed dinner at home and are relegated to drive-thru on your commute. Double Double Animal Style, "eat in the car!"

I haven't seen the eDesk available anywhere except off their site in Japan.

I far prefer to stop at a Starbucks than a fast food restaurant when I am on a long drive because, most of the time, I will pack my own snacks are simply want to get a drink. I'd rather have the extra caffeine of a coffee versus a soda and prefer the far-better taste of freshly prepared coffee than the "coffee" that comes out of a dispenser at the gas station convenience store. Starbucks also generally tend to have well-maintained bathrooms, which I appreciate.  But unless I really need to stretch my legs, I will find myself pulling up to the drive-thru window at many highway-side Starbucks. Driving thru takes about the same amount of time as going inside the store, with the added benefit that you do not have to get up. This is especially useful when it is cold outside and you don't want to put on several layers to walk a few hundred feet to the door.

With drive-thru service now accounting for up to 70% of fast food sales, the mind boggles to hear that companies are trying to speed up their drive thru service. One method of speeding up service is to route calls to call centers - instead of simply receiving them inside the restaurant over a speaker or radio - to increase accuracy. Companies have found this to be relatively effective, particularly in areas where their employees have limited English skills. The call centers enter the menu items onto a central computer, which transmits the order directly into the restaurant's computers. Another strategy is to replace the traditional written menu board with a photo illustrated or digital one, hoping that tempting food imagery will help customers choose their food faster. There are even computer programs that average how much food needs to be cooking at any given moment.

Source

Along Route 66 lies a quite piece of American history: the first drive-thru restaurant. Red's Giant Hamburg is located in Springfield, Missouri and has been there since 1947. Sheldon “Red” Chaney decided that it would be easier for the customers to place their orders through a window to the kitchen, rather than repeating them to waitresses. Just like that, the car hop service was replaced with the first drive-thru window.  Legend has it that the name of the restaurant was originally meant to be "Red's Giant Hamburger", but due to some poor planning, the sign was not large enough and the "er" had to be dropped.

Source