"drive thru window" 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?

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.

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