Drive-thru's backing up onto streets

[zachary_amaryllis]

It is the subject of much debate around here: the Chicken Lane.

There's a Canes here, that frequently has the drive-thru backed up onto northbound South College. It's dangerous, because you either:

a) run up suddenly on stopped cars that aren't immediately visible
b) are in the center lane, and one of the aforementioned vehicles suddenly changes lanes to the left to get out of the line

The speed limit on this road is 40, going to 35 as you go down the hill. Local suggestions have been along the line of removing the break so you can access the place through the frontage road, or accessing the place from one block east, Remington st. The city's answer thus far, has been posting a "CONGESTED AREA AHEAD" sign, slightly south of this GSV image.

This kind of thing happen around you?

GSV: https://goo.gl/maps/4eZ5KbpxNstMXhiu9

[JCinSummerfield]

In Adrian, MI, the KFC traffic around dinner time usually spills out onto the right lane of M-52 southbound.  It is a 5 lane road, 2 lanes north, a center turn lane, and 2 lanes south, so there room to get around them.  If you are northbound trying to make a left turn in, you could be sitting in the center turn lane for a while.  I think in general, most drive-thru's have experienced much more traffic since the beginning of COVID.

[ahj2000]

Relatively common at a few Chick Fil As across the south during the peak. A McDonald's in my old college town did it too. If it's an arterial with enough space it's not THAT big a deal, just an inconvenience. COVID has certainly made things worse

[US 89]

This Cook Out drive-thru in Atlanta is notorious for backing up into Northside, especially during late night hours when there are very few other food options.

[1995hoo]

The Chick-Fil-A drive-thru in Springfield, Virginia, is notorious for that, although Street View doesn't show it backed up all the way out onto Backlick Road. In the image, you can see the restaurant itself to the far left near Advance Auto Parts (the drive-thru exit is between Advance and Chick-Fil-A), and the drive-thru entrance is straight ahead of the camera viewpoint (the SUV and the Camry coming from the right are most likely part of the drive-thru line). Several businesses have left that shopping center, and others have expressed an intent to leave, because the drive-thru line so severely interferes with parking.

The Raising Cane's in Charlottesville has been noted to cause traffic problems on US-29, though no Street View imagery of a backup there is available.

In a similar situation that doesn't involve a restaurant, the Mr. Wash Express car wash at the corner of Edsall Road and Van Dorn Street in Alexandria, Virginia, sometimes backs up so much (despite having two queues) that the city police wind up coming out to try to manage the congestion since it's adjacent to an intersection. Arguably too small a piece of property for a place that's so busy.

Finally, while this one doesn't back up out onto the street, it can be almost as bad in some respects: The drive-thru for the KFC/Taco Bell here in Kingstowne always backs up and often blocks access to the other drive-thru for the Burger King located in the same row of stores (see the blue SUV located in the distance beyond the silver Chevy SUV). Drivers can't seem to agree on how to form the drive-thru line when it backs up to, or beyond, the point seen in this Street View image. They've started work to put in a Chick-Fil-A in the same shopping center where the Irish pub used to be. I don't necessarily think the traffic waiting for the drive-thru will be a huge problem, but I think the traffic exiting from the drive-thru is going to cause major problems because the shopping center's exits are poorly-designed. Good thing it's close enough that I'll be able to walk there for my chicken fix.

[Rothman]

When the Sonic opened in Latham, NY, locals went nuts and backups were an issue.  I guess Upstaters didn't know Sonic just isn't that special (the Sonics in the Syracuse area are horrible).

Just Sunday night, I was by a Krispy Kreme  on Mavis in Mississauga, Ontario that had a car line wrapping around a large parking lot.  I think it was because it was the only one around that stayed open until 10, while others closed at 8.  I guess Canadians are still nuts about Krispy Kreme; took us a millisecond to know it wasn't worth that kind of wait.

[MATraveler128]

That would be Chick Fil A in a nutshell. Sometimes there's even police there directing traffic. I mean c'mon people it's just fast food.

[SectorZ]

Too many Dunkin' Donuts in Massachusetts.

Style points when instead of trying to stop it, police are adding to it.

[hotdogPi]

Gas stations: this one every day, and this one on Thursdays.

Not even a drive-thru, but a full restaurant: this seafood place during Lent on Fridays. They even have someone controlling traffic during PM dinner hours.

[kurumi]

Perhaps there will be another thread about drive-thru layout. I'm sure the engineers did their due diligence, but the layout of the Sunnyvale CA CFA seems problematic: https://goo.gl/maps/czcXsQsSbMHhjgef8

There's always a conflict (and usually a person directing traffic) as the drive-thru exit vehicles have to turn left across the incoming driveway.

Having the entrance upstream of the building (further west) instead of downstream (a mirror image) would have avoided that, since there would be no crossing needed. But maybe CFA preferred downstream as customers would see the building then then entrance?

[vdeane]

When the Sonic opened in Latham, NY, locals went nuts and backups were an issue.  I guess Upstaters didn't know Sonic just isn't that special (the Sonics in the Syracuse area are horrible).

Just Sunday night, I was by a Krispy Kreme  on Mavis in Mississauga, Ontario that had a car line wrapping around a large parking lot.  I think it was because it was the only one around that stayed open until 10, while others closed at 8.  I guess Canadians are still nuts about Krispy Kreme; took us a millisecond to know it wasn't worth that kind of wait.

Yeah, the Sonic backup was nuts, especially the first couple of days when it went onto the Northway (in fact, I think the line might have gotten even longer than what I showed...).  It took weeks for traffic to fully return to normal.  I'm curious if something similar will happen when CFA opens their first non-airport location right on the other side of the Northway (where the Brick House restaurant is now), especially since the traffic pattern at that plaza isn't great.

[JayhawkCO]

When the In-N-Out opened here in Aurora, it caused backups onto I-225 because there was so much traffic exiting onto Alameda.  I drove by it wondering if there was an accident before I realized what it was.  It's obviously gotten better since than opening week.  Too many Cali transplants out here I guess.

[rickmastfan67]

My local Arby's has this problem.

3 lanes going NB on the main drag, divided highway, and since the DT line is so short, it can, and does occasionally backup into the right lane going NB.  Especially since it's the first fast food you encounter coming out of Pittsburgh here.

[skluth]

Most of the local fast food drive-throughs are accessed from shopping center parking lots, so it's not a big issue here. Local governments here try to limit how many access points are allowed on our main boulevards. When they don't, they often have to use some rather unusual drive-thru designs away from the street like this or this. Much of Palm Desert doesn't even allow drive-thru restaurants. 

My Costco gas station does regularly back up into Dinah Shore. It's fairly self-correcting as drivers don't like to wait on the street and will circle around to the other gas station entrance in the parking lot via Shoppers Lane and Carver Place which usually only has at most a couple cars waiting. (Until now, I didn't know Shoppers Lane had a name much less Carver Pl.)

[SEWIGuy]

The Culvers around here can back up into the street.  They refer to themselves as America's slowest drive through because they make everything to order, but they actually have a nice system down.

[ran4sh]

It is the subject of much debate around here: the Chicken Lane.

There's a Canes here, that frequently has the drive-thru backed up onto northbound South College. It's dangerous, because you either:

a) run up suddenly on stopped cars that aren't immediately visible
b) are in the center lane, and one of the aforementioned vehicles suddenly changes lanes to the left to get out of the line

The speed limit on this road is 40, going to 35 as you go down the hill. Local suggestions have been along the line of removing the break so you can access the place through the frontage road, or accessing the place from one block east, Remington st. The city's answer thus far, has been posting a "CONGESTED AREA AHEAD" sign, slightly south of this GSV image.

This kind of thing happen around you?

GSV: https://goo.gl/maps/4eZ5KbpxNstMXhiu9

Yes, and also with a Cane's. The Cane's location in Athens GA has traffic backing up onto the street throughout the day. Seems like Cane's just needs to open a few more locations, due to the fact that the Athens Cane's attracts customers from all over NE Georgia such as Gainesville, Gwinnett County, etc.

Chick-fil-A gets a lot of traffic as well but they actually try to manage it and avoid it backing up onto streets. Plus there's several locations so not everyone is trying to go to the same one.

[plain]

Aside from the usual (and in my opinion, overrated) Chick Fil A, I can think of 3 places in the Richmond area where this happens sometimes, especially late night on Friday and Saturday.

Cookout on W. Broad St just inside city limits

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.58017,-77.49159,3a,75.0y,345.55096h,81.3536t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s03y4Ue7V6s-aehBk7_agXA!2e0


Just a block west of there, Krispy Kreme

https://maps.app.goo.gl/n3g2BBBDrogMFqdN6


Wendy's on Williamsburg Rd in eastern Henrico County

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kyzR8394fZDKHa2y5

[triplemultiplex]

My local Arby's has this problem.

A huge line of people wanting to go to Arby's sounds like the worst problem in this thread so far.

[fillup420]

The Chick-Fil-A drive-thru in Springfield, Virginia, is notorious for that

I'm surprised to see a chickfila in a strip mall like that. I haven't seen that before.

The chickfila near my childhood home was torn down completely and rebuilt due to the high volume of customers. It was obviously rebuilt with drive thru in mind, because it features the double line and plenty of waiting space. Previously, the line would back up all the way out to NC 51, which was impressive considering its entrance isn't directly off that road.

I'm pretty sure it was the busiest chickfila of all at one point. Chickfila at the Arboretum in Charlotte NC, if anyone is interested.

[hbelkins]

I don't care how hungry I am, nor how good the food might be, but I will not wait in a line that long for any food.

That's a usual occurrence at McDonald's where I work every morning, and there's no way I would sit in a line that long for a Sausage McMuffin.

[SEWIGuy]

I don't care how hungry I am, nor how good the food might be, but I will not wait in a line that long for any food.

That's a usual occurrence at McDonald's where I work every morning, and there's no way I would sit in a line that long for a Sausage McMuffin.

Neither would I.  But a Culver's patty melt and chocolate custard?  I have and will again.

[Bruce]

Basically every Chick-fil-A in Western Washington. Some were built in the worst possible spots almost to purposely induce such lines. The Bellevue, WA location wraps several times onto the I-405 offramp!

When the In-N-Out opened here in Aurora, it caused backups onto I-225 because there was so much traffic exiting onto Alameda.  I drove by it wondering if there was an accident before I realized what it was.  It's obviously gotten better since than opening week.  Too many Cali transplants out here I guess.

14 hours when it opened, apparently. Just ridiculous.

[abefroman329]

That would be Chick Fil A in a nutshell. Sometimes there's even police there directing traffic. I mean c'mon people it's just fast food.

Yeah, but it's virtue-signaling fast food, see.

This Starbucks:https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0411587,-87.6994028,3a,75y,347.89h,78.65t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sVTcVvFjG0ZPaajnEyEpuww!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DVTcVvFjG0ZPaajnEyEpuww%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D9.795698%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192 is a fustercluck in the morning for the following reasons:

(a) Traffic can't turn right onto Dempster when traveling south on Dodge
(b) Traffic can't turn left onto Dempster when traveling north on Dodge
(c) Westbound traffic on Dempster can't proceed at all
(d) The drive-thru line also blocks the parking lot, meaning you can't even skip the line by going into the store.

[jp the roadgeek]

This Dunkin is notorious for it any time between 7 and 9 AM on weekdays and till 10 AM on weekends

[HighwayStar]

Seeing a lot of this lately, and I think its getting worse. Too many places don't have their dining room open for whatever reason and so everyone is stuck in the drive through.

The worst I ever saw was in the first few months of COVID, saw a Chick Fil A with a line that wrapped around the building and trapped the first layer of cars in before exiting out onto a side street and going another block.