Double Lane Drive Thrus

[ErmineNotyours]

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

A McDonald's outside of Fort Lewis, Washington used to be drive-thru only, using limited space available.  2008 Street View.  They've since expanded to a normal McDonald's.

[ErmineNotyours]

I remember in the 80s at least one McDonald's (Thurmont MD I think...) having a conveyor belt system to take food to the drive through window.  I remember watching the food going up and over the dining room, and I think it might have gone to a second drive-through lane where it went over the first lane to a second booth disconnected from the building but I can't recall exactly.

There are a number of McDonald's with remote drive-thru windows, such as this one in Hawaii.  That one is backed up onto a creek, so they can't have a drive-thru lane in the back.  I don't understand why they just didn't place the whole building forward to make room.

[RobbieL2415]

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

A McDonald's outside of Fort Lewis, Washington used to be drive-thru only, using limited space available.  2008 Street View.  They've since expanded to a normal McDonald's.

There's also such a thing as a McDonald's Express which has walk-in service but no dining area. They are mainly attached to gas stations.

[ilpt4u]

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

A McDonald's outside of Fort Lewis, Washington used to be drive-thru only, using limited space available.  2008 Street View.  They've since expanded to a normal McDonald's.

There's also such a thing as a McDonald's Express which has walk-in service but no dining area. They are mainly attached to gas stations.

Or inside Wal-Mart, Malls, or Airports. Also Tollway Service Plaza McDs (and others) often do not have drive-thrus'

Adding college and corporate campus food courts, in addition to downtown/city center locations, such as the Chicago Loop or Manhattan.

McDs sans Drive-Thru is not THAT uncommon

[hbelkins]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

The Cook-Out in Morehead, Ky., is drive-through and walk-up only. No indoor seating.

And then there's Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Drive-through only.

Some Sonic locations are now including limited dine-in seating, believe it or not.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I remember seeing a Domino's Pizza in Key West with dine-in seating and being surprised because I'd never seen that before.

[D-Dey65]

I'm actually trying to remember the last time I saw a McDonald's with just one lane.

I honestly don't remember seeing that many that don't have one lane.

[Takumi]

I remember seeing a Domino's Pizza in Key West with dine-in seating and being surprised because I'd never seen that before.

One near me relocated a couple years ago, and added indoor seating when they did.

[Rothman]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

The Cook-Out in Morehead, Ky., is drive-through and walk-up only. No indoor seating.

And then there's Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Drive-through only.

Some Sonic locations are now including limited dine-in seating, believe it or not.

Huh.  My first visit to a Sonic in Delaware more than a few years ago had indoor seating.

[Roadrunner75]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

The Cook-Out in Morehead, Ky., is drive-through and walk-up only. No indoor seating.

And then there's Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Drive-through only.

Some Sonic locations are now including limited dine-in seating, believe it or not.

Huh.  My first visit to a Sonic in Delaware more than a few years ago had indoor seating.

Sonic didn't work out well in my area.  The two closest ones already closed, and one of them is being renovated into a Dunkin' Donuts (as if we needed another one).  I can't recall any having indoor seating.

[MikeTheActuary]

I remember in the 80s at least one McDonald's (Thurmont MD I think...) having a conveyor belt system to take food to the drive through window.  I remember watching the food going up and over the dining room, and I think it might have gone to a second drive-through lane where it went over the first lane to a second booth disconnected from the building but I can't recall exactly.

There are a number of McDonald's with remote drive-thru windows, such as this one in Hawaii.  That one is backed up onto a creek, so they can't have a drive-thru lane in the back.  I don't understand why they just didn't place the whole building forward to make room.

It's been a few years since I have needed to visit my company's offices in the Boston area, but for a while I was commuting every 3-4 weeks.   At that time, I remember the McDs at the westbound service areas in Framingham and Charlton as having a conveyor system to send food to the drive-thru window....although if traffic was light, the drive thru attendant would typically just walk over to the food prep areas to pick up the order.

At that time McD's didn't have control over the architecture, so they fit the drive thru in as well as they could.

I don't know if the arrangement has changed since those days, and if so how it might have changed.

[Tonytone]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

The Cook-Out in Morehead, Ky., is drive-through and walk-up only. No indoor seating.

And then there's Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Drive-through only.

Some Sonic locations are now including limited dine-in seating, believe it or not.

Huh.  My first visit to a Sonic in Delaware more than a few years ago had indoor seating.

Checkerz is also walkup & drive thru only. Most of them are atleast.


iPhone

[Flint1979]

I've only seen it at McDonald's around here. There is one that I know of that doesn't have it, that's located in a truck stop at I-75 and M-81.

[JREwing78]

One thing I noticed at the local McDonald's drive through is that people want to queue in 2 lanes well past the point the official line splits into two lanes. There's also the official drive-thru entrance that requires folks to circle the building first; most folks shortcut it and cut in from the rear entrance instead. It's a mess.

And yes, the two order windows seem to not make a damn bit of difference in the speed you get your food. But at least they're not often flubbed up when someone goes out of sequence. They at least bother to confirm the order at the pay window. Apparently this isn't as common elsewhere?

Culver's is a regional fast food chain known for its frozen custard - they're very popular in my area. They're built with a long drive-thru extension past the window you receive food at, with a sidewalk paralleling the drive-thru lane.. Drinks and custard are always given at the window, and when busy they'll have you pull up in the drive-thru lane with an order number. Runners then walk out the bag with your food when its ready. The runners never step off the sidewalk, so there's no safety issues, but they deal with a lot of crummy weather.

During the pandemic, they've been pushing the call-ahead thing, and during really busy times they have additional runners that direct people into parking spots and take orders right at the parking space. They were experimenting with really long drive thru lanes with traffic cones snaking around the back lot, but must've realized they were limiting throughput that way.

[Flint1979]

One thing I noticed at the local McDonald's drive through is that people want to queue in 2 lanes well past the point the official line splits into two lanes. There's also the official drive-thru entrance that requires folks to circle the building first; most folks shortcut it and cut in from the rear entrance instead. It's a mess.

And yes, the two order windows seem to not make a damn bit of difference in the speed you get your food. But at least they're not often flubbed up when someone goes out of sequence. They at least bother to confirm the order at the pay window. Apparently this isn't as common elsewhere?

Culver's is a regional fast food chain known for its frozen custard - they're very popular in my area. They're built with a long drive-thru extension past the window you receive food at, with a sidewalk paralleling the drive-thru lane.. Drinks and custard are always given at the window, and when busy they'll have you pull up in the drive-thru lane with an order number. Runners then walk out the bag with your food when its ready. The runners never step off the sidewalk, so there's no safety issues, but they deal with a lot of crummy weather.

During the pandemic, they've been pushing the call-ahead thing, and during really busy times they have additional runners that direct people into parking spots and take orders right at the parking space. They were experimenting with really long drive thru lanes with traffic cones snaking around the back lot, but must've realized they were limiting throughput that way.

Culver's is indeed very popular in Wisconsin and to a little lesser extent but still popular in the surrounding Great Lakes states. The times I've gone through the drive thru at one they have always given me a number and had me pull ahead to that extension along the sidewalk that you mentioned.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Last week I was at a Culver's and I was surprised when they had my order ready at the window. In 20 years of eating there that had never happened. The food tasted like I expected, so no complaints.

[Flint1979]

Last week I was at a Culver's and I was surprised when they had my order ready at the window. In 20 years of eating there that had never happened. The food tasted like I expected, so no complaints.

That is strange and when they take your order they say what can I make fresh for you today?

[oscar]

I don't know how CFA's policy is, but at McDonald's and BK I can say from under the hood experience that drive thru customers are the priority. At lunch and occasionally dinner at BK there would be one person dedicated to front counter orders and one person dedicated to drive thru, but during other times all other factors being equal that drive thru orders get first priority.

Carl's Jr./Hardees is especially bad at giving lower priority to customers at the counter than the ones in the drive-thrus. When the lobbies were open (many of the stores were drive-thru only earlier in the pandemic, even after the competition started letting people inside to order at the counter), I would go inside only if I needed to use the restroom, no matter how long the line in the drive-thru lane.

[jp the roadgeek]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

The Cook-Out in Morehead, Ky., is drive-through and walk-up only. No indoor seating.

And then there's Pal's Sudden Service, a regional chain in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia. Drive-through only.

Some Sonic locations are now including limited dine-in seating, believe it or not.

Huh.  My first visit to a Sonic in Delaware more than a few years ago had indoor seating.

Sonic didn't work out well in my area.  The two closest ones already closed, and one of them is being renovated into a Dunkin' Donuts (as if we needed another one).  I can't recall any having indoor seating.

We also lost a Sonic in my area.  The funny thing is that it drove the only Checkers in all of New England out of business.  2 years later, it closed itself. 

[kphoger]

They do have a walk-up window though. Because mot everyone going to buy fast food drives a car. Kids on bikes, adults on bikes, pedestrians, etc.  People that work nearby,, etc.. Alienating them would cut out a sufficient portion of sales.

Don't forget about horses.

This woman was denied service at the McDonald's drive through window.  So she dismounted, led her horse inside the restaurant instead, whereupon the horse pooped on the floor.

[hbelkins]

Last week I was at a Culver's and I was surprised when they had my order ready at the window. In 20 years of eating there that had never happened. The food tasted like I expected, so no complaints.

That is strange and when they take your order they say what can I make fresh for you today?

Can't think of a single time I've ever heard them use that language to take my order at a Culver's. But I have heard them use the Chick-Fil-A language, "It'll be my pleasure to serve you at the window."

[debragga]

My local McDonalds has a double lane drive thru. Every other fast food place in my town (A&W, Burger King, KFC/Taco Bell, Wendy's) has a single lane drive thru.

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

There's a drive-thru only Chick-Fil-A in West Monroe LA, catty-corner to a normal location. They're both busy enough to justify a third one during peak times, IMO.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.5111893,-92.1568905,18.13z

[CoreySamson]

Whataburger and Sonics around here at peak hours have you pull into a second designated space alongside the pickup window and bring your food out to you. Not quite a double lane drive thru, but I guess it counts.

Dairy Queen does something similar that I've never seen at any other drive thru: if you pull up to the pick-up window, and your order is not ready by the time you've paid, they have you pull ahead to a designated point and bring your order out when it's ready. That way, they can continue to serve the people behind you, and the line keeps moving. Smart on their part, although a bit counter intuitive to do that and still call it "fast food"... I guess that's why their mantra is "fan food, not fast food"!

I see a lot of chains around here, not just Dairy Queen, doing that if there is enough space available. A local McDonalds had 2 or 3 designated spots, if I remember correctly.

[roadman65]

Checkers is the original but you have to have power windows on your passenger side or have that seat occupied.

[ErmineNotyours]

Somewhat off topic, but could we see fast food chains build drive-thru only locations?

A McDonald's outside of Fort Lewis, Washington used to be drive-thru only, using limited space available.  2008 Street View.  They've since expanded to a normal McDonald's.

There's also such a thing as a McDonald's Express which has walk-in service but no dining area. They are mainly attached to gas stations.

McDonald's Express was big for a while, in the late 1990s.  Perhaps seeing how Subway is able to squeeze in to small locations, McDonald's tried the same thing, slipping into strip mall store fronts with no drive-thru.  They had a limited menu: no Quarter Pounders.  Only Big Macs and Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers.  No shakes.  This was the first McDonald's where you could draw your own soft drink.  The Downtown Bremerton, Washington full-service McDonald's closed and an Express opened the next block over.  When the Express concept died or got scaled drastically back, Downtown Bremerton no longer had a McDonald's, which is an interesting feat for a chain that claims to have very few locations close due to lack of business.  They carried over customers drawing their own soft drinks to the main restaurants, but it seemed like another bad idea to come along after the Arch Deluxe.