Drive-thru's backing up onto streets

[HighwayStar]

My last visit to Chick Fil A was to the new one in Irondequoit, NY (you can see it under construction here), and that one has a setup I've never seen before: instead of merging and pulling up to a window to pick up your order, both lanes continue and you pull up under a roof, and your order gets brought out to you by the server through a set of double swing doors. So they could theoretically bring out multiple orders at once if there's a car in each lane (I was there in the morning, so the right lane was closed). I noticed on the sticker on the bag, in addition to my name, there was a description of my car in very large print. Now I wish I'd kept it, so I could share a picture of it here... the point being, of course, that they use the description of the car to help keep the orders straight. I haven't noticed if this is done at the restaurants with a normal pick up window, but I imagine it probably is - and I'll certainly think to notice it next time.

I once stopped at a new Chick-Fil-A in Wilson NC while passing thru on I-95, and it had the same "delivery" setup you note (and on top of that, this one has a separate tent setup for payment).  Which was great in that orders can be brought out as soon as they're ready, compared to the usual drive-thru setup where your order could be ready already, but it doesn't matter if the car in front of you is still waiting on something.

(Don't worry - as 1995hoo noted, I too made sure to embed Streetview due to the illustrious location!)

EDITED TO ADD: I'm also a fan of places that let you order ahead thru the app and bypass a long drive-thru line that way (Dunkin & Chick-Fil-A are 2 places I do this at).  At Dunkin I'll usually order "walk-in" and typically my order is already ready when I arrive, and at Chick-Fil-A there's usually designated parking spots for "curbside" orders.

This one of my favorite things about COVID. Pre-COVID when I used an app to order food at, say, Taco Bell, when I'd go inside to pick it up, they would tell me "oh, you're here, we'll start making it now" like 90% of the time even though I hit I'm here in the app like 5 minutes before I arrived. Post COVID they actually just make the order when it comes in everywhere, so I'm able to get my fast food much faster.

That would be all well and good if it did not come at a tradeoff of making service for everyone else very poor to non existent.

[dlsterner]

This one of my favorite things about COVID. Pre-COVID when I used an app to order food at, say, Taco Bell, when I'd go inside to pick it up, they would tell me "oh, you're here, we'll start making it now" like 90% of the time even though I hit I'm here in the app like 5 minutes before I arrived. Post COVID they actually just make the order when it comes in everywhere, so I'm able to get my fast food much faster.

Conversely, when ordering though their app for pickup, "Five Guys" policy was to not make your fries until you arrived for pickup, to ensure that you didn't get non-fresh ones.  (I assume the burgers and dogs were still made ahead of time).

I didn't find that to be much of an issue

(This was during the height of the pandemic when they had their dining room closed and were only doing take-out and pick-up)

[UCFKnights]

My last visit to Chick Fil A was to the new one in Irondequoit, NY (you can see it under construction here), and that one has a setup I've never seen before: instead of merging and pulling up to a window to pick up your order, both lanes continue and you pull up under a roof, and your order gets brought out to you by the server through a set of double swing doors. So they could theoretically bring out multiple orders at once if there's a car in each lane (I was there in the morning, so the right lane was closed). I noticed on the sticker on the bag, in addition to my name, there was a description of my car in very large print. Now I wish I'd kept it, so I could share a picture of it here... the point being, of course, that they use the description of the car to help keep the orders straight. I haven't noticed if this is done at the restaurants with a normal pick up window, but I imagine it probably is - and I'll certainly think to notice it next time.

I once stopped at a new Chick-Fil-A in Wilson NC while passing thru on I-95, and it had the same "delivery" setup you note (and on top of that, this one has a separate tent setup for payment).  Which was great in that orders can be brought out as soon as they're ready, compared to the usual drive-thru setup where your order could be ready already, but it doesn't matter if the car in front of you is still waiting on something.

(Don't worry - as 1995hoo noted, I too made sure to embed Streetview due to the illustrious location!)

EDITED TO ADD: I'm also a fan of places that let you order ahead thru the app and bypass a long drive-thru line that way (Dunkin & Chick-Fil-A are 2 places I do this at).  At Dunkin I'll usually order "walk-in" and typically my order is already ready when I arrive, and at Chick-Fil-A there's usually designated parking spots for "curbside" orders.

This one of my favorite things about COVID. Pre-COVID when I used an app to order food at, say, Taco Bell, when I'd go inside to pick it up, they would tell me "oh, you're here, we'll start making it now" like 90% of the time even though I hit I'm here in the app like 5 minutes before I arrived. Post COVID they actually just make the order when it comes in everywhere, so I'm able to get my fast food much faster.

That would be all well and good if it did not come at a tradeoff of making service for everyone else very poor to non existent.

Everyone has the choice of ordering in the app, and it takes less employee time to handle the persons who order in the app then anyone who doesn't order in the app. They deserve better service.

[HighwayStar]

My last visit to Chick Fil A was to the new one in Irondequoit, NY (you can see it under construction here), and that one has a setup I've never seen before: instead of merging and pulling up to a window to pick up your order, both lanes continue and you pull up under a roof, and your order gets brought out to you by the server through a set of double swing doors. So they could theoretically bring out multiple orders at once if there's a car in each lane (I was there in the morning, so the right lane was closed). I noticed on the sticker on the bag, in addition to my name, there was a description of my car in very large print. Now I wish I'd kept it, so I could share a picture of it here... the point being, of course, that they use the description of the car to help keep the orders straight. I haven't noticed if this is done at the restaurants with a normal pick up window, but I imagine it probably is - and I'll certainly think to notice it next time.

I once stopped at a new Chick-Fil-A in Wilson NC while passing thru on I-95, and it had the same "delivery" setup you note (and on top of that, this one has a separate tent setup for payment).  Which was great in that orders can be brought out as soon as they're ready, compared to the usual drive-thru setup where your order could be ready already, but it doesn't matter if the car in front of you is still waiting on something.

(Don't worry - as 1995hoo noted, I too made sure to embed Streetview due to the illustrious location!)

EDITED TO ADD: I'm also a fan of places that let you order ahead thru the app and bypass a long drive-thru line that way (Dunkin & Chick-Fil-A are 2 places I do this at).  At Dunkin I'll usually order "walk-in" and typically my order is already ready when I arrive, and at Chick-Fil-A there's usually designated parking spots for "curbside" orders.

This one of my favorite things about COVID. Pre-COVID when I used an app to order food at, say, Taco Bell, when I'd go inside to pick it up, they would tell me "oh, you're here, we'll start making it now" like 90% of the time even though I hit I'm here in the app like 5 minutes before I arrived. Post COVID they actually just make the order when it comes in everywhere, so I'm able to get my fast food much faster.

That would be all well and good if it did not come at a tradeoff of making service for everyone else very poor to non existent.

Everyone has the choice of ordering in the app, and it takes less employee time to handle the persons who order in the app then anyone who doesn't order in the app. They deserve better service.

I am a paying customer, I deserve good service without jumping through hoops to order through some stupid app.
This is just another example of skimpflation, making the product worse to save money and hide the impacts of rising prices.

[jeffandnicole]

My last visit to Chick Fil A was to the new one in Irondequoit, NY (you can see it under construction here), and that one has a setup I've never seen before: instead of merging and pulling up to a window to pick up your order, both lanes continue and you pull up under a roof, and your order gets brought out to you by the server through a set of double swing doors. So they could theoretically bring out multiple orders at once if there's a car in each lane (I was there in the morning, so the right lane was closed). I noticed on the sticker on the bag, in addition to my name, there was a description of my car in very large print. Now I wish I'd kept it, so I could share a picture of it here... the point being, of course, that they use the description of the car to help keep the orders straight. I haven't noticed if this is done at the restaurants with a normal pick up window, but I imagine it probably is - and I'll certainly think to notice it next time.

I once stopped at a new Chick-Fil-A in Wilson NC while passing thru on I-95, and it had the same "delivery" setup you note (and on top of that, this one has a separate tent setup for payment).  Which was great in that orders can be brought out as soon as they're ready, compared to the usual drive-thru setup where your order could be ready already, but it doesn't matter if the car in front of you is still waiting on something.

(Don't worry - as 1995hoo noted, I too made sure to embed Streetview due to the illustrious location!)

EDITED TO ADD: I'm also a fan of places that let you order ahead thru the app and bypass a long drive-thru line that way (Dunkin & Chick-Fil-A are 2 places I do this at).  At Dunkin I'll usually order "walk-in" and typically my order is already ready when I arrive, and at Chick-Fil-A there's usually designated parking spots for "curbside" orders.

This one of my favorite things about COVID. Pre-COVID when I used an app to order food at, say, Taco Bell, when I'd go inside to pick it up, they would tell me "oh, you're here, we'll start making it now" like 90% of the time even though I hit I'm here in the app like 5 minutes before I arrived. Post COVID they actually just make the order when it comes in everywhere, so I'm able to get my fast food much faster.

That would be all well and good if it did not come at a tradeoff of making service for everyone else very poor to non existent.

Everyone has the choice of ordering in the app, and it takes less employee time to handle the persons who order in the app then anyone who doesn't order in the app. They deserve better service.

I am a paying customer, I deserve good service without jumping through hoops to order through some stupid app.
This is just another example of skimpflation, making the product worse to save money and hide the impacts of rising prices.

Ah, the magical word: "Deserve". Everyone deserves everything. Do you go screaming it's your constitutional right you deserve it?

[hotdogPi]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

[jeffandnicole]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

Do you oppose credit card offers since not everyone can qualify for the credit card? Lower interest rates since people don't have the credit scores to qualify?

[hotdogPi]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

Do you oppose credit card offers since not everyone can qualify for the credit card? Lower interest rates since people don't have the credit scores to qualify?

Yes. Credit score is basically a scam, anyway, and the concept of a credit score disadvantages poorer people who might not always be able to make payments on time.

I don't even have a credit score right now, since I'm not making payments to anything.

There's also the issue that credit card companies make way too much money, and people can be suckered into getting 1-2% cash back and then having to declare bankruptcy due to credit card debt that they weren't expecting.

[HighwayStar]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

Do you oppose credit card offers since not everyone can qualify for the credit card? Lower interest rates since people don't have the credit scores to qualify?

Yes. Credit score is basically a scam, anyway, and the concept of a credit score disadvantages poorer people who might not always be able to make payments on time.

I don't even have a credit score right now, since I'm not making payments to anything.

There's also the issue that credit card companies make way too much money, and people can be suckered into getting 1-2% cash back and then having to declare bankruptcy due to credit card debt that they weren't expecting.

Credit scores are most definitely not a scam. They are a pretty good indicator of how much credit you can give to someone and expect to be paid back.
It does not "disadvantage" anyone, it simply reports someone's creditworthiness. Yeah "poor" people are less creditworthy in many cases, which makes perfect sense if you think about it. Interestingly however, many well to do people are also not creditworthy, its amazing how doctors making six figure salaries still live paycheque to paycheque.
Who are you to decide how much any company should make? No one is making you use a credit card, you are free to use cash if you please.

[webny99]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

Do you oppose credit card offers since not everyone can qualify for the credit card? Lower interest rates since people don't have the credit scores to qualify?

Yes. Credit score is basically a scam, anyway, and the concept of a credit score disadvantages poorer people who might not always be able to make payments on time.

I don't even have a credit score right now, since I'm not making payments to anything.

There's also the issue that credit card companies make way too much money, and people can be suckered into getting 1-2% cash back and then having to declare bankruptcy due to credit card debt that they weren't expecting.

Credit scores are most definitely not a scam. They are a pretty good indicator of how much credit you can give to someone and expect to be paid back.
It does not "disadvantage" anyone, it simply reports someone's creditworthiness. ...

It doesn't disadvantage any one person because it instead disadvantages everyone. It encourages you to go into to debt, while ultimately being fictitious, pretty much meaningless, and something people pay way too much attention to.

https://twitter.com/DaveRamsey/status/1494703758877601798

[HighwayStar]

Lets just say Ramsey did not get his degree in finance from an A tier business school.
This aversion to debt is a relic of a bygone age, in a world with constant inflation having some types of debt is a good thing, it creates leverage. Firms use debt financing for a reason. Having credit, ie. proof that you will pay back money you borrow, is important for doing things like buying real estate, which few people are ever going to go their entire life being able to pay for with straight cash.
Its also important for getting access to desirable credit cards with good rewards programmes.

[jeffandnicole]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

Do you oppose credit card offers since not everyone can qualify for the credit card? Lower interest rates since people don't have the credit scores to qualify?

Yes. Credit score is basically a scam, anyway, and the concept of a credit score disadvantages poorer people who might not always be able to make payments on time.

I don't even have a credit score right now, since I'm not making payments to anything.

There's also the issue that credit card companies make way too much money, and people can be suckered into getting 1-2% cash back and then having to declare bankruptcy due to credit card debt that they weren't expecting.

So, contracts are meaningless to you then, eh?

Personal finance 101: Get yourself a credit card. Any card. Buy a few things of low value each month. Pay the card in full each month. Build up your credit score.

Creditors, employers and others won't give two damns about your opinion when you want to buy a house or car. But they will care that you have a habit of paying your bills on time each month.

[Rothman]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

ETA:  We seem far afield of the topic of the thread.  Perhaps a split would be welcome.

[HighwayStar]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

[Rothman]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

Higher the score, the more profit potential is seen by a bank.

C'mon, Barbed Wire Guy, businesses are in business to maximize profit.  They came up with the FICO score to do so.

[HighwayStar]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

Higher the score, the more profit potential is seen by a bank.

Yeah, its not that simple. It depends greatly on the product, etc. but there is not a straightforward correlation between FICO and profitability. Higher FICO scores can get lower rates, which means smaller margins and less profit. In at least some product categories the middle FICO scores are actually the most profitable because they are the maximizing point between high losses and low rates.

[Buck87]

I've seen this local ice cream shop have this problem several times, sometimes even when they have the line wrap all the way around the plaza next door with the Subway in it.

[UCFKnights]

I oppose smartphone-only deals (and smartphone-only vaccination cards, etc.), but for an entirely different reason from HighwayStar: Not everyone is able to afford a smartphone, and even for the majority that do have one, it could be lost, in need of repair, or at 0% battery.

But the smartphone deals are given by the companies because it literally costs less for them to take the order, discounts shouldn't be given to customers who save companies money? Incentives 101 here

I am a paying customer, I deserve good service without jumping through hoops to order through some stupid app.
This is just another example of skimpflation, making the product worse to save money and hide the impacts of rising prices.

I'd also argue that when I use the app and get faster service utilizing employee time, you are benefiting as well, even if you don't use the app... if I walk in and insist on ordering at the register, the employee who was helping make the food is going to have to stop and take my order, usually immediately.

[Rothman]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

Higher the score, the more profit potential is seen by a bank.

Yeah, its not that simple. It depends greatly on the product, etc. but there is not a straightforward correlation between FICO and profitability. Higher FICO scores can get lower rates, which means smaller margins and less profit. In at least some product categories the middle FICO scores are actually the most profitable because they are the maximizing point between high losses and low rates.

I love how you talk out of both sides of your mouth when it comes to private businesses.  They would not come up with a FICO score formula that would hurt their profits, since their entire purpose is to maximize profits.

They've rigged the system comprehensively to do so.

[abefroman329]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

It's a proprietary formula, as are the formulas behind calculating credit scores with the three major bureaus, but this is a good guide:

https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/what-is-a-fico-score/

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

Correct - a low score enables the lender to charge the borrower a usurious interest rate, which translates into more profit for the company.

[abefroman329]

They are a pretty good indicator of how much credit you can give to someone and expect to be paid back.

No they're not.  You could have a perfect credit score and be on the verge of being evicted from your home, with the utilities shut off due to nonpayment, because none of these are on your credit report.

[HighwayStar]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

Higher the score, the more profit potential is seen by a bank.

Yeah, its not that simple. It depends greatly on the product, etc. but there is not a straightforward correlation between FICO and profitability. Higher FICO scores can get lower rates, which means smaller margins and less profit. In at least some product categories the middle FICO scores are actually the most profitable because they are the maximizing point between high losses and low rates.

I love how you talk out of both sides of your mouth when it comes to private businesses.  They would not come up with a FICO score formula that would hurt their profits, since their entire purpose is to maximize profits.

They've rigged the system comprehensively to do so.

I am a realist, not a fanboy or a hater, so if that is what you call "talking out of both sides of your mouth" then so be it.

First off, FICO is not a product of the companies that make money on loans, it is a product of the credit bureaus who came up with it to make money by providing information to lenders. So there are two different entities in play here.
Second, FICO being useful to maximize profits is not the same thing as your earlier claim that FICO is positively correlated with profits, so you are moving the goalpost here.
Third, maximizing profits is not a bad thing, every business does it.
Fourth, there is no "rigging" of the system or any other conspiracy here. Some entities came up with a measure of creditworthiness and sold that to lenders, no smoke and mirrors or anything weird about it.

[HighwayStar]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

It's a proprietary formula, as are the formulas behind calculating credit scores with the three major bureaus, but this is a good guide:

https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/what-is-a-fico-score/

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

Correct - a low score enables the lender to charge the borrower a usurious interest rate, which translates into more profit for the company.

Incorrect. A low score does not allow an usurious interest rate, as by definition usurious interest rates are prohibited by usury laws.
Also incorrect in the sense that it is not a uni-dimensional problem to solve, people with really low FICO scores can often not be loaned to at even the maximum interest rate and still generate NPV.

[Rothman]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

Frankly, I'm in the camp that considers credit scores an indicator of how much profit can be made off an individual.  Need to look no farther than the housing bust to see that.

How is it an indicator of profit?

Higher the score, the more profit potential is seen by a bank.

Yeah, its not that simple. It depends greatly on the product, etc. but there is not a straightforward correlation between FICO and profitability. Higher FICO scores can get lower rates, which means smaller margins and less profit. In at least some product categories the middle FICO scores are actually the most profitable because they are the maximizing point between high losses and low rates.

I love how you talk out of both sides of your mouth when it comes to private businesses.  They would not come up with a FICO score formula that would hurt their profits, since their entire purpose is to maximize profits.

They've rigged the system comprehensively to do so.

I am a realist, not a fanboy or a hater, so if that is what you call "talking out of both sides of your mouth" then so be it.

First off, FICO is not a product of the companies that make money on loans, it is a product of the credit bureaus who came up with it to make money by providing information to lenders. So there are two different entities in play here.
Second, FICO being useful to maximize profits is not the same thing as your earlier claim that FICO is positively correlated with profits, so you are moving the goalpost here.
Third, maximizing profits is not a bad thing, every business does it.
Fourth, there is no "rigging" of the system or any other conspiracy here. Some entities came up with a measure of creditworthiness and sold that to lenders, no smoke and mirrors or anything weird about it.

Regarding your first point: "Now who's being naive, Kay."

The rest ignores the social consequences of the system as set.

[Rothman]

If anyone in here has the entire formula behind FICO scores, please post it.

It's a proprietary formula, as are the formulas behind calculating credit scores with the three major bureaus, but this is a good guide:

https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/what-is-a-fico-score/

Yeah, that was my point in asking.  The fact its inner workings are secret is also very telling about its true purpose.