Drive-thru's backing up onto streets

[HighwayStar]

A company has to get pretty out there politically before I'll go out of my way to avoid them, especially if they have a product and/or service that's really good.  What am I gonna do? Not get gas at any brand that's ever had an oil spill? Good luck!  It's gonna be a long time before the kind of electric vehicle I would like finally exists, so shrug-a-lug.  (That vehicle?  Mid-sized, two-door extended cab pickup truck.  Not four door; not full-sized; and 4WD of course; it is a pick-up.  First one to market with an eRanger, eTacoma, eColorado, or whatever gets my business.)

Some 10 years ago, they started opening a few Sonics in Wisconsin and for some reason, people went ape-shit over them.  They had ridiculous lines that I'm sure looked absurd to the rest of the country that was intimately familiar with the fast food mediocrity that is Sonic.  Never underestimate the appeal of novelty, I guess.

Same thing happened in CT when they opened the first one.  People waited up to 2 hours in line to go.  Then a couple more opened, and the novelty kind of wore off.  One even closed, but was resurrected a year later thank to the pandemic and people eating in cars rather than in dining rooms.  But don't even get me started on the Krispy Kreme Kraze that arose when they opened 2 locations.  The line stretched for about a mile down the road and required local police to set up a traffic detail.  3 years later, both locations closed, and the only Krispy Kreme left in all of New England is in Mohegan Sun casino.

Krispy Kreme is another of those chains whose reputation exceeds the quality of their product. Their donuts are fine, but they're no better than the thousands of local bakeries across the country. I'd rather support the small, locally-owned shops that are often family-run. Yet I've also seen huge lines when the first ones opened in St Louis and the same happened when the first one in the Coachella Valley opened recently.

But when I go to Krispy Kreme, no matter what place I am in, I know what the product is. I don't know that with Joe Blow Bakery. I don't know what they have or if its any good.
Nor am I sure there is anything intrinsically good about "small, locally-owned shops" that are "family run." Certainly not enough to make me want to go find one.

This is what Yelp is for.

Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Then again, half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse (usually stoked by those with a financial stake in mediocrity), so I suppose the mentality expressed is unsurprising.

So I am supposed to pull of the freeway and spend 15 minutes fighting through Yelp (which is a poorly designed website stuck in the last decade anyway) on a 4" smartphone screen trying to figure out if there is a marginally better option than Krispy Kream? Sounds like a lot of work compared to just heading for the sign of Krispy Kream.

The value and power of a brand is its ability to communicate. Krispy Kream has a brand which is valuable because it contains so much data in a simple name.


Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Assuming you lived in any of those cities yes, sure. But someone that just pulls off the highway and does not know what those places are you can hardly say they are an "idiot" for going with a known and reputable brand. The best hamburger place in my hometown is a little mom and pop place, but I would hardly blame anyone from going to McDonald's or Wendy's when the pull into town because just looking at the buildings both look much cleaner and more well run, not to mention their brands.

half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse
Oh, you mean like not bothering to finish I-95 or I-70 through major cities? I would call that mediocrity.

[hotdogPi]

This is what Yelp is for.

No, a good rating on Yelp means the business paid Yelp. Stick with Google reviews.

[HighwayStar]

This is what Yelp is for.

No, a good rating on Yelp means the business paid Yelp. Stick with Google reviews.

Many of those are fake too

[Rothman]

This is what Yelp is for.

No, a good rating on Yelp means the business paid Yelp. Stick with Google reviews.

Many of those are fake too

I think you're both fake.

[Rothman]

A company has to get pretty out there politically before I'll go out of my way to avoid them, especially if they have a product and/or service that's really good.  What am I gonna do? Not get gas at any brand that's ever had an oil spill? Good luck!  It's gonna be a long time before the kind of electric vehicle I would like finally exists, so shrug-a-lug.  (That vehicle?  Mid-sized, two-door extended cab pickup truck.  Not four door; not full-sized; and 4WD of course; it is a pick-up.  First one to market with an eRanger, eTacoma, eColorado, or whatever gets my business.)

Some 10 years ago, they started opening a few Sonics in Wisconsin and for some reason, people went ape-shit over them.  They had ridiculous lines that I'm sure looked absurd to the rest of the country that was intimately familiar with the fast food mediocrity that is Sonic.  Never underestimate the appeal of novelty, I guess.

Same thing happened in CT when they opened the first one.  People waited up to 2 hours in line to go.  Then a couple more opened, and the novelty kind of wore off.  One even closed, but was resurrected a year later thank to the pandemic and people eating in cars rather than in dining rooms.  But don't even get me started on the Krispy Kreme Kraze that arose when they opened 2 locations.  The line stretched for about a mile down the road and required local police to set up a traffic detail.  3 years later, both locations closed, and the only Krispy Kreme left in all of New England is in Mohegan Sun casino.

Krispy Kreme is another of those chains whose reputation exceeds the quality of their product. Their donuts are fine, but they're no better than the thousands of local bakeries across the country. I'd rather support the small, locally-owned shops that are often family-run. Yet I've also seen huge lines when the first ones opened in St Louis and the same happened when the first one in the Coachella Valley opened recently.

But when I go to Krispy Kreme, no matter what place I am in, I know what the product is. I don't know that with Joe Blow Bakery. I don't know what they have or if its any good.
Nor am I sure there is anything intrinsically good about "small, locally-owned shops" that are "family run." Certainly not enough to make me want to go find one.

This is what Yelp is for.

Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Then again, half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse (usually stoked by those with a financial stake in mediocrity), so I suppose the mentality expressed is unsurprising.

So I am supposed to pull of the freeway and spend 15 minutes fighting through Yelp (which is a poorly designed website stuck in the last decade anyway) on a 4" smartphone screen trying to figure out if there is a marginally better option than Krispy Kream? Sounds like a lot of work compared to just heading for the sign of Krispy Kream.

The value and power of a brand is its ability to communicate. Krispy Kream has a brand which is valuable because it contains so much data in a simple name.


Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Assuming you lived in any of those cities yes, sure. But someone that just pulls off the highway and does not know what those places are you can hardly say they are an "idiot" for going with a known and reputable brand. The best hamburger place in my hometown is a little mom and pop place, but I would hardly blame anyone from going to McDonald's or Wendy's when the pull into town because just looking at the buildings both look much cleaner and more well run, not to mention their brands.

I stand by my statement.

[hotdogPi]

If I pull up to a McDonald's, Wendy's, or even Dunkin, there's no guarantee that I get good service. Some employees just don't care, and some locations have shady business practices (e.g. always giving you the large if you don't ask or charging 10¢ for a tiny lemon wedge that doesn't even squeeze).

[triplemultiplex]

The key to a good donut is cook 'em in lard.  The overblown hysteria over saturated fats caused them to take the lard out of everything which made it taste crappier, so to compensate, they dumped more sugar into everything.  Which is why grocery store and gas station donuts are so pathetic.  They can look amazing but are always disappointing because they are too sweet.  Good donuts are savory because of the "bad" fat.  Take that out and you're left with just a giant sugar bomb.

We were healthier as a society when these kinds of foods were made out of butter and lard.

[1995hoo]

"Krispy Kream" sounds like Kennedy Fried Chicken or New Kantacky Fried Chicken.

This place is closed now, but the guy who owned it also owned the (now-defunct) Eleven-Seven located across the street, so (as the article linked above says), "why mess with a winning formula?" It seems the fellow named the place "New Kentucky Fried Chicken," which not surprisingly didn't sit too well with KFC, especially given that there's a real KFC just up the block.

[HighwayStar]

If I pull up to a McDonald's, Wendy's, or even Dunkin, there's no guarantee that I get good service. Some employees just don't care, and some locations have shady business practices (e.g. always giving you the large if you don't ask or charging 10¢ for a tiny lemon wedge that doesn't even squeeze).

But the same is true of every other business on the planet.

However, when you see the Golden Arches, you know what they serve, you know that the food is generally good, and you know that your rewards app will work there.

[HighwayStar]

"Krispy Kream" sounds like Kennedy Fried Chicken or New Kantacky Fried Chicken.

This place is closed now, but the guy who owned it also owned the (now-defunct) Eleven-Seven located across the street, so (as the article linked above says), "why mess with a winning formula?" It seems the fellow named the place "New Kentucky Fried Chicken," which not surprisingly didn't sit too well with KFC, especially given that there's a real KFC just up the block.

The interesting thing about those is that only someone that lived under a rock would possibly be confused.

City Brew on the other hand has designed their logo and locations to closely resemble Starbucks to the point that at a distance you might see one and mistake it for the other (assuming you were driving and focusing on the road too). By the time you pull up you just decide to go with it rather than try and navigate someplace else.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Not a restaurant, but there's a car wash on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, RI whose customers back up on to the road on good days for getting one's car washed.

[skluth]

A company has to get pretty out there politically before I'll go out of my way to avoid them, especially if they have a product and/or service that's really good.  What am I gonna do? Not get gas at any brand that's ever had an oil spill? Good luck!  It's gonna be a long time before the kind of electric vehicle I would like finally exists, so shrug-a-lug.  (That vehicle?  Mid-sized, two-door extended cab pickup truck.  Not four door; not full-sized; and 4WD of course; it is a pick-up.  First one to market with an eRanger, eTacoma, eColorado, or whatever gets my business.)

Some 10 years ago, they started opening a few Sonics in Wisconsin and for some reason, people went ape-shit over them.  They had ridiculous lines that I'm sure looked absurd to the rest of the country that was intimately familiar with the fast food mediocrity that is Sonic.  Never underestimate the appeal of novelty, I guess.

Same thing happened in CT when they opened the first one.  People waited up to 2 hours in line to go.  Then a couple more opened, and the novelty kind of wore off.  One even closed, but was resurrected a year later thank to the pandemic and people eating in cars rather than in dining rooms.  But don't even get me started on the Krispy Kreme Kraze that arose when they opened 2 locations.  The line stretched for about a mile down the road and required local police to set up a traffic detail.  3 years later, both locations closed, and the only Krispy Kreme left in all of New England is in Mohegan Sun casino.

Krispy Kreme is another of those chains whose reputation exceeds the quality of their product. Their donuts are fine, but they're no better than the thousands of local bakeries across the country. I'd rather support the small, locally-owned shops that are often family-run. Yet I've also seen huge lines when the first ones opened in St Louis and the same happened when the first one in the Coachella Valley opened recently.

But when I go to Krispy Kreme, no matter what place I am in, I know what the product is. I don't know that with Joe Blow Bakery. I don't know what they have or if its any good.
Nor am I sure there is anything intrinsically good about "small, locally-owned shops" that are "family run." Certainly not enough to make me want to go find one.

This is what Yelp is for.

Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Then again, half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse (usually stoked by those with a financial stake in mediocrity), so I suppose the mentality expressed is unsurprising.

So I am supposed to pull of the freeway and spend 15 minutes fighting through Yelp (which is a poorly designed website stuck in the last decade anyway) on a 4" smartphone screen trying to figure out if there is a marginally better option than Krispy Kream? Sounds like a lot of work compared to just heading for the sign of Krispy Kream.

The value and power of a brand is its ability to communicate. Krispy Kream has a brand which is valuable because it contains so much data in a simple name.


Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Assuming you lived in any of those cities yes, sure. But someone that just pulls off the highway and does not know what those places are you can hardly say they are an "idiot" for going with a known and reputable brand. The best hamburger place in my hometown is a little mom and pop place, but I would hardly blame anyone from going to McDonald's or Wendy's when the pull into town because just looking at the buildings both look much cleaner and more well run, not to mention their brands.

half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse
Oh, you mean like not bothering to finish I-95 or I-70 through major cities? I would call that mediocrity.

I don't blame anyone for going to a chain while on the road. I usually do too, especially on the way to a destination. It can be risky (visitors won't know how good the local health code enforcement is) and the local experience isn't for everyone. However, most of Krispy Kreme's customers are locals who don't even bother with locally-owned options. I had several options in St Louis (Alton Brown called it a donut nirvana) and even in Palm Springs I have a little hole-in-the-wall (actually in a strip mall) family-run donut shop I visit every time the fat pill craving hits.

[HighwayStar]

A company has to get pretty out there politically before I'll go out of my way to avoid them, especially if they have a product and/or service that's really good.  What am I gonna do? Not get gas at any brand that's ever had an oil spill? Good luck!  It's gonna be a long time before the kind of electric vehicle I would like finally exists, so shrug-a-lug.  (That vehicle?  Mid-sized, two-door extended cab pickup truck.  Not four door; not full-sized; and 4WD of course; it is a pick-up.  First one to market with an eRanger, eTacoma, eColorado, or whatever gets my business.)

Some 10 years ago, they started opening a few Sonics in Wisconsin and for some reason, people went ape-shit over them.  They had ridiculous lines that I'm sure looked absurd to the rest of the country that was intimately familiar with the fast food mediocrity that is Sonic.  Never underestimate the appeal of novelty, I guess.

Same thing happened in CT when they opened the first one.  People waited up to 2 hours in line to go.  Then a couple more opened, and the novelty kind of wore off.  One even closed, but was resurrected a year later thank to the pandemic and people eating in cars rather than in dining rooms.  But don't even get me started on the Krispy Kreme Kraze that arose when they opened 2 locations.  The line stretched for about a mile down the road and required local police to set up a traffic detail.  3 years later, both locations closed, and the only Krispy Kreme left in all of New England is in Mohegan Sun casino.

Krispy Kreme is another of those chains whose reputation exceeds the quality of their product. Their donuts are fine, but they're no better than the thousands of local bakeries across the country. I'd rather support the small, locally-owned shops that are often family-run. Yet I've also seen huge lines when the first ones opened in St Louis and the same happened when the first one in the Coachella Valley opened recently.

But when I go to Krispy Kreme, no matter what place I am in, I know what the product is. I don't know that with Joe Blow Bakery. I don't know what they have or if its any good.
Nor am I sure there is anything intrinsically good about "small, locally-owned shops" that are "family run." Certainly not enough to make me want to go find one.

This is what Yelp is for.

Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Then again, half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse (usually stoked by those with a financial stake in mediocrity), so I suppose the mentality expressed is unsurprising.

So I am supposed to pull of the freeway and spend 15 minutes fighting through Yelp (which is a poorly designed website stuck in the last decade anyway) on a 4" smartphone screen trying to figure out if there is a marginally better option than Krispy Kream? Sounds like a lot of work compared to just heading for the sign of Krispy Kream.

The value and power of a brand is its ability to communicate. Krispy Kream has a brand which is valuable because it contains so much data in a simple name.


Anyone who would intentionally choose Krispy Kreme over the likes of Dinkel's or Weber's in Chicago or Long's in Indianapolis or La Fiorentina in Springfield, MA (etc.)...would be hard not to be called an idiot.

Assuming you lived in any of those cities yes, sure. But someone that just pulls off the highway and does not know what those places are you can hardly say they are an "idiot" for going with a known and reputable brand. The best hamburger place in my hometown is a little mom and pop place, but I would hardly blame anyone from going to McDonald's or Wendy's when the pull into town because just looking at the buildings both look much cleaner and more well run, not to mention their brands.

half this country prefers expected mediocrity instead of pursuing something better out of fear that things'll be worse
Oh, you mean like not bothering to finish I-95 or I-70 through major cities? I would call that mediocrity.

I don't blame anyone for going to a chain while on the road. I usually do too, especially on the way to a destination. It can be risky (visitors won't know how good the local health code enforcement is) and the local experience isn't for everyone. However, most of Krispy Kreme's customers are locals who don't even bother with locally-owned options. I had several options in St Louis (Alton Brown called it a donut nirvana) and even in Palm Springs I have a little hole-in-the-wall (actually in a strip mall) family-run donut shop I visit every time the fat pill craving hits.

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

[webny99]

If I pull up to a McDonald's, Wendy's, or even Dunkin, there's no guarantee that I get good service. Some employees just don't care, and some locations have shady business practices (e.g. always giving you the large if you don't ask or charging 10¢ for a tiny lemon wedge that doesn't even squeeze).

I'm not sure if you'd call it a "shady business practice", but I find it absurd that Wendy's charges a 50 cent upcharge to get an 11.5 oz Simply Orange brand orange juice with a breakfast combo. Why on earth would you charge more for a much smaller drink - not to mention a drink that's so standard that no one on earth would consider it an "upgrade"? I did it anyways since I don't like coffee, but I found it rather ridiculous.

[Scott5114]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

Do they make donuts in corporate boot leather flavor now?

[hbelkins]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

The ownership may be different, but the food is (technically) the same.

It might be inconvenient to read reviews of some local place if you're traveling, but if you have a specific destination in mind, why not check ahead of time? "I'm going to be in Eastnorth Alanland at 10 a.m., so let's see what kind of breakfast options they have. Himmm, there's a Dunkin. They have a Krispy Kreme too. But hey, here's Alan's Pastry Shop that looks really good. I think I'll get my Goat Cheese Cruller from there."

Of course, we've all had bad food and service at these standardized franchise places. Sometimes at the same one. I got some terrible fries at the McDonald's in Lavallette, WV, about 20 years ago. I've since had fries just as bad in Jackson, Ky., and then having gotten some of the best once I've ever tasted there on my next visit.

[HighwayStar]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

The ownership may be different, but the food is (technically) the same.

It might be inconvenient to read reviews of some local place if you're traveling, but if you have a specific destination in mind, why not check ahead of time? "I'm going to be in Eastnorth Alanland at 10 a.m., so let's see what kind of breakfast options they have. Himmm, there's a Dunkin. They have a Krispy Kreme too. But hey, here's Alan's Pastry Shop that looks really good. I think I'll get my Goat Cheese Cruller from there."

Of course, we've all had bad food and service at these standardized franchise places. Sometimes at the same one. I got some terrible fries at the McDonald's in Lavallette, WV, about 20 years ago. I've since had fries just as bad in Jackson, Ky., and then having gotten some of the best once I've ever tasted there on my next visit.

Which is basically to agree with my point that the ownership of a restaurant has no bearing on the food.

[skluth]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

You're assuming a franchise is locally-owned. This is typical but there are many franchise restaurants where the owner may own several franchises and may not be in the same state.

Over half of Krispy Kreme outlets are corporate-owned. Almost all new stores are corporate-owned. I like supporting my locally-owned businesses knowing the profits are more likely to support my community rather than wherever a corporate-owned restaurant is based. Those local owners are more likely to support other local businesses and charities than a corporation based on the other side of the country from me.

I don't hate Krispy Kreme or McDonalds or any other franchise. I'll usually eat at them when I'm traveling. But I prefer to spend my money to support locally-owned businesses when all other things are equal. My local restaurants have been better than the chains whether I've lived in Palm Springs, St Louis, Tidewater, or my birthplace in Wisconsin. If you don't have that, I'm sorry.

[HighwayStar]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

You're assuming a franchise is locally-owned. This is typical but there are many franchise restaurants where the owner may own several franchises and may not be in the same state.

Over half of Krispy Kreme outlets are corporate-owned. Almost all new stores are corporate-owned. I like supporting my locally-owned businesses knowing the profits are more likely to support my community rather than wherever a corporate-owned restaurant is based. Those local owners are more likely to support other local businesses and charities than a corporation based on the other side of the country from me.

I don't hate Krispy Kreme or McDonalds or any other franchise. I'll usually eat at them when I'm traveling. But I prefer to spend my money to support locally-owned businesses when all other things are equal. My local restaurants have been better than the chains whether I've lived in Palm Springs, St Louis, Tidewater, or my birthplace in Wisconsin. If you don't have that, I'm sorry.

No, I am not assuming anything, I am pointing out that franchises are not owned by the corporation, and are almost invariably more "local"  even if it is common for a franchisee to have several locations over a geographic area.

Profits from a corporation do not go to wherever it is based, but rather to wherever its owners live. This tends to result in a wide distribution of the profits with no concentration in any single geographic area.

I think people's affinity for the locally owned place is more related to the observability versus obscurity of the impact. You can see mom and pop making their living at their diner, but you can't see 20 million moms and pops collecting their retirement income from dividends.

[Mr. Matté]

"Krispy Kream" sounds like Kennedy Fried Chicken or New Kantacky Fried Chicken.

This place is closed now, but the guy who owned it also owned the (now-defunct) Eleven-Seven located across the street, so (as the article linked above says), "why mess with a winning formula?" It seems the fellow named the place "New Kentucky Fried Chicken," which not surprisingly didn't sit too well with KFC, especially given that there's a real KFC just up the block.

Based on what was drawn under the first pasted "A," it could have been the city code officer trying to get him on a (potentially unconstitutional) obscenity charge.

[SEWIGuy]

Again, why is the location of the ownership relevant? What is the difference if it is locally owned or not? Why does it matter if a family runs it or not? You do realize Krispy Kreme is a franchise model, so in many cases the owners are going to be as local as the doughnut shop down the road?

You're assuming a franchise is locally-owned. This is typical but there are many franchise restaurants where the owner may own several franchises and may not be in the same state.

Over half of Krispy Kreme outlets are corporate-owned. Almost all new stores are corporate-owned. I like supporting my locally-owned businesses knowing the profits are more likely to support my community rather than wherever a corporate-owned restaurant is based. Those local owners are more likely to support other local businesses and charities than a corporation based on the other side of the country from me.

I don't hate Krispy Kreme or McDonalds or any other franchise. I'll usually eat at them when I'm traveling. But I prefer to spend my money to support locally-owned businesses when all other things are equal. My local restaurants have been better than the chains whether I've lived in Palm Springs, St Louis, Tidewater, or my birthplace in Wisconsin. If you don't have that, I'm sorry.

No, I am not assuming anything, I am pointing out that franchises are not owned by the corporation, and are almost invariably more "local"  even if it is common for a franchisee to have several locations over a geographic area.

Profits from a corporation do not go to wherever it is based, but rather to wherever its owners live. This tends to result in a wide distribution of the profits with no concentration in any single geographic area.

I think people's affinity for the locally owned place is more related to the observability versus obscurity of the impact. You can see mom and pop making their living at their diner, but you can't see 20 million moms and pops collecting their retirement income from dividends.

My affinity for locally owned places is that they are often just better. When I think about the places I generally eat out, almost none of them are chains or franchises. There are some exceptions but those are low end fast food places where I just want a quick meal.

[RoadWarrior56]

I remember as a kid, there was a burger place called "Norman McDonalds's Hamburgers", this was in the late 60's outside of Owensboro, KY, long after McDonalds was spread throughout the country.  I imagine these days, lawyers would be contacting this place hours after they opened for business the first time.

[HighwayStar]

I remember as a kid, there was a burger place called "Norman McDonalds's Hamburgers", this was in the late 60's outside of Owensboro, KY, long after McDonalds was spread throughout the country.  I imagine these days, lawyers would be contacting this place hours after they opened for business the first time.

Unlikely, unless they were using other elements of McDonald's branding, such as colors or the arches.

[ftballfan]

A few examples from my hometown of Manistee, MI:
Dairy Queen is on the NW corner of Greenbush St and First St (and has been there since the 1950s), with the drive-thru entrance being off of Greenbush St. On nice nights, the line of cars can back up not only onto Greenbush St, but onto First St almost to Walnut St at times.

A&W has two entrances to its parking lot, one off of US-31 and the other off of Third St. Most lunch hours (even pre-pandemic), the line of cars would often stretch onto Third St or almost to US-31. Also, they're the only fast food place in Manistee that kept their inside open for takeout during the pandemic (their being in the middle of a residential area plays a big role) and one of only two that I know of that have inside seating open as of a few weeks ago.

Michigan seems to have a very high number of permanently converted to drive thru only fast food locations compared to other states. The opioid crisis doesn't help matters either.

[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.