Drive-thru's backing up onto streets

[HighwayStar]

The staffing shortage could have been legitimate, but limiting customers to one item is obviously a terrible resolution (does this mean literally one item? what about meal combos? people with a spouse and/or kids (basically everyone)? etc.). A better solution would be to cone off the drive thru after a set number of cars, or even just telling people about the staff shortage combined with longer wait times could be a significant deterrent.

Yeah, all five of us were in the car, picking up lunch on the way home from church.  I told her through the speaker that we had planned to order a taco party pack (12 identical tacos).  Her answer:  Sorry about that.

While I think a lot of places are having issues with this type of thing now, I found a real sign of the times filling out a survey for Jack In The Box today.
On the list of radio buttons you can choose for a complaint about the service, one of the options is now "Restaurant Hours Not Followed", it seems corporate is catching on to this kind of stuff.

Corporate is well aware. They can easily pull reports that shows no payroll and $0 sales during what should be normal operating hours.

Options on surveys like that are meant to appease the complainer. The restaurant will write back "we have contacted management". Customer is happy it appears something was done.

Not quite. Reports on payroll and sales only tell if someone is there, they do not distinguish between the restaurant being open for drive thru and being open for dine in (even if there is a flag for order type that can be entered incorrectly on purpose). So the survey is useful for that data check. Also, the survey gives an indication of what customers were unsatisfied with, that is not the same thing as knowing if the restaurant is open or not (ie. if 90% of reports are about hours that is a very different result than 10%, even if you know exactly when the restaurant was operating via other means).

Second, surveys are not primarily used to "appease complainers", at least not in any corporation running things correctly. I have done work with surveys and customer complaints before and considerable resources are dedicated to understanding process failures and preventing recurrences.

[Road Hog]

Different chains prioritize different clientele.

If you go inside hoping to get Taco Hell quicker, you'll be sorely disappointed. You have to wait your turn.

At the same time, Jack in the Crack will be packed inside at 4 am as you glance in through the drive-thru window and all the tweakers get their fill while you idle and stew.

[rickmastfan67]

Most fast food places here in Louisville are still drive thru only. I suspect that some will never reopen their dining rooms. (Fine by me).

We're finally getting some opened inside here in the Pittsburgh area for dine-in.

McDonald's was the first last year, but they've had a few times where they closed the inside for awhile again, and then reopened.  But as of today, they are open inside.

Taco Bell was the next to fully reopen inside, however, their hours aren't constant.  I've gone there once @ 12:30PM, and the inside is closed, but hitting them up another day at 5:30PM and they're open inside.  It's been hit and miss, but they've been getting my business as of late as long as they're open inside, as I rather be able to stretch my legs while sitting down and eating instead of having them cramped inside of the car.

Wendy's has (well, at least the one I can check) is 'partially' open inside.  You can go in and order, but you can't sit and eat inside yet.

Arby's is still drive-thru only.  However, I did run across one that was open inside in the South Hills of Pittsburgh one day, unlike my local one.  My local one also has the worst hours too.  They had been only open till 8PM for quite some time (c19 hours), but only recently, changed to 9PM (compared to Taco Bell being normally open till 11PM or later in the drive-thru just across the street).  This is a location that used to be open till 1AM (drive-thru) in the past.  Plus, my local Arby's HAD been the #1 store in Pittsburgh in sales.  Can't see that being the case anymore with their messed up hours, and sometimes slow service as of late.

UPDATE: Wendy's JUST reopened inside today.  Found out by dumb luck by driving by it and seeing somebody sitting inside at the window that wasn't dressed in a Wendy's uniform.  So, ate there today for lunch.   Finally got my first Frosty Float in just over 2 years (drink + Jr Vanilla Frosty). 

UPDATE #2: My local Arby's JUST reopened inside today (Monday) finally.  They even advertised the fact on their sign board.  Honestly took them long enough.  They probably finally realized they were loosing way too many sales from people who parked, got out, and when they got up to the door, saw the "Drive Thru ONLY" signs, and then turned around and left.  I saw at least 2 to 3 cars any time I was sitting inside Taco Bell across the street do that.  That and probably too many complaints as to why they aren't open inside while every other fast food restaurant was open inside for dine-in around them.

[roadman65]

Yet when White Castle opened their first Florida Store in Orlando, they had both inside and outside opened with a packed house! The drive through line was more than out in the street as local law enforcement was there to handle the spilled queue the first several weeks.  Plus a couple hours wait time in drive through lane and to eat inside.

Never seen any restaurant like that anyplace or anywhere.  It was madness over just a simple Slider.

Don't know if it's still like that now, but it was like Orlando's Fourth Biggest Attraction after the three major theme parks the first two months it was open for business. Even Trader Joe's when opened at first wasn't that busy and that did draw lots of customers when first opened as Tharp store is been known to attract many in any market it serves when opening.

[kphoger]

They probably finally realized they were loosing way too many sales from people who parked, got out, and when they got up to the door, saw the "Drive Thru ONLY" signs, and then turned around and left.

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

[Rothman]

They probably finally realized they were loosing way too many sales from people who parked, got out, and when they got up to the door, saw the "Drive Thru ONLY" signs, and then turned around and left.

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Back when I was a kid, walking through drive-thrus was a thing, but then it became a safety concern.  Someone must have been hit and sued.

[kphoger]

[CardInLex]

Another Louisville update... I have recently been turned on to Jaggers. They are a fast food chain from Texas Roadhouse (this location is just down the street from the Texas Roadhouse headquarters). I have been four times in two weeks.

Anyway, they are drive thru only (the entire time they have been in existence they have been drive thru only) with two drive thru ordering lanes. Every time I have been, the line has been out the parking lot and onto Dutchman's Lane and onto New Dutchman's Parkway.

Link to location but the satellite imagery is not up to date:
https://goo.gl/maps/1sBHC6wRxXP5P2i58

[rickmastfan67]

Another Louisville update... I have recently been turned on to Jaggers. They are a fast food chain from Texas Roadhouse (this location is just down the street from the Texas Roadhouse headquarters). I have been four times in two weeks.

Anyway, they are drive thru only (the entire time they have been in existence they have been drive thru only) with two drive thru ordering lanes. Every time I have been, the line has been out the parking lot and onto Dutchman's Lane and onto New Dutchman's Parkway.

Link to location but the satellite imagery is not up to date:
https://goo.gl/maps/1sBHC6wRxXP5P2i58

Looks like they could support Dine-In in the future. https://goo.gl/maps/YJXup27Xynj8zEtt6

[CardInLex]

Another Louisville update... I have recently been turned on to Jaggers. They are a fast food chain from Texas Roadhouse (this location is just down the street from the Texas Roadhouse headquarters). I have been four times in two weeks.

Anyway, they are drive thru only (the entire time they have been in existence they have been drive thru only) with two drive thru ordering lanes. Every time I have been, the line has been out the parking lot and onto Dutchman's Lane and onto New Dutchman's Parkway.

Link to location but the satellite imagery is not up to date:
https://goo.gl/maps/1sBHC6wRxXP5P2i58

Looks like they could support Dine-In in the future. https://goo.gl/maps/YJXup27Xynj8zEtt6

Yes, they do have indoor seating. It has never been open though.

[HighwayStar]

Most fast food places here in Louisville are still drive thru only. I suspect that some will never reopen their dining rooms. (Fine by me).

We're finally getting some opened inside here in the Pittsburgh area for dine-in.

McDonald's was the first last year, but they've had a few times where they closed the inside for awhile again, and then reopened.  But as of today, they are open inside.

Taco Bell was the next to fully reopen inside, however, their hours aren't constant.  I've gone there once @ 12:30PM, and the inside is closed, but hitting them up another day at 5:30PM and they're open inside.  It's been hit and miss, but they've been getting my business as of late as long as they're open inside, as I rather be able to stretch my legs while sitting down and eating instead of having them cramped inside of the car.

Wendy's has (well, at least the one I can check) is 'partially' open inside.  You can go in and order, but you can't sit and eat inside yet.

Arby's is still drive-thru only.  However, I did run across one that was open inside in the South Hills of Pittsburgh one day, unlike my local one.  My local one also has the worst hours too.  They had been only open till 8PM for quite some time (c19 hours), but only recently, changed to 9PM (compared to Taco Bell being normally open till 11PM or later in the drive-thru just across the street).  This is a location that used to be open till 1AM (drive-thru) in the past.  Plus, my local Arby's HAD been the #1 store in Pittsburgh in sales.  Can't see that being the case anymore with their messed up hours, and sometimes slow service as of late.

UPDATE: Wendy's JUST reopened inside today.  Found out by dumb luck by driving by it and seeing somebody sitting inside at the window that wasn't dressed in a Wendy's uniform.  So, ate there today for lunch.   Finally got my first Frosty Float in just over 2 years (drink + Jr Vanilla Frosty). 

UPDATE #2: My local Arby's JUST reopened inside today (Monday) finally.  They even advertised the fact on their sign board.  Honestly took them long enough.  They probably finally realized they were loosing way too many sales from people who parked, got out, and when they got up to the door, saw the "Drive Thru ONLY" signs, and then turned around and left.  I saw at least 2 to 3 cars any time I was sitting inside Taco Bell across the street do that.  That and probably too many complaints as to why they aren't open inside while every other fast food restaurant was open inside for dine-in around them.

This. 

I have not been to any of my local Arby's in years because they are not opening their dining rooms. Lot of lost business for them.
Every time I see a "dining room closed" sign its a 1 Star review on Google and a drive to their competitor.

[webny99]

Arby's (at least in my experience) probably has the least margin of any fast food restaurant to keep their dining room closed because their drive-thru wait times are already so long. They're night and day compared to Wendy's, and even McDonalds and Burger King have shorter lines/wait times.

[skluth]

Arby's (at least in my experience) probably has the least margin of any fast food restaurant to keep their dining room closed because their drive-thru wait times are already so long. They're night and day compared to Wendy's, and even McDonalds and Burger King have shorter lines/wait times.

Must be your experience. I haven't been in an Arby's drive-thru in a while but I regularly went there when I lived in St Louis; it was close to my dog's day care and I'd get a larger sandwich so we could split the meat. I thought it moved as fast as the few other drive-thrus I used (mostly McD's).

[webny99]

Arby's (at least in my experience) probably has the least margin of any fast food restaurant to keep their dining room closed because their drive-thru wait times are already so long. They're night and day compared to Wendy's, and even McDonalds and Burger King have shorter lines/wait times.

Must be your experience. I haven't been in an Arby's drive-thru in a while but I regularly went there when I lived in St Louis; it was close to my dog's day care and I'd get a larger sandwich so we could split the meat. I thought it moved as fast as the few other drive-thrus I used (mostly McD's).

Curious what other's experiences are as well but I think they've gotten worse in recent years. The fact that so many have closed seems to make the remaining ones even busier/even more understaffed. They're now tied with Chick-Fil-A with just 3 locations in this area (4 if you count the Thruway), which would have been completely unthinkable a decade ago when there was 0 CFA's and at least 6 Arby's.

Their curly fries and shakes are the best, but half the time when I do get a chance to go there (the closest one being almost 20 minutes away now), the line is so long and so slow that I just forget it and go somewhere else.

[kphoger]

My family just went to Arby's after church this past Sunday.  We dined in, and I was pleasantly surprised how fast our order was ready–to the extent that I even mentioned it when I picked it up at the counter.

ymmv

[Bruce]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

[skluth]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

There are quite a few things that are often drive-thru only. Many ATMs. Some banks. A few pharmacies. Some Covid test sites. Drive-thrus would be smart to accept walk-ups unless they want a situation like this.

[HighwayStar]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

Its a sign when it won't make it out of committee, that there was too much grass being smoked when they came up with that one.

There is no justifiable reason to outlaw drive through only service, and I say that as someone that refuses to eat in establishments with no dine in service. I vote with my wallet.

[1995hoo]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

There are various plaintiffs' attorneys going around filing attempted class actions on behalf of, for example, blind people trying to get a judgment saying drive-thru only violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Insofar as I know they have not yet succeeded anywhere, mainly because the courts have found that such arrangements do not discriminate on whether you can see but rather on whether you can drive (e.g., someone with no driver's license, or someone whose license was revoked, cannot use the drive-thru either despite being able to see).

[Rothman]

My wife is an Arby's fan. 99% of the time, no problem with the drive-through line...like just tonight.

[HighwayStar]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

There are various plaintiffs' attorneys going around filing attempted class actions on behalf of, for example, blind people trying to get a judgment saying drive-thru only violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Insofar as I know they have not yet succeeded anywhere, mainly because the courts have found that such arrangements do not discriminate on whether you can see but rather on whether you can drive (e.g., someone with no driver's license, or someone whose license was revoked, cannot use the drive-thru either despite being able to see).

Most lawsuits are as frivolous as buttons on a dishrag. I think we ought to cap lawyers to say 10 per year, they can choose those that have merit and decline the rest. 

[Dirt Roads]

Drive-through only doesn't exactly serve people who don't drive, either.

Last Monday, my pastor and I traveled by bus from Saltillo to Nuevo Laredo, crossed the border by taxi, checked into our hotel near the Laredo airport, and then walked over to grab some supper.  After supper, we walked over to Whataburger for a shake.  Whataburger had a sign on the door stating that it was drive-through only.  So my pastor called the phone number and asked if we should just walk through the drive-through lane or what.  Well, no, they said we couldn't do that either.  (I think they probably would have just walked our order out to us, but it ended up not mattering anyway because, after all that, we found out their machine was broken.)

The only thing is that many fast food restaurants are having an extremely difficult time staffing back up after COVID.  Here in Orange and Durham counties in North Carolina, the COVID restrictions were lifted in early March 2022 (for the very first time).  Folks in the know have indicated that much of this is because both Duke Hospital and UNC North Carolina Memorial Hospital serve a much greater area than the local region, so we've been ultra careful here.  But a number of fast food places have been having a difficult time staffing up to handle dine-in service. 

Most fast food restaurants are trying, and occasionally flip to drive-thru only when staffing gets too low.  But several (such as the Arby's in Carrboro) have been unable to reopen their dining areas, and in those cases, you also run the risk that those drive-thrus will also be temporarily closed due to staffing shortages. 

For the record, we can now say that it is no longer legal to operate a drive-thru restaurant of any sort in Orange County (unless they are located within the incorporated cities/towns, which are Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and small portions of Durham and Mebane).  Older ones had been previously grandfather by the regulation, but they have now all either closed or have been absorbed by the those municipalities.  This is one of the main reasons that outsiders have been pushing for Efland to get incorporated, because it could possibly open two more exits up to development.  No chance of that happening anytime soon.

Drive-thru-only service should be illegal. The Washington legislature proposed making it illegal to not serve non-motorized traffic in drive-thrus where no other accommodation is provided, but the bill didn't make it past committee.

That's a liability issue that the insurance industry is going to fight hard.  Not sure why that is considered such a safety issue, but it may have more to do with security.  But fortunately, we've got Cook Out in this area where most of the restaurants have a separate walk-up window.  Except the one in Mebane (that's just across the line in Alamance County).  Last year, I got caught in the double drive-through crossover there because several folks did a walk-up order in the blind spot.  It wasn't dangerous, per se, but it could have caused gridlock for the left lane drive-thru line.  I was driving a full-size pickup truck and would have been stuck, but fortunately the car behind me gave me a little bit of space to back out of the crossover area.

[hbelkins]

Most Rallys/Checkers locations are drive-through only, although I think I have seen some outdoor seating at some of them.

Cook Out is increasingly opening drive-through only locations with no indoor seating. There's one in Morehead, Ky. A new location opened in Winchester, and it was drive-through only the one time I got something there, but it appeared as if they had indoor seating. It just wasn't open at the time because we were still doing the "fear of covid" thing.

I've never had any general issues with the speed of Arby's DT service. Like everywhere else, it seems to vary based on location and individual circumstances. Last Arby's where I used the DT was in Winchester, and they were very fast with my order.

[plain]

During the height of the Pandemic, a Cook Out on Laburnum Ave just east of Richmond let me walk up to the drive thru window and order while the inside was closed. They brought my order outside to me.

[kphoger]

I suspect most establishments would agree to take your order by phone and then walk it out to you.