Drive-Thrus
Besides getting late night munchies at Taco Bell or Carl’s Jr. as a teenager and young adult, I never fully appreciated the convenience of a drive-thru until I moved to Minnesota. We had arrived to our new home in August which gave me plenty of time to get the lay of the land while running errands with a baby before the first snow came down in November. It didn’t matter, I still struggled for years whenever I schlepped the baby(s) around for errands.
I remember one time, shortly after moving to Minneapolis, that I was so frustrated. I had pulled up to a liquor store, got the baby carrier out of the car with the baby inside, carrying the load as I walked up to the entrance only to find out that the store was closed on Sundays. Yes, all liquor stores in MN were closed on Sundays and had been for decades. I didn’t get the memo. Nowadays liquor stores in MN are open on Sundays but that didn’t help me at that moment. I got back into the car with the baby wishing there was a drive-thru liquor store that was open 7 days a week.
I can’t remember ever buying one of these Shamrock Shakes without going thru the drive-thru.
I haven’t taken an official poll but I think if asked, parents (especially of kids 4 years and younger) would gladly pay a premium to go thru a drive-thru for anything if given a choice. The convenience is worth every penny. I would go as far to say that some of those parents with multiple children under the age of four would pay double.
When we live in states that have extreme weather conditions like Minnesota or Arizona, battling the elements is the price to pay for living there. I used to say, “It keeps the riff raff out.” or “Nice weather is for the weak.” The convenience of drive-thrus for states like these is all about “weathering” the weather. In Minnesota, if we can go thru a drive-thru, we are able to stay warm and cozy in our cars with less chances of slipping on ice when walking to/from the car to the venue. Plus, we could save hundreds of pairs of shoes from the salt stains that we pick up from the sidewalks. For the hot states, if we can go thru a drive-thru, we can stay cool in the a/c of our car and stay out of the sun stroke or sun burn zones when walking to/from the car to the venue. Not to mention we can prevent getting those sweat stains in the armpits and shirt collars!
Ah, In-N-Out. This drive-thru is only available in certain states and I’m grateful Colorado is one of them.
Another reason why I wish more drive-thru businesses existed is because I spoil my dog. Yup, I admit it. I don’t leave my dog home alone - ever. I take my dog everywhere with me and just like children, it’s frowned upon when we leave them in our cars to go run a quick errand. Especially in the heat. So until someone invents a pet crate that has a battery operated a/c unit so that I am able to leave my dog in my car while I go into Homegoods, I am going to keep on hoping for more drive-thru businesses.
And there’s nothing like the Covid-19 pandemic to bring drive-thrus to the forefront. Drive-thrus saved many restaurants and businesses from completely shutting down. Business owners needed to figure out how to get their products out to their customers while staying safe from exposure to the virus. Drive-thrus made it work and so did drive-up formats and home delivery services. Because of fear in the beginning, the drive-thru Covid testing made it easier for us to find out if we had the virus or not. Thanks to creative measures, a.k.a. drive-thrus, businesses have been able to generate money that wasn’t viable before the virus and I think many venues will continue to offer drive-thru, drive up and delivery services even when we are on the other side of Covid.
In honor of the drive-thru, National Drive-Thru Day is celebrated every July 24th and check out what I learned from nationaldaycalendar.com:
The company that created National Drive-Thru Day was Jack in the Box. They were the first burger fast food drive-thru chain.
The reason the drive-thru concept was invented in the US was for banking services.
Chick-fil-A mastered the drive-thru accuracy in 2018 by getting 97.3% of their orders fulfilled correctly.
Drive-thrus have been in existence since the 1930’s.
If you are looking for joy on a day like National Drive-Thru Day, here’s what I propose:
Plan a day of doing the most errands possible that entail using a drive-thru. For example: start with a morning Starbucks, make a bank deposit, drop off dry cleaning, pick up a Target order (drive up), get the car washed, pick up prescriptions, have In-N-Out for lunch etc.
Write a list of the most outrageous drive-thru services or businesses that exist or should exist.
Give the cashier at a drive-thru venue a thoughtful pinch - a nice note or compliment.
Another thoughtful pinch, pay for someone’s food behind you in a drive-thru line and tell the cashier to wish them a happy National Drive-Thru Day from you.
Post pictures of the eats and drinks that you get on July 24th and use #NationalDriveThruDay in the tag line.
If you want to see pure happiness, get this guy some Chick-fli-A. The drive-thru lines may always seem long but they know what they’re doing over there so the lines move fast. And even if it’s crazy hectic, they always say, “My pleasure.”
Back in the day, gas stations offered “Full Service” and I would consider that a drive-thru for gas stations. I remember there was a different price per gallon for full service and my family didn’t indulge very often. But I think if full service came back, even with gas prices as high as they are today, people would still pay for the service. Hello?! Not pumping our own gas gives us extra time to watch Netflix on our cell or send a funny GIF in a text. Worth it.
What are some other drive-thrus that existed at one time that don’t exist anymore? Please let me know because I think the convenience of staying in our cars - considering young kids, the weather, the safety with fewer opportunities to transmit viruses and spoiling our pets - all count as good reasons for drive-thrus to keep on existing. Don’t you agree?
Pinches,
Barb
