Drive-through 1512669 225976410 2008-07-16T08:14:27Z Rjwilmsi 203434 no 'of' between a month and a year per [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28dates_and_numbers%29#Longer_periods|MOS]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{For|the 2007 film|Drive-Thru (film)}} [[Image:Drive-thru-night.jpg|thumb|right|A drive-through window at a fast food restaurant.]] [[Image:100 2424.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Some fast food chains, like [[Rally's]] near New Orleans, LA, have two drive-thrus.]] A '''drive-through''', or '''drive-thru''', is a type of service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was first pioneered in the [[United States]] in the 1940s but has since spread to other countries. Orders are generally placed using a microphone and picked up in person at the window. A drive-thru is different from a '''drive-in''' in several ways&mdash; The cars create a line and move in one direction in drive-thrus, and do not park, whereas drive-ins allow cars to park next to each other, the food is generally brought to the window by a server, and the customer can remain in the parked car to eat. Drive-thrus have generally replaced drive-ins in popular culture, and are now found in the vast majority of modern American [[fast-food]] [[chain store|chains]]. Sometimes, a store with a drive-thru is referred to as a "drive-thru," or the term is attached to the service, such as, "drive-thru restaurant," or "drive-thru bank." ==Examples of drive-through businesses== *Alcohol at a drive-through [[liquor]] store *[[Banking]] services at a drive-through bank *Coffee at a drive-through coffee shop *Dairy products at a drive-through dairy store (notably the [[Skinner Dairy]] shops of North-East [[Florida]]) *Drugs at a drive-through pharmacy *Food or drink at a drive-through restaurant (typically [[fast food]]) *[[Marriage]] (primarily at special drive-through marriage chapels in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] in the United States) === Drive-through restaurants === [[Image:McDonalds drive thru.jpg|thumb|right|A typical [[Australia]]n [[McDonald's]] drive through with speaker.]] A drive-through restaurant generally consists of: * One or more free-standing signs listing the menu items, called a ''menu board'' * A [[loudspeaker|speaker]] and [[microphone]], or a window, for customers to order from * A speaker and microphone or wireless [[headset]] system for employees to hear the customer's order (when a speaker is used) * One or more windows where employees interact with customers by taking the order and money and/or giving the customer the order Drive-through designs are different from restaurant to restaurant; however, most drive-throughs can accommodate four to six passenger cars or trucks at once (called the [[Queue area|queue]]).{{Fact|date=October 2007}} [[In-n-Out Burger]] claims to have built the first drive-through restaurant in 1948. Harry and Esther Snyder, the chain's founders, built their first restaurant in Baldwin Park, California, with a two-way speaker to enable patrons to order directly from their cars without the intermediation of a carhop.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.in-n-out.com/history.asp |title=IN-N-OUT Burger: History|date=2008-06-09}}</ref> In 1971, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas opened a second restaurant in [[Columbus, Ohio]], featuring what [[Wendy's]] claims in its corporate history was "the first modern-day, Pick-Up Window"{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. Not the very first, but [[Wendy's]] crafted the formula for drive-through operations that made it a staple in the fast food industry, convenient for soccer moms and frantic road trippers.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} [[Sierra Vista]], Arizona, was the first city to have a McDonald's drive-through. It first opened its window on [[January 24]], [[1975]], to be able to feed quickly many of the soldiers coming from [[Fort Huachuca]], a military base located adjacent to the city.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} The original McDonald's was closed down and demolished in May 1999 and a new McDonald's replaced it. The first drive-through restaurant (a [[McDonald's]] drive-through) in [[Europe]] opened at the [[Nutgrove Shopping Centre]] in [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]] in 1985.<ref>http://www.mcdonalds.ie/mcd/files/20051115095052_facts.pdf</ref> === Drive-through banking === [[Image:Starbucksbofacombodrivethru.jpg|thumb|right|A drive-through shared by a [[bank]] and a [[coffee]] shop.]] In 1928, City Center Bank, which became [[UMB Financial Corporation]], president [[R. Crosby Kemper]] opened what is considered the first drive-up window. In the page 8 of the [[December 15]], [[1940]], issue of the ''Syracuse Herald Journal'', Merchant's Bank of [[Syracuse, New York]], ran an advertisement for the newly opened "Drive-In Teller Service" located on the side of their bank building on South Warren Street in downtown Syracuse. [[Westminster Bank]], impressed by the concept, opened the UK's first drive-through bank in Liverpool in 1959, soon followed by [[Ulster Bank]] opening Ireland's first in 1961 at Finaghy.<ref>[http://www.ulsterbank-group.com/drive-through-banking/ Ulster Bank drive-though banking history]</ref> In recent years, there has been a demise of drive-through banking due to increased traffic congestion and the increased availability of [[automated teller machines]] and telephone and Internet banking.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} ==Walking and cycling through the drive-through== [[Image:Espressodrivethru.jpg|thumb|right|Some businesses are built only for drive-through service, like this [[espresso]] shop.]] [[Pedestrian]]s sometimes attempt to walk through the drive-through to order food after the seated section of a fast-food restaurant has closed. Many establishments refuse drive-through service to pedestrians on the basis of safety and insurance liability. [[Cyclist]]s are usually refused service with the same justification given.<ref>[http://blog.lib.umn.edu/carl1236/dailyspirit/039313.html Live Alive: Burger King Drive-Through Refused to Serve me on a bicycle<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In the UK and Australia, pedestrians are often served at drive-through windows, if the main body of the restaurant is closed, however this is discouraged during times that the main restaurant is open. Some busy McDonald's restaurants in particular also provide separate walk-through windows to be used on such occasions, e.g. overnight. This feature is used as a security measure on 24-Hour stores. ==See also== *[[Drive-in]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{refbegin}} *[http://www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/drive-thru_time_study/ Annual QSR Drive-Thru Performance Study] {{refend}} [[Category:Types of restaurants]] [[Category:Road transport]] [[da:Drive thru-restaurant]] [[de:Drive-in]] [[fr:Service au volant]] [[ja:ドライブスルー]] [[no:Drive-through]] [[zh:得來速]]