nathank

i've had varying success with drive-thrus...

In Texas (mostly Austin and Houston) about half the time they just looked at me really funny and served me and about half the time refused to serve me quoting 'corporate policy' and would require that i come inside (i often had no lock so i would bring it inside and sometimes got trouble with that too). A few times late at night when inside was closed i was simply refused service - one time as i was arguing that as a cyclist i had the same road rights as a car and should thus be able to use the drive-thru and should not have to go home and then get my car and drive 2 blocks to the Taco Bell to get served, some guy waiting behind me just said 'jump in' and i ordered from his car and then got back on my bike...

in Massachusetts i usually got served in the drive-thru, but i think only b/c bikes were so rare the workers weren't aware of 'corporate policy' and i of course never reminded them.

in bike-friendly Portland most of the drive-thrus quoted their 'corporate policy' of no bicycles in the drive-thru b/c of 'safety issues' which they were never too clear on.

i iniquired as to what this means and was told that cyclists or pedestrians were a robbery threat to the workers --- come on how is it easier to pull a gun on someone or threaten someone from a bicycle than from a motor vehicle? the only difference is that the car SHOULD have a license plate, but anyone robbing a drive-thru should be smart enough to cover or change the plate (uh, well, maybe not?)

anyway, with a particulat Taco Bell right by my house in Portland i was about 90% refused service except for when one guy was working and his manager wasn't there (he was a cyclist). one time late at night when only the drive-thru was open i was refused service and i had to ride home, get in my car, drive 4 blocks and was then served ---- but i find that utterly ridiculous, especially as i believe in using cars as little as possible in urban areas and their policy REQUIRES that i use my car, regardless of how convenient walking or cycling may be.

then i wrote to the Taco Bell Corporate office since i was told that was who made the rule. they sent back some generic form letter "thank you for your input and we value your business and your comments and will look into it..."

Does anyone know the real reason why the general policy is 'no bikes in the drive-thru'? i suspect that they are afraid of a liablity suit if some idiot car driver runs over a cyclist, but the risks are no greater than riding your bike on the road (less b/c speeds are so low)

as an aside, when i used to use my motorcycle i was NEVER refused service. if it's a safety issue, how are bicycles and motorcyles so different? (yes, motorcycles are registered and should have a valid plate)

John E

It is a misguided "safety" issue. If the motorist behind you allows the car to roll forward into you, Taco Bell/whatever believes the company will be held liable, as the owner or leaseholder of the premises. To me, the motorist would clearly be 100 percent liable in such a case.

I strongly believe bicyclists (and pedestrians, for that matter) should be served at all drive-up / drive-through windows, particularly during extended hours when the main lobby is closed. A possible strategy would be to sit at the window, holding up traffic if necessary, until they serve you or call the police. If a car drives up behind you, explain to the motorist that the jerk at the window is refusing to serve you, and ask to piggy-back your order onto his. Keep writing letters to corporate management and local branch management, and enlist the aid of other cyclists to join the fight. Boycotts are great. I would absolutely love to see someone with a mobility scooter make this into an ADA issue!

b_rider

Anyone ever have any experience riding their bike up to a bank drive-up/through? I do it all the time, and have yet to have a problem getting service at my bank. There is how ever a sign that says no walk-ups.

nathank

b_rider,

i have had good luck at the bank. Usually they don't say anything since your business is very important to a bank.

The few times when i was given a problem, i made a reference to my valuing their service which includes using the drive-thru window on my bicycle - i think one time it lasted a little longer until threatened to pull my account and made some off-hand remark as to my deposit amount that would go to another bank and and then they shut up (i don't enjoy pulling the 'money' thing but if it helps cyclists, then OK)

martin

Taco Bell and cycling? Why would you want to eat that stuff?

RonH

I tried walking up to a drive-thru window at a bank after the lobby was closed. I was refused service. The reason was safety. They said a vehicle pulling up behind me may not see me (expecting to see another car) and might hit me.

If more cyclists and pedestrians requested walk-up service, perhaps banks and fast food places would offer it. What a stir that would cause with motorists -- WALK-UP ONLY, no vehicles allowed.

kobyj

Interesting timing for this thread. This weekend, I had just made a inquiry with my brother regarding this topic. I was wondering if McDonald's would serve me on my bicycle. He informed me that bicycles do not trip the sensor at the McDonald's he works at. I think that is bogus.

I am going to try it some time. I just didn't have time this weekend.

I don't see why it would be any more dangerous than on a motorcycle since most of us have a light on the back of the bike.

Well, if you got refried beans on the taco, that would be a way to keep cars from being behind you on your ride home.

UncaStuart

There does seem to be a lot of variety in how corporations respond to bikes in the drive-through. On the listserve for my local bicycle coalition was this posting:
Making a little noise helps in some cases.

LittleBigMan

A hypothetical scenario:

A large group of cyclists who ride regularly every thursday afternoon/evening always end their ride at the same location, a local pizza parlor.

In this case, I think the owner/manager of that establishment would be bending over backwards to cater to those cyclists and make them feel comfortable. I think if cycling was more popular, more people would be competing for cyclists' business.

The fact that this "no bicycles in the drive-thru" (and "no bikes in parking lots," etc.) policy exists is a reflection of how unimiportant cycling is considered.

oceanrider

Kobyj, your brother's assertion is not bogus. My son also worked at a Mickey D's and he says the same thing. There is a weight sensor which notifies the attendant but there is also a video monitor. It's funny, my son and I had this same discussion yesterday. He asked me to pick up a fast food something so I stopped at a Wendy's. My order was taken, no problem. When I got to the drive through, the attendant actually laughed at me. Wendy's has a policy of nonservice to cyclists also but she served me just the same. She didn't know the reason for the policy either but obviously she didn't think of my bike as a serious legitimate form of transport.

This is a discrimination issue pure and simple but I don't know the basis for it.

Kathy

Spire

Then get that traffic light magnet thing that I saw posted earlier

nathank

in regard to the sensors in the window i find them an inconvenience (that bikes don't trip them) but not much of a problem:

if it's crowded and there's a line, then just ask or wave to the car behind you to pull forward a bit, maybe even next to you and the sensor goes off -- they're waiting too so helping you order faster helps them get their food faster too. If there's nobody there then i ride up to the window and order. Then if there are cars ahead who have already ordered, i just wait a minute or 2 and then a car will usually pull up...

i've used the "car behind me to trip the sensor" technique often and then they think i've ordered from a car and then i wait the whole time and get to the window and am told "sorry, we don't serve bikes in the drive-thru". if the dining area is open then "you can come inside to pick up your order" but if it's not then just "sorry..."

i find the sensor a nuisance, but it's not so bad --- what is bad is when they refuse to serve you. For example, after returning from a MTB ride when i'm maybe really muddy and definitely dripping with sweat i just don't want to go inside. If i'm returning from a ride (rather than commuting somewhere) i usually don't have a lock and besides, it usually takes longer to lock the bike, go inside, order, unlock bike, etc... exactly the reason why cars are using the drive-thru -- convenience!

i've tried the 'stay in line and refuse to move until they serve you' tactic before and it sometimes works, but usually you just end up pissing off other people b/c you're blocking the whole drive-thru and looking like an idiot...

John E

NO!!!! The cyclist is NOT the one blocking the whole drive-through and looking like an idiot -- the person at the window is!


This is a significant, serious access issue for pedestrians, bicyclists, and possibly the disabled community. Anyone up for a Critical Mass at a drive-through? I would participate, but I rarely eat fast food and I do all my banking at an ATM inside my local supermarket, where I simply bring my bike indoors and NEVER get hassled. (Yes, I make a point to reward that store by buying alot of my groceries there!)

Another way to play this one is to get to know your city council members and to ask them to pass an ordinance banning drive-through windows which do not cater to pedestrians and bicyclists. This should get someone's attention ...




"Sorry, we don't serve Coloreds here."
"That's no problem, Ma'am. I just want chicken and cornbread."

LittleBigMan

I am not just a cyclist, I am a person. What difference does it make that I ride a bike?

The only difference I can see is that I might be more "discriminating" about eating junk, since I depend more on the physical performance of my body.

Amir R. Pakdel

I'll try it one time.

If they don't serve up, I'll just stand there and shout:

"Give me the burger to give me death!"

Dutchy

Slightly off topic. I park my bike in a multi-level car park. I put my bike in the back of my wife's car (she drives to work). I usually just ride around the swinging arms and don't collect a ticket, this has worked for years. Then they got some new staff and one day the new guy was standing at the gate as I rode up, so I thought I should grab a ticket so he doesn't get upset. When I pushed the button for a ticket the digital display reads "No ticket without vehicle" the guy looks at me and says "don't bother with the ticket". So sometimes the sensors work to our benefit.

As far as not being served at drive thru's this is basic discrimination and legally they can't refuse service to a paying customer.

CHEERS.

Mark

Allister

I haven't done this very often, but I've never had a problem.

That said, my general feeling towards the 'company policy' excuse is that it is no reason at all. They just spout it as an excuse for doing or not doing something that they can't think of a good reason for.

Whatever happened to 'the customer is always right'?

Any minimum wage, pimple-faced git with a nametag and a bad attitude persists with the 'company policy' line with me, well, let's just say I can think of a few company policies of my own.

swekarl

I’ve done my own mental map over Stockholm, covering all the places where I know I can just ride up to a hole in the wall and make my orders. My favourite was the Select store after midnight, when they closed the store and opened the window to take orders and then walk around in the shop themselves to pick up everything that you ordered.

Oxymoron

Wow, I didn't realize this issue was that widepread. I had
never heard of others talk about it. I've never been
turned down, but have seen signs. On Saturdays my bank is
closed inside and only has drive though service. A sign
there says that only cars can use the drive thru. What
amazes me is that someone went to the trouble of ordering
that sign, but wouldn't have ever thought of replacing the
mid-seventies artsy design bike rack that I can't even lock
my bike to. The people who can use it have half their
front tire hanging out into the drive thru lane. The bank
did have a walk up window, but took it out.

So anyways, this IS a discrimination issue--without even
looking at bicyclists. We have A LOT of elderly and
developmentally/ physically disabled people in IC. We also
have a huge student population without cars. If a disabled
or elderly person who can't drive is refused service then
essentially it is because of their age or physical state.
I do believe there are laws against this. I also believe
that laws mandating the use of cars on publicly accessed
private property cannot possibly stand up to a legal
challenge. If it were a risk issue, then why wouldn't they
be able to discriminate against certain groups of people or
economic classes that may (supposedly) commit more crimes
in a certain area? "I'm sorry Sir, but because of your
nationality I can't serve you. In my ignorant opinion
you're just too high a risk for robbery." That is a
ridiculous proposition that I feel horrible about even
writing. How about banning older people from
establishments because they have a higher risk of slipping
on the tile floor and hurting themselves. Yeah try that
and see how long it takes the AARP to sue you. What we
need are some good lawyer bike advocates who know the
system, know constitutional law, and can help set
precedents that can be extended to all areas. Very few
businesses will change without being forced to. How many
wheelchair ramps were voluntarily installed? Half the
population of the South is African-American, did their
large numbers keep people from banning them from stores?
Nope, it took the freakin' Nat'l Guard to get the laws
enforced.

The problem with cyclists is that we "choose" to cycle. No
one will ever feel we don't deserve harassment. "If you
don't like the way I drive stay off the road/sidewalk
(whatever)." I have long hair and people have told me that
I deserve to be harassed and discriminated for it, because
it was my "choice", whereas people can't choose race etc.
Don't ever challenge anyone's societal norms or they will
make you pay dearly. And what could be more "normal" in
the free world than driving? What we need to do is change
those norms--and realistically it may take the power of law
to do that. That and a lot of kicking and screaming.

Clay

John E

Thank you, Clay! (My 17-year-old son and my employer's Director of Engineering have long hair, too.) I would love to see cars-only access challenged as a blatant ADA violation.

orguasch

I once Tried that trick to riding at a drive thru at Mcdonald, what do I get a very strange look and the employee was just staring at me like I came from Outer space, I gave my Order at the Order machine and When I was picking up the order he was asking wheres the car, I said I let the car behind me roll on the Sensor and then I place the Order she said get outta here or I call the police and I signaled to the driver who was kind enough to give me a favor to come to the window and everything was straigthen out but after the line up off car has already extended to the street

swekarl

Which proves it’s not a safety issue – what scares them is the things that diverge from the main course of life. Maybe especially in America, where the car culture is stronger than in Europe. I came to think about that crazy guy on a bike (our hero!) who had real problems finding a place to sleep, since people were so suspicious and so afraid when he asked if he could camp on their lawn.

Tina

I realize how unpopular my opinion is going to be, but...I disagree that it is a discrimination issue. McDonals/Taco Bell/You-name-it is not refusing you service. They are just telling you that they will serve you inside. While their reasons for the policy may be stupid, as long as they are not flat out telling you no, then I don't see what is illegal about it. I think of it as the same as my supermarket pharmacy telling me that I can't pay for my soda with my prescriptions, that I'll have to go wait in the ridiculously long lines at the front of the store.

orguasch

Tina,
some of the drive thru restaurant will tell you to get inside the restaurant, but once your inside and you bring your bike inside they will tell that bike are not allowed inside, so we go back to were we started, see every motorised and the cops considered bike as another vehicle, but when your buying food at a drive thru, bike are not. so whats going on here, I'm I going crazy trying to understand the world or I' m really really crazy becuase I am riding my bike

cyclezealot

This issue really grates me. After a ride stopped by fast food restaurant to take some food home. Well, feel insecure because they make me keep my bike outside and no where to lock it. So go inside and bunch of punky high school wrestlers there, making insane cracks about cyclists. Say nothing, but arch my back with hands behind head, and give them an obscene gesture. Told them, they saw wrong, it was a mistake.
Irony, their jerseys identified them as wrestlers- football players make lots of inuendo's about their sexuality ! I put on a pair of soccer shorts over my bike clothes. God, American youth can be immature punks.
So my point, like to use outside window, In Calif. we are considered a vehicle and yet have to go inside & sometimes get hassled there. Is there not some consumer agency of state to take this issue to. I think it discrimination.