noisebeam

Impact to cyclist? Many ban cyclists, but many cyclist don't care for the services provided.

https://www.azcentral.com/news/articl...drive0422.html
Drive-throughs: Convenience or big nuisance?

Scott Wong
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 22, 2006 12:00 AM

At a bustling West Valley intersection along Bell Road, you can pull cash from an ATM machine, pick up your prescription drugs, order fish tacos and run your car through the wash, all without leaving the driver's seat.

Drive-through businesses have proliferated across the Valley's sprawling landscape, from fast-food joints and banks to dry cleaners and liquor stores.

The driving force behind them: Americans' insatiable craving for convenience.

"I don't have to get out of my car," says Erica Pennica, waiting to order kid's meals at a Chick-fil-A drive-through in Peoria. "I don't even have to get dressed."

With her 2-year-old son and two other children in her black Kia, the 25-year-old Phoenix woman says she frequently returns library books at the drive-through drop-off and grabs cash from drive-through ATMs. On occasion, she visits a drive-through liquor store, but only for a soda pop.

"It's awesome," Pennica adds. "More places need a drive-though."

Although the exact number of drive-throughs in the country hasn't been documented, three in four fast-food and fast-casual restaurants - such as In-N-Out Burger, Pei Wei Asian Diner and Fazoli's - now offer drive-through conveniences, according to a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association.

Two-thirds of those businesses expect their drive-through sales to account for a larger proportion of business in 2006 as compared with last year.

But today, drive-through services aren't just found at your McDonald's and Taco Bells. The concept has spawned some unusual businesses, from a drive-through prayer booth in Southern California to a drive-through viewing room at a South Carolina mortuary.

Critics, however, say Americans' love affair with cars and the drive-through window is taking its toll on our health and the environment.

Drive-throughs exacerbate traffic congestion, create more pollution as vehicles idle in line, and contribute to the nation's obesity epidemic, says Daniel Glenn, design director for Arizona State University Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family.

"Sure, it's more convenient to live your full life in your automobile," says Glenn, whose downtown Phoenix center advocates denser and greener developments. "But I think there is a loss to ourselves and the community when we spend so many of our waking moments in our cars."

Cities such as Scottsdale and Tempe have enacted ordinances aimed at curbing drive-throughs, recognizing they encourage vehicle use, clog streets and strip-mall parking lots and diminish the appearance of communities.

A way of life
Still, with the Sonoran Desert's stifling summers and the Valley's car-crazed culture, drive-throughs simply have become a way of life for Arizona residents.

The country's first McDonald's drive-through restaurant opened in Sierra Vista, 70 miles southeast of Tucson, in 1975. Customers hankering for a six-pack of Coors Light or a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey have been stopping by Kwik Six Drive Through Liquors in Phoenix for years. And although not a drive-through, the Glass & Garden Drive-In Church in Scottsdale has encouraged parishioners to pull up and tune in to sermons from their cars for the past four decades.

Drugstores such as CVS, Osco Drug and Walgreens have gotten in the act, rolling out 24-hour drive-through pharmacies where customers can pick up prescribed medications from Allegra to Zoloft.

And banks have been banking on their drive-through model for decades. In east Mesa, M&I Bank recently opened a new branch on Baseline Road with two drive-through customer-service windows and an ATM lane. Bank of America launched a site earlier this year with three drive-through lanes at a Glendale strip mall near Loop 101 and 67th Avenue.Meanwhile, many fast-casual and sit-down restaurants are experimenting with new ways to make eating out more convenient.

Some Cheesecake Factory, Chili's Grill & Bar and Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants now provide curbside service, where customers call into the restaurant on their cellphones and employees hand-deliver their to-go orders in the parking lot.

Steve Chucri, president and chief executive of the Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association, says just a handful of establishments offered curbside takeaway two years ago. But in the cutthroat restaurant industry, diners would be hard pressed to find a casual restaurant without that amenity today, he says.

"Competition is happening on many different fronts, from the value-meal menu to how long it takes to place and complete an order while customers wait in the drive-through," Chucri says. "Whoever does it the best and the fastest is, at the end of the day, the king of the hill."

Tougher rules
But the road to the top has been full of obstacles for Arizona drive-throughs.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has unanimously backed a plan that nearly triples the impact fees for new fast-food restaurants with drive-throughs. New drive-throughs now will fork over more than $16,000 for transportation improvements, double what sit-down restaurants will have to pay.

Drive-through and drive-in restaurants are banned in downtown Scottsdale. As part of its codes, Glendale requires drive-throughs to provide a canopy or covering to shield its customers and employees from the elements. And business owners in Gilbert must obtain a special permit to open drive-through restaurants, liquor stores and tobacco shops.

With light rail soon to be rumbling through Tempe, the City Council has prohibited drive-through businesses within 800 feet of its nine proposed stations.

"We're primarily trying to get people out of their cars, on their feet and into transit," says Steve Venker, a Tempe city planner.

Stiffer regulations, however, haven't halted construction of drive-throughs, says Phoenix attorney Grady Gammage Jr., a land-use expert who has represented developers for years.

More choices
A third of the Valley's nearly 100 Starbucks Coffee stores now offer drive-through service, a share that is expected to approach 50 percent over the next several years.

But Gammage and other observers point out that drive-throughs mark a dramatic shift for the world's largest coffee retailer, a company that has built its image around sleek designs, plush furniture and soothing tunes.

"The Starbucks phenomenon was all about mingling and mixing and feeling like you were urban," Gammage says. "Now, it's a drive-through like everything else."

Yet just as Starbucks faithfuls are faced with endless choices when it comes to customizing their beverage (Think Grande, no-whip, low-fat Caramel Frappuccino), the Seattle-based company says drive-throughs give their customers yet another way to order and enjoy their drink.

"In certain instances, it's a matter of being a gathering place for the community," says Karlyn Moore, a Starbucks spokeswoman. "In others, it's about providing the kind of convenience and services with speed our customers are looking for."

Having more choices certainly is appealing for seniors who have difficulty getting around and for families with small children.

"With a hectic schedule, it takes a lot to get your kids out of the car, into the restaurant, back in the car and strapped in," says James Wade of Glendale, a stay-at-home dad who cares for his four kids, ages 3 through 9. "A drive-through takes a lot of the strain off."

jamesdenver

<<"I don't have to get out of my car," says Erica Pennica, waiting to order kid's meals at a Chick-fil-A drive-through in Peoria. "I don't even have to get dressed.">>

By that logic why even get out of bed? Why go through the motions of a daily existance? Why cook? Oh wait she's not.

<<"The Starbucks phenomenon was all about mingling and mixing and feeling like you were urban," Gammage says. "Now, it's a drive-through like everything else.">>

I agree - even in suburban strip malls coffee shops are a good gathering place for groups, musicians, and provide social outlets. Although rather than "feeling urban" I like to think I AM urban...

I'm not extremely social with strangers, but i LOVE walking down a busy pedestrian filled street in Chicago, New York, or Denver, with hundreds of other people bustling about. I love popping into a shop for some shoes, walking across the street for milk, etc. I don't think it's a European fantasy, as many cities have great neighborhoods you can do that in, unfortunately the neighborhoods described in this article seem to outweigh the ones I prefer 100 to 1.

I get antsy when I'm in an idling car anyway

Roody

Actually, I think it's more inconvenient to go into the store or restaurant when riding than when in a car. But I never have liked drivethroughs, and most don't allow bikes anyway. So I just go through the whole rack'n'lock routine every time.

If I was going to get irate about these joints, it wouldn't be because they don't allow bikes in the drivethrough. It would be because they don't have proper bike racks.

noisebeam

I mainly posted the article as it another look at how car centric things are getting, but also as it gives perspective on wasting resouces just for 'convienience' - idling cars. - and then reading it got the thought that things could go even more car centric, maybe even one may have to do business at some places thru drive thru only. I can't think of a place I would want to visit that has drive thru, perhaps a bank, but even then I prefer to go to the counter. But fast food, liquor stores, don't visit them much if at all.
Totally agree with jamesdenver on the public places thing, the community presence, people bumping shoulders. Great places to be, but not many round here.
Al

Blackberry

Drive-through mortuaries--now that's something.

linux_author

- i use my local Walgreen's drive-through on my bike all the time... there are so many folks around here riding bikes that i guess they're used to it?

twochins

what really annoys me is when you go into one of these 'restaruants' with a drive through at lunch time...the people in cars seems to have the first priority of the employees...it's quicker to be in a car to get you food in some of these places...

Roody

Generally, it seems that big corporations and franchises (McDonald's and the like) all ban bikes. Smaller or local stores are more likely to allow us in the drive-through. Walgreen's and Rite-aid are pretty big companies, but they have less elaborate and less crowded drive-throughs, and often let us through.

I use the auto-teller at my credit union when the lobby is closed. A couple of times the teller said she didn't think bikes were allowed. I said, "No it's OK, I cleared it with the main office." They bought it so far.

A while back, several of us here at BF did a little E-mail campaign to try to get McDonald's to let us use drive-throughs. Micky could not have cared less!

Personally, I like the walk-up windows like they have at Rally's. You get to wait in line with people instead of cars, and you give your order to a people instead of a big clown mouth. And you don't have to lock up your bike; it stays with you.

attercoppe

I'm just coming off a job working at a small local restaurant with a drive-thru window. Mostly I cooked, but I took orders some as well, including at the drive-thru. The wind would often blow exhaust fumes into the building from the open window - instant headache. What got me was the people who would come through and order something they knew took forever (something they got all the time) and sit with their cars idling. It's not bad enough that you're buying this overpriced food (though healthier than most fast food), you're also wasting gas and polluting by spending 5-10 minutes idling in the drive-thru.

I think the worst, though, is this curbside service crap. You call ahead, you theoretically arrive about the time the food is done, but you park in the parking lot - and call again, to have them bring it out to you! How effing lazy can you get? "Hi, I'm 20 feet away, but I don't feel like standing up and walking. Can you take time out to carry my food out to me? Then take my money, go back, make change, and bring that to me?" At least the employees get some (more) exercise and some (fresh?) air.

AverageCommuter

Actually that's not corporate policy. Just about 2 years ago some friends of mine, riding a tandem, got the "no bikes in the drive through" line at a Wendy's from the night manager. I was incensed and was ready the next day to gather a gaggle of riders to plague their drive through. Just to make sure we wouldn't be wasting our time, I called to check on policy and got the main store manager. Guess what, no corporate policy against bikes, and the manager was VERY interested to know what the night manager had said (in a "this is the opportunity to can this jerk I've been wating for" kind of way). Out of curiosity I called around to all of the national chains in town, and we've got a bunch, turns out none of them have a corporate policy against bikes. McDonalds, Wendys, Arbys, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Rally's... seems like there was one more but I can't remember at the moment. It's all crap food, so it's not really worth getting by car or bike, but there's not actually a policy against it.

Roody

You're probably right, but when I E-mailed McDonald's corporate HQ a couple years ago, some PR hack said it was corporate policy and they had no intention of changing it.

literocola

First off, how much do you wanna bet that this Erica Pennica person is quite over weight??

But this kind of American Convience makes my innerds churn! People love convience, and I'm not going to say that I dont want convience in my life, because I want my life to go by smooth and stress free. Sure, Locking my bike up everywhere I go is a pain in my arse, so what I do??? Bring it inside with me and walk it next to me. Natrually every place I go into, hassles me. So I tell them every time: "You see the size of this bike? You see the size of the shopping cart, leave me the f--k alone you knack, and let me shop. If you have an issue, then get me your boss."

Attercorppe: Curbe side service cracks me up; people are too lazy to walk 30 feet to actually go inside a place of business, the lazyness in this country is mind boggling, kind of like my spelling and grammer.

So, Ill just lay back, ride my bike, stay in shape, and watch America stuff their faces, gain weight, and get health problems. - f--k em all.

jamesdenver

It's the same people that drive their kids one mile to school every day for fear of child molestors behind every tree.

Too much time on the couch + too much TV news + too much irrational fear - no time knowing your neighbors or community + one car trip to the drive thru pharmacy and Mcdonalds = a life I never hope to have.

Roody

You got that right.

Where you been james? I was just thinking I hadn't seen your posts lately, then you popped up again. Were you on one of those overseas trips you've been saving up for?

kc9eog

Does a bike set off the thing that tells them you are there? That would probably be the problem with drive up service at a place like mcdonalds.

Az B

One of our local bike trails has a drive through mountain. It's an old train tunnel. Kinda cool.

Az

Blue Order

Next Easter...

Tabagas_Ru

I remember trying to go through a drive through a couple of years ago on my bike. The woman came on the speaker and said that she would take my order but she could not hear me because my bike was not heavy enough or something like that. She said she could see me though and that how she knew I was there. I called her some very vulgar names. The funny thing is she came back on the speaker and started cussing me out, I thought she said she could not hear me.

I think drive throughs are the epitome of lazy. When I had a car I refused to go through them, I would park and walk in. The funny thing is that I would be back on the road with my coffee and the same people would still be in line waiting for there turn at the window.

Blue Order

Your bike wasn't heavy enough to trip the bell that let her know you were there. She could hear your voice just fine.

Roody

Weather permitting...
It's a real bicth to get crucified on a rainy day.

jamesdenver

No just lurking, working, and the regular stuff. Hmm I wonder if someone doesn't post during the winter if people think they didn't commute? (I did honest)

We had a real mild winter here in Denver, only two really sub zero weeks. Anyway I'll be less sporadic in my involvement Thanks for the note!

sfcrossrider

I worked a drive through @ Sbucks 10 years ago. We would get people ordering beans, and then get mad when we didn't have theit half-caf ready in 30 seconds flat. I hated that job. My friends and I would ALWAYS screw up peoples drinks. They NEVER noticed. You can give these peole warm water and they would gulp it down.
I had a ladies SUV towed once. She parked in a blue spot and then went off to shop @ the fancy store up the street. She was all "how am I going to get home without my car"??? I just sat there and laughed. She fell on one of the big chairs and cried and cried. When I told her the tow lot charges by the hour, she told me to go fu(k myself and walked off. With any luck I ruined her life.

literocola

For sure James, the winters have been pretty lame the last few years. I've been commuting year round my entire life. On those bad days, my 10 pack RTD tickets in my wallet come in handy. RTD tickets stay in my wallet longer than condoms.

PVyrus

I work at the fast food resturaunt Taco Time (NOT to be confused with Taco Bell!) and just felt like saying that we, and hopefully everyone, runs on a first come first serve basis. As soon as someone orders, it appears on the moniter in the back, and whichever appears first gets done first. It probably looks like the drivers get thier meals first as they come up to the window because they had already ordered at the speaker several minutes ago. The jobs ok, but I much prefer to work at the counter... the people are a lot more friendly and communication errors are almost non-existant since we're talking face to face Maybe that's why the cars get served first if they do because they're so cranky the employes just want them gone asap!!

We're not supposed to serve bicyclists out of safety. Seriously I wouldn't bike through it cause I watch cars zoom around that corner like a racetrack all day!! Also our system is so old it has a hard time registering cars and we have no camera, so a bike would be invisable.

wsexson

The two fast food places that I worked at years ago when I was younger definitely did have a policy that drive through orders had priority over "dining room" orders.