Comments on: Drive-Through Parking

By: Mark Lawrence - SpotHero

Mark Lawrence - SpotHero — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:17:34 +0000

I wonder how much use this parking spot actually gets a day. It would be interesting numbers. Cost of that extra parking spot vs number of orders someone has to sit there. Counterproductive though as the number of uses of that spot increases would make it seem that the McDonalds’ efficiency is decreasing.

By: bike LA

bike LA — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:48 +0000

I can’t understand the popularity of drive-thru fast food. By my observation it seems that when I walk into the counter to order, the same cars are still waiting at the drive in when I leave.

By: CTD

CTD — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:36:35 +0000

OK… the popularity of drive-up service is plain, it’s so ‘good’ for so many people that they have to provide overflow parking for it. How about this — more counter space for more orders taken INSIDE, and we the people get off our collective ‘oversized irregulars’ and walk in to get our junk food? With the attendant health issues, we do we continue to pander to the worst contributors? “Oh — too INCONVENIENT to walk in a building 20 feet away to poison yourself? We’ll let you DRIVE up to the window, and if too many of your fellows want that, too, we’ll deliver it to YOUR window!” It’s like cockroaches coming out to pick up the poison we spread for them; even THEY’RE too smart for that….

By: Thomas Kent

Thomas Kent — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:18:14 +0000

I use those parking spaces to make sure they got my order RIGHT! If not, I take it back inside.

By: Tom Vanderbilt

Tom Vanderbilt — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:26:09 +0000

Thanks for the clarification — though certainly most of those drivers leave their cars idling as they await their food, putting yet another strike against the drive-through in the “drive through versus parking lot” debate (such as it is).

By: Rob

Rob — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:07:13 +0000

Yes. When I was a kid the drive-thru at the local McDonalds was pretty terrible. Since they often didn’t have the food ready when people ordered it, they told drivers to go park, and then a kid would run outside with the order a few minutes later.

By: Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:24:42 +0000

What Mike said. If your order is going to take more than a few seconds, they ask you to pull to the side and stop your engine. Sonic Drive-In has a variation on this, if your order finishes before the guy ahead of you, a carhop brings it out to you while you’re still in line, allowing you to pull out and leave with your food before you even reach the window (assuming you didn’t stop too close to the guy ahead of you).

By: MikeOnBike

MikeOnBike — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:35:45 +0000

It looks ironic, but that’s where they send you to wait if your order is taking too long, so they can serve the next customer in line. Sort of like the “take-out only” parking spaces at fancier restaurants.

By: Jason Stokes

Jason Stokes — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:30:31 +0000

Typically this is for people who have ordered either large orders or a long lead time product (like chicken nuggets late at night), and need to wait for an employee to come deliver to their car. It’s not for “eat-in” drive through visitors.