Is a car required for drive-through service?

The short answer: Yes.

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After getting my work done around 1am on Friday night (Saturday morning), I headed to the post office to drop off some packages and stopped at Taco Bell on the way home. Taco Bell is one of those “I know its a bad idea, but I’m doing it anyway” types of restaurants, and these two idiots probably saved me from a night of stomach irritation.

The blonde and her short dark-haired friend stood there for at least two minutes saying “CAN YOU HEAR ME” over and over to the speaker. Even if they knew the girls were there, serving them would have been a liability issue — the restaurant’s insurance covers motor vehicles which excludes cyclists, wheelchairs, and pedestrians.

So, I put it in reverse, drove home, and ate an orange instead.

An electric wheelchair gets around the “motor vehicles” requirement:

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wpid-drive-thru-wheelchair-2011-03-19-01-35.jpg

And then there’s this:

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I’m guessing he has DUIs and avoids the license suspension and ignition interlock problems by riding his mower around.

Fast food call boxes are typically set off by weight sensors or magnets to discern automobiles from pedestrians and cyclists. This sets off a beep or ding in the cashier’s headset. Some locations also use a camera. In the past, rubber strips were laid across the pavement that set off a bell when a customer drove over it.

To make matters more complex, busier fast food locations are experimenting with outsourcing. The person you speak with at the order box could be on the other side of the planet, electronically transmitting the order to the kitchen. This frees up labor to focus more on food production and less on order taking.

And drivers, watch out for thieves:


Fast Tube by Casper

You shouldn’t be eating that stuff anyway.

3 Responses to Is a car required for drive-through service?

  1. Ray says:

    I have learned about the mysteries of the fast food box.

    Wonderful!

  2. Ray says:

    That woman DOES NOT need to be in the Micky D’s drive through. God damn…

  3. jesda says:

    SHE HUNGRY

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