By Gail Marsh
I’m always curious (and in awe) about inventors. You know, the folks who see a problem and come up with a creative and workable solution. What amazing minds! Sometimes the most common daily convenience was born out of a real need. Take for instance the fast-food restaurant drive-thru window.
The origin of the drive-thru window
Sierra Vista, Arizona, is a town located near the military base Fort Huachuca. A McDonald’s restaurant there was popular with the military folks. (Hey, who doesn’t appreciate hot fries and a Big Mac?)
The problem
Military personnel loved to get a quick bite at the nearby McDonald’s restaurant. At the time (1975), the military had strict rules about soldiers wearing their uniforms in public. Soldiers were not allowed to wear their fatigues in public when they went off post. No soldier was going to change clothes just to get an afternoon snack or a Big Mac lunch. Getting out of their car to quickly walk into the restaurant while wearing their military clothes was a big “no-no.”
The solution
The then-owner of the Sierra Vista McDonald’s, David Rich, had an idea. He cut a hole in the side wall of his restaurant. This allowed military personnel to remain inside their cars, while still wearing their fatigues. They could adhere to the rules and get their fries, too!
The drive-thru idea caught on
It didn’t take long for Mr. Rich’s idea to spread. As it turned out, many people preferred to remain inside their cars to order and pick up their food. People still do.
What’s more, the drive-thru window idea has expanded to include coffee shops, banks, and even drive-thru wedding services. That’s right! In Las Vegas (where else?) you can get married via a drive-thru. For just $89 you can drive through a wedding tunnel. In one side as a single. Out the other end, married!
Today there are also drive-thru liquor stores, ice cream shops, pharmacies, and more! I’ll bet Mr. Rich had no idea that his “invention” would have such far-reaching applications!
What’s the craziest drive-thru you’ve ever seen or been to? Tell me about it in the comments below.
#RVT1172
Most drive throughs have height restrictions that preclude anything taller than a pop-up. So we have to find a place to park the tow-vehicle and TT. Then you go through the restaurant door. But during COVID only the drive throughs were open. So, pull on my mask and walk between cars for my turn at the window. There were two other issues… many order systems magnetically or optically detect vehicles, but not people. Workers were annoyed I didn’t order before I reached the window. And I always prayed I wouldn’t get crushed between bumpers.
While the basic idea of a drive thru can be seen as far back as the 1930s, Wendy’s actually was the first fast food chain to utilize it, beating McDonald’s by 3 or 4 years.
I heard that too. Dave proceeded to “knock a hole in that wall.” I believe it was in Ohio?
Years ago in Pensacola, FL there was a drive thru funeral home. You could drive through and view the deceased.
I live in an RV park about 25 miles north of Sierra Vista. The wall with that window in it has been preserved and is on display at a local Sierra Vista museum.
How cool! Thanks for letting us know!
Perhaps 5 years ago during a trip I replenished my adult beverage inventory via a drive up window in a Colorado liquor store.
I was in the Army years before 1975 and we had drive-through windows at a number of places just off-post. There was even a pawn shop with a drive-through window. But I don’t remember any drive-through funeral homes!
And, yeah, that rule about fatigue-wearing off-post was a pain in the ___. Especially if you had one car and a needy 8 month-old back at your apartment!
Don’t everybody jump at once, but around Phoenix there are drive through coffee shops. What’s the kicker? The girls wear bikinis and negligee.
In 1931 the first drive thru that bypassed the carhops was at the California Pig Stand. The first identified drive thru was established in 1947, at Red’s Giant Hamburg located in Springfield MO. A year later in 1948 Harry and Esther Snyder of the In and Out Burger chain built a drive thru restaurant featuring a 2-way speaker system that Harry invented. By the 1970s, drive thrus had replaced drive ins in the US. Helps to be married to an historian.
I was working for the Army at Fort Huachuca when this policy was implemented. There were other drive-thru restaurants but the Sierra Vista McDonald’s was the first McDonald’s to have a drive-thru.
You can also thank the military for the school lunch program, as so many men were 4F during the 2nd World War as a result of childhood malnutrition during the Great Depression.
Thank you, Gail! An oldie, but also a goodie. 🙂 Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
1924 Maid-Rite, Springfield, IL.
https://icl.coop/maid-rite-sandwich-shop/
Every trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina we enjoy our stop at Brew Thru. A very ingenious business idea you don’t see everywhere.