How A Fast Food Drive Thru Works

If you regularly go to the drive-thru at a fast food place, you should find this somewhat amusing.  If you hardly or never go through the drive-thru at a fast food place, this will be a good refresher for you.

1. As you pull into the parking lot you will see signs for the drive-thru lane which will take you towards the side or back of the restaurant.  The lane is always closest to the building, unless of course there is a second lane to your right marked "drive thru."  If there are two lanes, pick only one.

2. There is usually two and sometimes three windows and sometimes four in the left lane. Typically there is one or two speaker locations in your lane. It's more confusing when you're there. If there is an outside lane there are no windows,  just a speaker to place your order.  In both cases there will be one or two menu boards near the speaker, so you can see what to order, if you can find it among the ads and specials.

3. Usually someone will say something when you pull up and then you tell them what you want, unless you're at the wrong speaker and then they tell you to pull up to the next speaker in the same lane.  Crossing lanes at this point can be fatal and it is discouraged.

4.  The tricky part can be when they tell you to pull up to the first window.  Is it the first one you come to, the one all the way in front or is the window marked "#1".  Pick the window that fits two of the categories and hope for the best. 

5.  Someone should come to the window or they may already be there to tell you how much you owe.  If no one comes to the window, try the next window.  Keep in mind that backing up is not a good move.

6.  Once you pay for your food, you pull up to the next window which should be the last window.  This should be the easy part since you're hungry and you just paid for what you ordered. Take your food and drive away and enjoy your meal.

However, if you skip this window and pull out into the street and reach for your fish sandwich, you're going to be disappointed, because it's still back at the window. When you go back to the fast food place and walk in, you will probably see a worker trying to explain to his boss that this guy just paid for his order and drove away.  At that point, just smile and say, "that would be me."

I'm not saying that this happened to me the other day, I'm just going over some of the procedures and possibilities when you go to a fast food drive-thru.