Drive-Thru Day

Madison's west-side Chick-fil-A. 12/4/2014 dwm

The first drive-thru restaurant was on the famous highway 66 in Missouri when it opened in 1947. The In-and-Out Burger opened up a drive-thru in California a year later that's still open.

In 1951, Jack in the Box opened specifically for drive-thru business.

Today is National Drive Thru Day, which was started by Jack in the Box 23 years ago.  

McDonald's didn't cater to customers who didn't want to get out of their car until 1975. 

That means I was probably a teenager before experiencing one. 

I remember going to drive-ins with mom and dad. I sat in the backseat. 

For your information this was before there were special seats for kids. The National Highways and Traffic Safety Administration recommends kids up to age 12, depending on their size, should use one.

When the car-hop delivered the food to the car, I'd take mine and put it on the 'shelf' between the back seat and where the rear window met it and use that as a table (this is a very early memory of going to Dave's Frostop Drive-In   

I'm an occasional user of drive-thru windows, preferring to park the car and go in to carry-out instead of idling while waiting in line. When I stay in the car, the best chain I've experienced is Chick-fil-A who usually has actual people meet the car to process the transaction.

When I'm working on the east side of town, the McDonald's at 2750 Prairie Lakes Drive in Sun Prairie, is at the top of the list. When I use their window for lunch, I can place the order, pay at the first window, and pick up the order in a short amount of time. At least for the lunch hour, that crew is at the top of its game in keeping the line moving. 

When it comes to drive-thru service, it's all about getting your order delivered with everything you wanted and the hot food hot. 

Why not celebrate National Drive Thru Day with a jaunt to our favorite store to say thanks and grab a snack.