7 Things You Didn't Know About The Drive­-Thru

Would you like facts with that? While drive-­thru restaurants have been a staple of the national landscape for over half a century, there was once a time before these majestic purveyors of food delivery convenience existed. Sad, sad times they were. To honor these modern miracles, we’ve scraped together a bundle of facts—like all those loose french fries from the bottom of the bag.

So buckle up, place your order, and pull up to the second window.

1. The First Drive-­Thru Opened In 1947

That’s right, the same year your Grand Pappy was born. Except it wasn’t a McDonalds: it was Red’s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri. Conveniently located on Route 66 (a.k.a. the Mainstreet of America), this burger joint bucked the trend of car­hops and pointed the way toward fast food’s future.

2. McDonald’s Didn’t Have Drive-­Thrus Until 1975

This one’s hard to believe… we would have spit out our vanilla shakes if they weren’t permanently stuck to our McRibs. McDonald’s was actually a late arriver in the drive-­thru revolution, opening their first drive thru in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Other fast food titans like Jack in the Box, In-­n-­Out, and Maid­Rite had already been all-­in on the motorcade munchie game for decades.

3. The Early Afternoon Is The Quickest And Friendliest Time To Drive-­Thru

Thankfully, the fastest and friendliest drive-­thru service times coincide. If you happen to drive through a fast food joint in the early afternoon, you’ll have the easiest, breeziest time getting your food. Think of the window between lunch and dinner—that’s your sweet spot.

4. Wendy’s Has The Quickest Service :::figure

Averaging about 130 seconds, Wendy’s can give you a frosty and a perplexingly square, yet delicious, burger in just a little over two minutes—the fastest of any major drive-­thru chain. Burger King (averaging just a minute longer) has the slowest service on average.

5. Chick-­fil­-A Is The Most Accurate

If you ask for a specific dipping sauce, you want that specific dipping sauce, right? Then get in your coupe and head on over to Chick­-fil-­A, where they have the most accurate service. They nail 92% of orders. That’s better than you’ve ever done on a science test.

Also, sorry, Burger King: your beefy crowns can’t hide the fact that you also have the least accurate service by successfully filling only 82% of your orders. (Though that’s still better than you’ve ever done on a science test, isn’t it?)

6. 70% Of Fast Food Business Is Sold Through Drive-­Thrus

Well, this is just reasonable. Are you going to risk walking into a fast food restaurant just to risk someone judging you for wearing pajamas at noon? No, you’re just going to pull up and order because legs and human interaction are both extremely overrated.

7. Drive-Thrus Aren’t Just for Fast Food

Yes, we love our burgers and fries, but we love their convenience factor even more. That’s why people have adapted the drive-thru model to all sorts of interesting businesses—and we’re not just talking about wedding chapels. Here’s a short rundown of some of the more unusual (read: hilarious) ones:

Strip club, funeral parlor, prayer booth, Christmas Nativity (sorry, only seasonally), contemporary art gallery, liquor and gun store, and, in case all the rest of those go horribly wrong – a law firm.