Some stunning numbers this week on the amount of time and money we Americans spend at fast food drive-thru windows. According to research firm NPD Group, Americans made an estimated 12.4 billion trips through fast food drive-thru lanes last year, an increase of 2% from 2010. And the National Restaurant Association reports that drive-thru customers account for 70% of all fast food sales.
One possible factor for the increasing amount of food being sold through an open window is speed. NPD's research found that today's drive-thru restaurants are quicker and more accurate than a decade ago. The days of frustrated drivers screaming their food order at an impossible to hear box are disappearing.
The drive-thru window isn't all that old. On it's website, McDonald's claims the first drive-thru window appeared at a McDonald's near a military base in Arizona in 1975. It was done to serve soldiers who weren't allowed to exit their vehicles while wearing fatigues. In less than 40 years, the drive-thru has grown from a single restaurant to a nationwide network that serves more than 12 billion meals a year.
The title of the post comes from a 2006 "Weird Al" Yankovic song. Enjoy the video below.
On the web:
http://www2.tbo.com/business/business/2012/jun/01/mebizo1-drive-thru-patronage-up-2-in-2011-ar-410365/
http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/our_history.html
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