Why Do Fast Food Places Prioritize Drive-Thru Over Dine-In?

[eric351982]

I would guess that most fast food places make the majority of their money from the drive-thru. Once I was stuck in a drive-thru before work and had to drive over the curb, literally screaming at the top of my lungs to escape the line and get to work on time!

[Jukesgrrl]

I don't think most business establishments of any kind have a priority more important to them than making a profit. They set policy based on what is most likely to make them the most cash taking up the least amount of time and expense. For one thing, given a diner who's eating in versus a person who taking their food to go, the to-go person is using fewer of their resources, so the dine-in customer is given the short shrift.

The same with the store that takes a phone call while you are in the midst of a transaction. It goes without saying that it's the height of rudeness. But do you actually LEAVE when it happens? If the majority of people did, it would stop. The ringing customer, on the other hand, will hang up perhaps to call a competitor.

I'm not condoning any of this. I agree these practices everyone is complaining about are bad manners. But we live in a capitalist economy, not known for niceness. Business owners, by and large, don't even treat their employees any better than they absolutely have to. Why would customers be any different so long as you aren't voting with your feet and going elsewhere?

[oldtrader]

Actually, a fast food restaurant takes order both in the drive through and inside in order as they come up on the computer board. Drive through has room for several cars between the place they order and where the food is delivered to the customer. When you see people being given their food at drive through, and several get their food before you get yours and you are inside, remember those cars waiting for their food had placed their orders before you placed yours.

If you are in a busy fast food restaurant with a drive through, they have several cars waiting for food, and as the completed order comes up it goes to the drive through window or the inside counter depending on which one ordered it. And often the drive in orders are much larger than inside orders, so you will see a lot of food going out the drive through while you are waiting. Just remember, that those orders were placed before yours was, and you are getting the same type service as the drive through is getting. And those in the drive through are just as frustrated as you are, and feel that the inside customers are the ones getting better service. A fast food restaurant has a maximum capacity per hour to produce food, and when hit by a bunch of customers at lunch time, it takes longer to serve you your food. Want quick service, never go there during peak lunch period as they are being overwhelmed by the number of customers.

[ackmondual]

In Alexandria, VA, and perhaps certain surrounding areas, they charge a drive through tax. I bought a 99c item that costs $1.05 after sales tax. Forgot another item, may as well go through drive through. Another 99c item ended up costing $1.09 here. This was what got me to go in for pick up.

[Mike from back east]

Fast Food places consider their customers to be the crud of the earth. Especially the early McDonald brothers and later Ray Kroc. They HATE spending any money to build the dine-in portion of their joints, they HATE spending any money to keep them clean (many aren't) and they especially HATE operating restrooms which are notoriously dreadful.

The indoor section of my McDonald's has sticky floors near the soda fountain machine and the sound of my shoes on that floor reminds me of the "glitch" cartoons in the old Mad Magazine. This is why I go use the drive thru which they make a huge effort to keep moving. I can get waited on quicker in a long drive thru line than in a short indoor line where I've often walked out muttering about f'ing amateurs.

Fast Food places tend to treat us all like we're criminals about to commit a criminal act. Read the book "Fast Food Nation" and you'll understand where I'm coming from.

[captainmidnight]

If the drive thru line is long, I will park and go inside. It is usually faster.

[MerriMAC]

One of my local national fast food restaurants has a large digital timer by the drive thru window. You can see it inside from the dining room counter. The timer counts the seconds from the time the order is taken until it is handed out.