This transition has reshaped American highways, restaurants, and even cars (for instance, cup holders weren’t a common car feature until the ‘80s). The convenience was so popular that banks, gas stations, and retail stores started opening drive-thrus of their own to better serve customers. By the late ‘70s, most quick-service restaurants featured a single-lane drive-thru, including McDonald’s first in 1975. The solution? Eliminate the need for stalls and simply send people on their way with their orders.ĭrive-thrus empowered restaurants to cram in more transactions with less space all while helping to keep people cruising to their destinations. Drive-ins required a lot of space to accommodate more cars, and they presented a finite capacity for how many people could be served. Think of clip-on window trays, roller skating car-hops, and side-by-side stalls where cars would pull in, park, order, and eat without ever leaving their car.ĭrive-in restaurants appeased the hurried diner, but they weren’t as great for the restaurant operator. In the 1930s, the drive-in restaurant started feeding the desire for speed and efficiency when eating on the go. With 100 years under its belt, it’s safe to say that White Castle and the rest of the fast-food industry has been a hit ever since. Despite their ubiquity, this fast-food feature as we know it has only been around since mid-century-nearly three decades after White Castle debuted as the first fast-food restaurant in the US. If your fast-casual restaurant hasn’t upgraded to digital menu boards at the drive-thru, it may be time to consider making the move.Īs ingrained as they are today in seemingly every roadside restaurant, it’s hard to imagine what the industry looked like before the drive-thru. While the history of the drive-thru as we know is still a sought-after bit of nostalgia, hungry consumers have heightened expectations and desires when grabbing grub on the go. The digitization of drive-thrus not only gives restaurants a competitive edge in an ever-growing industry, but it has also permanently changed how drive-thrus deliver clearer information, better experiences, and enhanced safety to customers when they need it most. Drive-thru menu boards and technology have evolved and adapted to changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements, and they now provide a meal and an experience without ever forcing folks to leave their cars. Since 1947, drive-thrus have been a staple in how hungry travelers eat on the road, and their value in the fast-food and casual restaurant industry has only strengthened over the past 75 years. Fast-food drive-thrus are nestled in Americana snugly between baseball and apple pie.

Digital drive thru menu board