The incredible history of the drive-thru
A "drive-thru" the past

The prequel to the drive-thru

Diners hit the road

Service at the wheel

A celebrity affair

Time-honoured chains

Some enduring chains were pioneers of the drive-in concept. A&W – a well-loved joint known for their hot dogs and root beer – opened their first drive-in spot in the 1920s in Sacramento, California. They're still going strong today with several retro drive-in outlets around the country. An Orange County location is snapped here in the 1960s.
Shopping on wheels

America's first drive-thru

America's first drive-thru

Unlike the drive-in restaurants that preceded it, Red's Hamburg (so-named as the sign didn't fit the extra 'er') had a drive-up window rather than a carhop service. The concept was a hit and Red's continued slinging burgers for passing motorists right up until 1984, when it eventually closed its doors. But such is the restaurant's legacy that a new Red's venue opened just last year in a brand new location.
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The makings of the modern drive-thru

A burger-flipping family

In-N-Out gets a new look

The next big thing

Jack-in-the-Box jumps in

Soon smaller American fast food chains were also getting in on the drive-thru hype. Jack-in-the-Box was founded in San Diego in 1951 and the drive-thru concept was built into the business from day one. A joint is pictured here in full swing in the 1960s.
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Jack-in-the-Box jumps in

New-fangled menus

Cars shift gear

The drive-in is still going strong

The drive-in is still going strong

In fact, through the 1950s, the drive-in became ever more distinct from the drive-thru. In some places they were lavish affairs, with fancy menus attracting well-heeled diners. Two young, glamorous guests dine at Tiny Naylor's Drive-In Restaurant in Los Angeles, California in this 1951 shot.
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Next came Wienerschnitzel

Introducing Wendy's

Introducing Wendy's

A four-legged diner gets his fix

Fast food behemoths take longer to catch on

The McDonald's drive-thru journey

The McDonald's drive-thru journey

The brand's success skyrocketed after businessman Ray Kroc franchised the chain in 1955, opening his first location in Des Plaines, Illinois (pictured here). However, at this point, the now ubiquitous McDonald's drive-thru was still a mere speck on the horizon.
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The McDonald's drive-thru journey

The McDonald's drive-thru journey

Europe's first drive-thru restaurant

The UK's first McDonald's drive-thru

Canada and the drive-thru

France and the drive-thru

Even Paris, the gourmet capital of the world, was swept up in the drive-thru and fast food frenzy. McDonald's had broken ground in France by the late 1970s and in 1988 the very first "McDrive" opened in suburban Paris. This ad was papped on the Paris Métro in the 1980s.
The drive-thru model is here to stay

A caffeinated ride

It wasn't all about burgers and fries anymore, either – coffee titans eventually got in on the act too. The first Starbucks drive-thru opened in 1994 in Southern California, and soon dozens of outlets followed suit. Taken in 2000, this photo shows an early walk-up and drive-thru shop without any customer seating in Lombard, Illinois.
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The future of the drive-thru

Drive-thru restaurants have shone during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the months that sit-in areas remained closed, round-the-block queues formed for reopened drive-thrus across the world, while some typically dine-in-only restaurants came up with makeshift service windows. Many predict big things for the future of the humble drive-thru, with the rise of ordering from mobile devices and digital touchscreens, and streamlined production and menus making fast food faster than ever.
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