# Do fast food restaurants deliberatly block your car in at the drive thru? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139 "2006-05-25T06:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AnabolicDoberman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@AnabolicDoberman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnabolicDoberman)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/1 "2006-05-25T06:15:28Z")
Alot of drive throughs are setup so that once you enter you can only get out once the other cars are through because of the curbs or whatever. Is this so that if they are taking a long time and you get pissed you don’t have the option of just driving off, and have to wait and still buy their food? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/2 "2006-05-25T06:35:13Z")
> [@AnabolicDoberman](#): > > Alot of drive throughs are setup so that once you enter you can only get out once the other cars are through because of the curbs or whatever. Is this so that if they are taking a long time and you get pissed you don’t have the option of just driving off, and have to wait and still buy their food? I think it probably has more to do with (a) physical space limitations and (b) the near-universal standardization of the fast food restaurant design. I can understand assigning a level of malevolence and conspiracy to the big fast food companies, but I doubt that they really want to trap you if you get pissed off. One yelling, honking angry man can dissuade plenty of potential customers - and cause many more problems that they are worth. The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/3 "2006-05-25T06:55:51Z")
I think it’s just to avoid confusion- if it is open all the way through inevitably some dimwit/jerk is going to try to nose in to the front. It also keeps the hard-to-move line of cars on an acceptable route, instead of giving it the oppertunity to snake wherever it wants all over the parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/4 "2006-05-25T11:38:00Z")
I worked at a Jack in the Box in the early 70’s, it was one of the first places with a drive through in my home town. At the time, customers could drive off after ordering. We use to get a lot of drive off orders, dimwads ordering a bunch of stuff then driving away without paying and we got stuck throwing away a lot of food. The owner added some curbing and the problem went away. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/5 "2006-05-25T12:19:26Z")
Sure you can drive off, you’re just not trying hard enough. Seriously? Drive-thrus are retarded enough as they are. Remember that people don’t pay until they reach the window. No need to add _another_ unnecessary complicating factor. Also, our store boasts drive-thru times upwards of 20 minutes. I would not ever use the drive-thru. ---
**Author:** ![Shai\_tan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Shai\_tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shai_tan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/6 "2006-05-25T13:46:38Z")
> [@FlyingRamenMonster](#): > > Seriously? Drive-thrus are retarded enough as they are. Remember that people don’t pay until they reach the window. No need to add _another_ unnecessary complicating factor. Actually it depends on the drive-thru. I was at a McDonalds who had actually achieved their goal of 90 second turn around at the drive-thru (from completion of order to bag in hand) during peak hours. They had a sign posted with their turnaround goal, and by Og they did. My local Burger King, different story… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/7 "2006-05-25T14:28:17Z")
> [@Shai'tan](#): > > Actually it depends on the drive-thru. I was at a McDonalds who had actually achieved their goal of 90 second turn around at the drive-thru (from completion of order to bag in hand) during peak hours. They had a sign posted with their turnaround goal, and by Og they did. My local Burger King, different story… I bet my old store could do it. The new one is staffed almost entirely by 14-year-olds - no way, no how. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/8 "2006-05-25T14:35:16Z")
I forgot what I was going to say, which is that drive-thru target times are higher than for counter, because drive-thru is just inherently slower. It also depends on general morale that shift, which manager is on duty and if the person on drive-thru has their hands tied with a customer who wants to convert her small chips into a kids’ meal and can she have the hamburger minus pickle and ketchup and sorry my chips went cold while I was holding them could I have a new one you know these new ones are kind of empty could you fill them up please no “That’s the size small chips are” is not a satisfactory answer can I see your manager I want a refund your employee was rude to me. It happens too much. I don’t like eating in cars anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/9 "2006-05-25T16:42:40Z")
I susspect it is more so that people can’t push in than to stop people driving off, as if anyone could leave the line directly there would be a way for people to push into the line using the same route. The fact that you are forced to wait in line even if you decide you don’t want to order anything is an added bonus. Most people would probably cave and order something just to not look stupid. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/10 "2006-05-25T18:56:04Z")
> [@AnabolicDoberman](#): > > Alot of drive throughs are setup so that once you enter you can only get out once the other cars are through because of the curbs or whatever. Is this so that if they are taking a long time and you get pissed you don’t have the option of just driving off, and have to wait and still buy their food? I see many more that have plenty of room to drive off. (Atlanta, GA BTW) I would imagine is has more to do with the cost of real estate, and communicating clearly to customers where to go to then concerns about fraud. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/11 "2006-05-28T14:06:07Z")
It’s not logical to say that people push-in (cut into) fast food lines. How are you going to order, since the speaker/mic is generally where you can still leave if you wish? Also this forced queuing is often seen in places where there’s no logical reason for it, i.e., it’s _obvious_ that you’re being forced into the line and not allowed to leave. The few times that we’re in the mood for fast food now, I make it a point to take the truck so I can simply drive over thier silliness should they take too long. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-fast-food-restaurants-deliberatly-block-your-car-in-at-the-drive-thru/358139/12 "2006-05-29T01:31:05Z")
Yours truly once worked at a fast-feeder that was constructed prior to the advent of the drive-thru, so ours was _tacked-on,_ so to speak. The owner decided _not_ to install the curbing, so folks were free to leave the line until they got to the covered-bridge at the pick-up window. We saw very few driveoffs, actually. One Friday night, though, we had a humorous incident where we had cars wrapped around the building out into the street (we were the only place open that late for many, many miles on a busy US highway) and somehow a guy who was alone in his car broke into the line without ordering. When he got to the window the total was $14 something (several sandwiches, fries and drinks) and without batting an eye, he paid and drove off with the food that the guys behind him had ordered.