Several weeks ago I was up in Topeka, KS, stopping at a McDonald’s for coffee. As usual, the drive-up window was backed up with cars. The cash registers inside the store were empty.
I went in, ordered, waited, received my steaming cup of java, went to the stand to add sugar and cream, then exited. The line of cars hadn’t budged.
Eight cars idled. You could feel the heat from their exhaust and smell it. I wondered, as I have many times before, if there isn’t some engineering system we can create to stop spewing these hydrocarbons into the atmosphere since it seems we can’t bring about the cultural change necessary to get people to park their cars and walk inside (EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL GET THEIR FOOD QUICKER BY USING THE INDOOR ORDERING SYSTEM!).
For an unknown reason, people seem to believe it is more convenient to stay in their cars, rather than exit, when the visual facts indicate otherwise. If you pay attention and watch, it is almost ALWAYS faster to get out of your car and go inside than it is to wait in the car line. So the issue isn’t about speed. Nor is it about convenience.
I’m starting to think the reason people don’t exit their cars at fast food restaurants has to do with the smart phone and not wanting to interact with others (stay in their personal car caves). It’s more fun to play with the phone than say hi or interact with other humans. They probably tweet, check Facebook, do some snapchatting, stick a few pins up on Pinterest, and then their sausage biscuit and egg is ready. Off you go to work.
If you got out of your car, you could still do those things on your smart phone, but you might also have to nod your head or look someone in the eye or comment on the weather. You could make a personal contact, establish the basis for a business relationship or even introduce yourself to someone who could turn out to be a future customer or colleague. We wouldn’t want that to happen, now would we?
Basic laziness is probably another reason we stick to our autos. That’s visibly reflected if you look at how many people are losing the battle with an expanded waistline. Walking into order wouldn’t change the world, but it is a positive step for many in the right direction. And they should take it.
If we can’t get more people out of their vehicles for the right reasons, maybe we can at least develop a techie solution that reduces all the carbon emissions coming out of the exhaust pipes, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. How about a conveyor belt?
Once the car enters the parking lot and the drive-through lane, you turn your car off, open the windows, and the fast food place moves you through, like a car wash. It stops you at the ordering and pickup windows. A sign tells you to turn off your engine to reduce pollution, eliminate hydrocarbons and reduce our reliance on oil, all good things for society in the long run.
It’s time for McDonald’s, Hardees, Wendy’s What-A-Burger, Burger King, Carl’s, In-N-Out Burger, Sonic and all the other drive-thru’s to put their engineering talent to work. Whoever comes up with the solution first will dominate the market, give themselves a differentiator and do something good for the world.
I went in, ordered, waited, received my steaming cup of java, went to the stand to add sugar and cream, then exited. The line of cars hadn’t budged.
Eight cars idled. You could feel the heat from their exhaust and smell it. I wondered, as I have many times before, if there isn’t some engineering system we can create to stop spewing these hydrocarbons into the atmosphere since it seems we can’t bring about the cultural change necessary to get people to park their cars and walk inside (EVEN THOUGH THEY WILL GET THEIR FOOD QUICKER BY USING THE INDOOR ORDERING SYSTEM!).
For an unknown reason, people seem to believe it is more convenient to stay in their cars, rather than exit, when the visual facts indicate otherwise. If you pay attention and watch, it is almost ALWAYS faster to get out of your car and go inside than it is to wait in the car line. So the issue isn’t about speed. Nor is it about convenience.
I’m starting to think the reason people don’t exit their cars at fast food restaurants has to do with the smart phone and not wanting to interact with others (stay in their personal car caves). It’s more fun to play with the phone than say hi or interact with other humans. They probably tweet, check Facebook, do some snapchatting, stick a few pins up on Pinterest, and then their sausage biscuit and egg is ready. Off you go to work.
If you got out of your car, you could still do those things on your smart phone, but you might also have to nod your head or look someone in the eye or comment on the weather. You could make a personal contact, establish the basis for a business relationship or even introduce yourself to someone who could turn out to be a future customer or colleague. We wouldn’t want that to happen, now would we?
Basic laziness is probably another reason we stick to our autos. That’s visibly reflected if you look at how many people are losing the battle with an expanded waistline. Walking into order wouldn’t change the world, but it is a positive step for many in the right direction. And they should take it.
If we can’t get more people out of their vehicles for the right reasons, maybe we can at least develop a techie solution that reduces all the carbon emissions coming out of the exhaust pipes, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. How about a conveyor belt?
Once the car enters the parking lot and the drive-through lane, you turn your car off, open the windows, and the fast food place moves you through, like a car wash. It stops you at the ordering and pickup windows. A sign tells you to turn off your engine to reduce pollution, eliminate hydrocarbons and reduce our reliance on oil, all good things for society in the long run.
It’s time for McDonald’s, Hardees, Wendy’s What-A-Burger, Burger King, Carl’s, In-N-Out Burger, Sonic and all the other drive-thru’s to put their engineering talent to work. Whoever comes up with the solution first will dominate the market, give themselves a differentiator and do something good for the world.