You know how the Golden Arches all have the tagline underneath that says something like “Billions and billions of burgers sold?†I think Ronald McDonald can attribute about 89% of those bazillions not to their deliciousness (although I will admit that I do love them!) but to the simple fact that to get one, you do not have to get the kids out of the car.
Is it a coincidence that McDonald’s became a super-power right around the time that the ol’ “Stay in your seats, kids, I’ll only be gone a minute†line became a reason for children’s services to come beating down your door? I think not.
Whoever invented the drive-thru window should go down in history right along with Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison. It’s pretty much the best idea ever – I just go up to this little window, tell them what I want and they hand it to me. Genius! But the thing that makes them so great – say it with me – you do not have to get the kids out of the car.
Honestly I don’t know why more people don’t get on the bandwagon. It seems so simple. So if there are any entrepreneurs out there, listen up. The key to success? A drive-thru window.
Think about how much simpler life would be if more businesses had drive-thrus.
Need to buy stamps or mail a letter? Stop by your friendly drive-thru post office. While we’re talking government agencies, how about a drive-thru library?
Need some Tylenol, sunscreen, antibiotics and tampons? Pull up to the window at the local drug store.
Here in Ohio we are lucky (or dumb) enough to have fun little drive thru places where you can get pop, chips and beer. I never realized what a luxury that was until the other day when I remembered on the way home from the grocery that I still needed a bag of ice. Kate was, of course, conked out in the car seat, so I just zoomed through the “Ice House.†Sure, it was a little strange having some lady hand me a 25-pound bag of ice through the window of my Corolla, but Kate stayed asleep, so who am I to complain? Imagine if I could have picked up everything I had gotten at the grocery store at the Ice House?
I think the real gold mine, though, would be drive-thru locations catering to families. Because, as I may have mentioned, the main benefit to the whole concept is that you don’t have to get the kids out of the car. Picture this: you pull inside a building that looks like a car wash, but instead of foam and brushes, you see an array of diapers, wipes and baby food. You can find anything you and your baby might need… and you don’t have to get the kids out of the car.
Did I mention this utopia is open 24 hours a day? Yes… that’s it. And they’re not only open but they really want you to come in on major holidays. But what if we combined that with the dream drive-thrus we already talked about? That would be perfect.
So if you want to be the next McDonald’s, it’s pretty easy. Just build a 24-hour drive thru Post-Office-Library-Pharmacy-Ice-Pop-Chips-Diapers-Wipes-Baby-Food Store.
And don’t forget the beer.
And milk! I would drive miles and miles away if only someone had a drive-thru where you could pick up a gallon (or two) of milk! Oh, and bread too. Having to drag 3 kids into the store just for the simplest things is such a pain – I’m with you on the whole drive-thru thing!
I totally agree and have been saying that since I had my youngest!
We have CVS (drugstore) here and the drive-thru pharmacy is the entire reason I choose to go there. You drop off the precriptions and tell them any other OTC things that you want to purchase as well. Then when your precription is ready (about 20 minutes, just enough time for me to drive thru the drivethru at Little Ceasers to get a hot-and-ready pizza) you just pick it all up. Perfect!
It is hard for me to drag two kids into the grocery store even. This might be a little far fetched but… Because it would be too much go give someone a grocery list at a window though, they should have a website with pictures of everything and you add them to your cart type in a time and pull up to pick it up.
If that wouldn’t work because of the fresh foods and wanting to inspect them before buying at least have a store where you can get diapers, wipes, pads, OTC medicines, etc.
hmm…I’ll get right on it!
YES!!!! If I had money there would be a drive-thru version of a drugstore/supermarket in every metropolitan town! Oh, yeah. Remember those days when you were pregnant with #2 and could barely get #1 into the carseat without being exhausted? That’s when I came up with my idea. We could place our order online or via phone and choose the time to pick it up! Oh, my heart aches at the thought! Why can’t the drive-thru pharmacy add tampons, batteries, and diapers to the precriptions being picked up? Why?
Let’s get together, form a plan, and find venture capitalists! Who’s with me?
Drive-thrus are a gift from God. A few years ago I babysat my niece and nephew and had my own daughter as well. They were all very close in age, and all three under the age of TWO! On the mornings I had all the kids in the van I’d load them up and do my drive thru chores. The day went like this:
Load up the 3 little ones and my oldest to take her to school. Drive and get her friend that we carpooled with and load him up. Drive to school… pull in front of the school and open the door and let the two oldest out. Yep, there was someone there to take the kids safely into the school and I didn’t have to get out! Next, to Starbucks so I could get a refreshing beverage, which was my luxury for the day. Then to the library to drop off books in the drop box, to the bank and/or credit union to either deposit or use the ATM. To the city utility building to drop off the water payment, to the grocery store to pick up a perscription through the pharmacy drive thru, get some lunch for me at a variety of fast food options which have drive thrus (by this time, all 3 would be snoozing in the back seat of the mom-mobile minivan). And, back to school to get the two oldest – and they are put in the car by their teacher, take our car pool buddy home, and then to ditch the little ones with my sister in law. All done while my butt was firmly planted in the drivers seat, and the three little ones were safely buckled in their carseats. I would drive out of my way to get to the locations that had drive thrus so I, and the little ones, could stay put. And, I did all this while I was in my PJ pants.
the greatest moment of my life (OK not really, but close) was when I realized that my older son who is not quite 9 is not yet ready to babysit, but is old enough to stay in the car with his siblings while I run into the coffee shop/pharmacy/library etc. I am sad that he will be returning to school soon and I will have to drag the other two into the store every time.
Ohhh Kate that cracks me up!! Very sad about him returning to school!
There have been so many times when I just forgo an errand because I don’t feel like getting the kids in and out of the car. It is a pain when you have two in car seats.
My brother and I have actually been talking about doing this for years. Of course neither of us have the capital, energy, time to do it, but I am convinced if someone did they would be a millionare very quickly.
The Dayton (OH) Library used to have a drivethru window, but I haven’t been there since High School. You could not only drop off, but pick up reserves! Awesome considering the total lack of parking downtown.
Very funny and true!! You are going to be a millionaire if you ever build one of those “24-hour drive thru Post-Office-Library-Pharmacy-Ice-Pop-Chips-Diapers-Wipes-Baby-Food Stores.”
Loved it!
The post office is the worst! We do ebay, so every Monday I shove two (maybe screaming) kids in the car, drive the 2 blocks to the PO, haul 2 kids out of the car, strap baby in her stroller, balance packages on the stroller, push it with one hand, hold my son’s hand with the other, have to prop open two doors (nobody will help you–they don’t want to lose their place in line!), plop the prepaid packages on the counter, get dirty looks from those who think I just cut in line, prop open two doors, and shove two screaming kids back in the car. The whole trip takes 8 minutes, but it’s 8 minutes of pure misery! The drive-thru post office is a fantastic idea! I think I’ll write a letter. Great post!
I actually spoke with an investor friend of mine about having a grocery store where people could order and pay for their groceries online and then they could drive up and have them loaded in their car and drive off. I had just left Houston and my friend there was a single mom and she had a service where she ordered her groceries online and they brought them to her home and put them away for her (they even put little booties over their shoes before they came inside her house so they wouldn’t get anything on the carpet.) Of coarse it was very expensive and so I thought that maybe setting up a drive-thru instead of delivery would make this accessable to the little people….people like me! That was in 1997…oh well.