Proper Drive-Thru Etiquette
January 21st, 2008 Posted in Funny StuffWe all use drive-thrus - fast food, banks and even pharmacies such as Walgreens and CVS. I love the convenience - I can make a deposit at the bank, pick up a prescription and grab some Super Tacos at Jack in the Box, all while in my pajamas. What spoils the whole experience of a drive-thru? Those who are either too stupid or just too self absorbed to follow what I like to call “proper drive-thru etiquette.”
You’ve seen them - people that have major banking problems and instead of going in to the counter, they decide to use the drive-thru and hold up those looking to get in and out quickly. Or how about the people at a fast food drive-thru ordering for their family of ten or wanting to know how everything is made on the menu. I even came across a person the other day at a CVS drive-thru who waited while their prescription is filled (you are supposed to drop it off and come back). I have two word for you kinds of people - you suck!
You either are absolutely clueless of what a drive-thru’s intentions are - quick access and convenience - or you are so self absorbed as to not care about anyone else but yourselves.
So for those of you who do care about how to properly use drive-thru and/or the fact that there are other people in the world besides yourselves, I present to you my idea of proper drive-thru etiquette.
Fast Food
1. If you do not know the difference between a Whopper and a Big Mac, please go inside. In other words, don’t request an education of the menu while others are waiting behind you.
2. If ordering for twenty gazillion people, please go inside where they can take and fulfill other people’s orders while they gather together most of the crew to complete yours.
3. When receiving your order, please pull forward when you are doing things like making sure everything is there, adjusting your seat belt, putting your wallet away or whatever else you do for the next 3 minutes after you have already received your order.
4. At night, when behind someone else, please turn off your headlights. Do you really need to glare your headlights into the back windows of people cars? Just don’t forget to turn them back on before hitting the road again.
Pharmacies
1. When dropping off a prescription, leave. Don’t wait for it even if they say it will be fifteen minutes. We all know very well that it takes some time for Pharmacists to sort out the correct amount of pills from the larger bottle into the smaller ones.
2. When asked if you need to speak to the Pharmacist for your order, please decline or you will be waiting another 5-10 minutes, holding up the line behind you. The instructions are already contained with the prescription. Having a Pharmacist come over only makes them feel more like doctors.
3. When picking up a dozen or more prescriptions, please go inside. You know you need to pick up a cart-load of non-prescription items anyway.
Banks and Financial Institutions
1. Make sure you already have your own pen and deposit slips. Otherwise, go inside.
2. Along with that, please make sure you have properly endorsed your checks before depositing, otherwise, the teller will send them back.
3. My biggest pet peeve of bank drive-thrus - they are not the place to sort out things like credit card disputes, discrepancies with your balance, you don’t like the color of checks that you ordered and other things like this.
4. If you own one of those big ol’ duelies (duel wheel truck), don’t even attempt to use the drive-thru. You’ll get stuck and damage your truck as well as the bank’s equipment and piss people off who are behind you. (yes I have seen this happen)
How about you, the reader? Can you think of anything to add to this list? If so, I’d love to get your feedback in the comments section. Go ahead… get it off your chest!
Okay, I feel much better now. 
17 Responses to “Proper Drive-Thru Etiquette”
By Simon Heseltine on Jan 21, 2008
Too true about getting trucks stuck in the drive through, I remember a manager of mine once returning to the office looking rather sheephish. He’d apparently taken the company truck out, and crushed the front of the roof in at the local McDonalds, as he’d not checked the height beforehand…
By autumn on Jan 21, 2008
Ooh. I definitely fail at #4 on the fast-food one. But i shall remember next time.
By Atropos on Jan 21, 2008
So true, especially number 3 on Fast food.
Another one that comes to mind is for drive thru ATM’s. When they are down and do not have any cash, you see people trying multiple times until they get it that it’s not working…and just leave. Well if you wasted my time and I am stuck behind you because your too thick to understand that the ATM is not working, at least have the courtesy of telling me its not working!!!
By Diane Aull on Jan 21, 2008
Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. I don’t know why, but I always seem to get stuck behind the person applying for a mortgage at the bank drive-through.
By smojo on Jan 22, 2008
#5 People should pull up as far as possible so the people behind you are able to place there orders.
By Li Evans on Jan 22, 2008
Bravo, and well said David!
By john on Jan 24, 2008
This is the problem with the drive-thru. It is full of pretentious people, like yourself, in too much of a hurry to be kind or patient in dealing with anyone else (other people in line or the staff when you do reach the window). If you are in a hurry go inside, noone else does.
By Robert on Jan 24, 2008
Drive-thrus aren’t about speed — they’re about convenience. If you’re in a hurry, it’s often faster to go inside, especially at lunch hour at fast food restaurants. I’ve seen twenty car lines in the drive-thru; when I go inside, there’s almost no one there.
By diamond on Feb 9, 2008
Why is it some people do not pick a lane at a bank drive-thru and wait for their turn? Instead, they try to straddle all the lanes (which is impossible) so they can pull into the first one that becomes available. Pick a lane and just wait..I promise, it won’t be long before it is your turn!
By David Wallace on Feb 9, 2008
I do that, diamond but as soon as I see someone come up behind me, I choose a lane. On the other end, if I see someone just sitting there trying to get the next lane that opens, I drive past them and settle into one of the lanes. Sometimes I get served before them as well which I find amusing.
By CEO254 on Feb 14, 2008
Great!!
By MT on Feb 20, 2008
I plan on bringing OSHA with me next time I go thru the drive thru, pay for my order, pull up to the pickup window and be asked to pull in front of the building so someone can bring my food out to me. Do they have insurance to cover drive thru attendants that get run over in the parking lot?
By Dana on Feb 20, 2008
Nice article! Very good writing!
By Duncan on Feb 26, 2008
I completely with agree with just about everything but the sad thing is that the people reading this page are most likely the people that already follow most of these rules.
By Laurie on Mar 18, 2008
I’m with you all the way - except for the headlight thing. Mine do not turn off manually. It’s a PITA at the movie drive in!
By Chaunta on Mar 21, 2008
What about the fact that some drive thru restaurants have those little islands on the passenger side where you pick up. If you are in an SUV or high clearance pick-up truck, the yellow concrete post drops below your sight. By the time you get your food, you forget its there and end up damaging your vehicle. Shouldn’t those yellow posts be taller? I think the restaurant is at fault for flawed design.