Fast-food drive-thrus: What to Know
A brief history of fast-food drive thrus you may not have known.
Drive-thrus may be a convenient option for picking up a quick meal without exiting the car. But if 2019 has taught us anything, it's that sometimes it's better to just go inside and order from the counter.
Don't believe us? Then take a look back at the following headline-grabbing incidents.
A side of machete
After struggling to take an order, a Taco Bell employee allegedly swung a machete at the customer's car. (Austin Police Department)
A Taco Bell employee in Texas was arrested in early December after he was accused of swinging an 18-inch machete at a customer in the drive-thru. The incident was reportedly sparked after the customer had trouble hearing the employee through the drive-thru speaker.
After struggling to take the order, the employee reportedly told the customer to pull around so he could “show you what I have for you.” The employee allegedly swung the machete at the customer’s truck twice, striking the side mirror. Authorities took him into custody.
Flame-grilled truckers
A sharp-eyed Burger King employee may have saved a customer from getting flame-grilled back in April.
When a truck carrying a 100-pound propane tank pulled into the drive-thru of the Burger King in Beebe, Ark., one of the employees noticed that it was leaking gas. She notified the driver, who got out of his vehicle to check on the tank’s release valve. That’s when the truck burst into flames.
A nearby dashcam captured the scene on video, including the moment when the tank exploded, creating a massive fireball. Fortunately, the area had already been cleared by local authorities.
Death and drive-thrus
A Whopper was placed on Leonard Durkin's coffin after the hearse pulled through the Burger King. (SWNS)
A great-grandfather literally took his love of double bacon cheeseburgers to the grave.
Customers at a Burger King in Leeds, England, were surprised when a hearse pulled into the restaurant’s drive-thru. The driver ordered a double bacon cheeseburger, which was then placed on top of Leonard Durkin's coffin in the back of the vehicle, as it was reportedly his favorite food.
Fight-thru
WARNING: Footage contains graphic language.
A mother trying to get some ice cream for her son was instead treated to violence and profanity back in May.
Rebecca Ramsey filmed this brawl through the drive-thru window at a Burger King in Charlotte, N.C., while she sat in her car. In the footage, which Ramsey shared to Facebook, a man in a red shirt can be seen fighting with one of the store’s employees, while several other workers attempt to intervene.
Ramsay had said she eventually gave up and went to Dairy Queen instead.
Drinking and drive-thru-ing
A woman who was allegedly intoxicated drove into a Taco Bell's drive-thru, but she entered through the exit and then got stuck on one of the turns. (Kennewick Police Department)
A woman in Kennewick, Wash., was arrested in early December after she got her RV stuck in a Taco Bell drive-thru.
The Kennewick Police Department shared photos of the RV on its Facebook page, which clearly shows the vehicle facing the wrong way after seemingly entering through the exit. Judging by the photo, it appears that the large vehicle got stuck trying to make a tight turn around the corner of the restaurant.
Police later took the driver into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Chick-fil-A hero
A Chick-fil-A worker in Georgia felt like a “hero” after saving a young boy from choking in late June.
Logan Simmons jumped through the window of the Flowery Branch location's drive-thru after hearing a woman scream. She was reportedly calling for help because her son was being choked by the seatbelt in their car. Simmons used his pocketknife to cut the belt, which had become tangled around the 6-year-old’s neck.
“I’m still kind of shocked right now myself that all this has happened," Simmons later told a news outlet.
No better place to ride out a storm
While some people were jumping out of Chick-fil-A drive-thru windows, others were jumping in.
A driver and her passenger were filmed hopping through the window of a Chick-fil-A in Oklahoma City when a tornado suddenly struck in late May. Employees in the security footage can be seen beckoning both people inside. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident.