In Germany, the drive-thru of fast food restaurants and coffee shops (only Starbucks) is empty most time and has never a as long line of waiting cars as I have seen in the U.S.. The most places do not even offer a drive through service as far as I remember, especially not in the cities. The only ones I can think of are at rest areas close along the Autobahn, where people grap some food or a snack when they are on a long journey and have no time to stop and eat inside.
The usual German, also eating a lot in fast food - no doubt, parks in front of the restaurant, goes inside, orders and eats within the restaurant area. In case one is in a hurry, the average German would still park outside, rush inside, order and take one's meal into the car to eat is on the way.
Americans are different in terms of the dining culture in general, but even more when it comes to the use of drive-thru services. As we all learned in the documentary Supersize Me: The average American walks about 5.000 steps (approximately 2miles) per day, a European almost twice as much (American College of Sports Medicine, 2010). Could the Americans' excessive use of drive-thru services be one of the reasons for that?
In America, the drive-thru option is offered not only by fast food restaurants, where you don't even have to leave your car seat to purchase and consume a meal containing 700 to 1.000 calories. Also banks as well as post offices and pharmacies offer drive-thru services in America, an option I had never seen or thought of at these placed in my life before.
Check out what I found online the other day: The 14 strangest Drive Through Services in America ... Crazy Americans!
With the general increase in driving/mobility, also the use of drive-thru services increased in America. McDonald's makes about 65% of its U.S. sales to drive-through customers (www.slate.com). But what are the reasons, that Americans are so obsessed with drive-thru services, but Germans aren't?
The Drive-Through Performance Study, released by Sam Oches in 2013, discovered the following: A few years ago the speed of service has been the number one reason why people used drive-thru services. Drive-tru customers have a higher priority than in-store customers and therefore get there purchase faster. But the average handling time per customers in the most American quick-service restaurants has increased due to more complex menus, more customized options, higher accuracy and a more personalized service by the restaurant's service personnel. Drive through is the place where Americans' top obsessions come together: Mobility and consumption. But it's not only about offering the fastest service anymore. The drive-thru customers want to feel as personally addressed and taken care of as they would inside the store - just in the comfortable place of their car. Talking about this topic with some friends and class mates here in the U.S., the issue of saving time and multitasking seem to be an issue when it come to the choice of use drive-thru services. You don't have to leave your car, can listen to music or talk on the phone while waiting for your food, and you can eat (fill your stomach) on your way to another location. Sounds quite reasonable, besides I think especially in America using the drive-thru service does not make a big difference from in-store ordering, time-wise. The most restaurants are giant anyway and have several check-outs in the restaurant. Furthermore the idea of eating as a secondary activity while focusing on doing something else also does not correspond very well with my understanding of dining in general. That might also be one of the reasons why I am not a fan of fast food restaurants after all and have used a drive-thru service only a few times in my life so far.
And once again, I can only say: The differences between American and German/European consumer behavior are unlimited!
Look at these guys reaction ... too funny:
Further information about the history and culture od drive-through services:
The Drive Thru Performance Study
'We're Thru' by Tom Vanderbilt
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