Omit Needless

Rules for Drive-Thru’s

January 17, 2010 by Lonny.

I could have called this some bloggy title like “10 Rules for Avoiding Drive-Thru’s and Reclaiming your Life”. But that sounded a little grandiose for a website that hinges upon simple living.

Plus, there is really one rule.

1. Don’t go through the Drive-Thru: Unless the doors of the business are closed, and you must absolutely do this here and now, simply do not use the drive-thru. Even if it’s raining.

Now, since that is the only Rule, it seems only fair to describe why.

1. Save gas: Drive-thru’s almost always cost more in gas than simply shutting your car off and walking inside. Get out of the box with wheels. Save some coin and pump less carbon monoxide into the air.
2. Get exercise: Look. You are already in a hurry enough, else you wouldn’t be compromising your diet with fast-food. Even at a bank drive-thru, which is more like a sit-thru, you could use a slight caloric burn. Getting up and down is good for you. That’s what football players do. Don’t be sedentary. Then, there’s the walking. A 170-pound person walking two minutes burns 9 calories. Not a lot, but 9 more than you would have burned sitting in the car.
3. Get face-to-face time: Our e-commerce, text-messaging society gives you less time with strangers than ever before. Sure, maybe it’s a good thing, but we were created to see people’s faces when talking to them. Get more eye contact in your day.
4. Better service: We all know the people at the counter receive better service more often than the people in their cars outside. Probably because of Reason #3.
5. Rekindle community: You might discover a friend who is inside. Or you might make a new contact. You can check out the bulletin board for local events. Or just people watch. Don’t worry; you’ll be back to staring at taillights soon enough.
6. Become a VIP: Okay, maybe the fast food restaurant employees don’t care who you are – even if you eat there every day. But after a while, they might smile and show some recognition. Banks and pharmacies will often be more personable to you. You become more real to them by walking inside.
7. Use the bathroom: If times are tough, why not let them pay for your flush? Seriously, it might be a good time to freshen up for a moment. Sometimes we are in such a hurry we forget the awesome feeling of washing our face.
8. Slow down: Getting out of your car forces you to take just a few seconds to readjust your expectations of others, your time, and your day. It only takes an extra minute or two, although I’ve beaten the drive-thru queue on more than one occasion. But, the main reason is to reclaim your own time. Do you want to be the person that can’t afford a single extra minute or two in their life? Do you want to be that busy? This is your little way of saying that you are not.
9. Eat healthier: This one applies just to fast-food places. At the drive-thru, you have little time (and information) to make better choices. Inside, you can ask to see the nutrition chart and pick something healthier. Even the small act of picking something different, even if not substantially more nutritious, can be healthy in that you are getting out of a rut, experiencing something new. Take your time and browse the menu inside without getting honked at from behind.
10. Breathe healthier: If you sit in your car breathing plastic toxins, that’s not swell. If you roll down your windows, then you breathe the fumes of the cars in front. I hold no illusions about the air just outside a commercial building, but it’s a little better. So is the sun on your face.

Bonus: A few tips to make your next fast-food restaurant experience more enjoyable:

• Minimize waste. Fast-food restaurants use a massive amount of disposable materials which fill up your city’s landfill (if they make it to the landfill at all). When they ask “For here or to-go”, say “For here”. Then, just take all the food off the tray and carry it out in your bare hands. C’mon… it’s a drink, a bag of fries, and a wrapped burger. You can do it. And you just saved another plastic bag.
• Eat outside. If they don’t have tables, just eat on the curb. Like you did when you were a teenager. Or eat on the hood of your car. Enjoy the sun, take a few minutes to relax, watch people go in and out of the place, and unwind.
• Accomplish something. Read at least one article in your Mobile Reading Item (MRI) before getting up to leave (even if you eat inside). Actually finish the article so you have a sense of accomplishment. Of course, don’t do this if you are with people or run into an acquaintance.

But, what about the rain? Ah, yes, the rain. Conventional wisdom seems to be to crowd the drive-thru when it rains.

Considering few drive-thru’s have decent rain covers (and if they do, you’ll breathe in even more nasty fumes), you are going to get your car interior wet while rolling down your window. Convince yourself that the rain on your mop will do more good than the rain in your car. Experience nature for a few seconds. Plus, you get to run inside rather than walk. More exercise!

Tags: community, food, rules