Fifteen years ago I only knew of one drive-through donut joint on the North American continent, though I daresay there were others that had escaped my attention as I visited nine provinces and 48 states in pursuit of the latest automotive story.
The one I'd visited was actually the most famous donut store in the world, since it turns up fairly regularly in movies, TV shows, music videos, postcards and travelogues because it has a giant donut on its roof and is an LA icon as a result. That would be Randy's, and if you're ever passing the intersection of Manchester and the 405 northeast of LAX, you should stop in for a sugar twist or six.
Today, I only know of one donut store that does not have a drive-through, and that would be the original Tim Horton's on Ottawa Street in Hamilton.
This 180-degree change in donut store design in a decade-point-five suggests that we are a drive-through culture in North America, and I am of the opinion that it's time we embraced this reality and took it to the next level.
Joining the automotive snake that leads to the Tim's drive-through every time I want a hot chocolate and an apple fritter (fried fruit is better than no fruit at all) makes this idea vibrate in my brain, because I see an opportunity to do a little drive-through multi-tasking which would release me from one of my least favorite tasks in the whole world -- stopping for gas.
I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned there is never, ever a good time to stop for gas. Never.
How great would it be then if, during my wait for that hot chocolate and apple fritter, someone could pump $20 worth of gas into my vehicle? For that service, I would gladly pay an extra 10 percent, which ought to tell you how much I really hate stopping to pump gas.
I'd even be willing to turn the equation upside down and stop for gas if the station were set up so I could order coffee or a take-home meal at the same time. So I'd pull up to the talking menu, order the oriental chicken salad, a medium coke and $20 worth or guess, or something like that.
I haven't completely worked out the details for this drive-through break-through in my head, because there's probably a hundred things I wouldn't know enough to consider if I tried to work them out, and because I'm more of a visionary than a details guy.
But the folks who do know how to work out the details of such things should get busy with this, since I am absolutely certain that the motoring public would take to this idea with open arms.
They might find other things that could be included in the equation, as long as they give the driver a chance to use that idling time before breakfast or dinner or whatever is delivered and don't hold up anyone else. Maybe they could install a cash machine between the ordering point and the pickup point, or a box that sells stamps and accepts letters, or who knows what.
This kind of service speaks directly to the urge that people have to stay in their vehicle during such transactions, and it has nothing to do with being them being lazy. The truth is that, for most people, being in their car is the only time during the day when they're alone, and they cherish that.
Even the most sociable people in the world don't always want to leave their cocoon of personal space to take part in yet another group activity, with all of the demands and potential hazards they bring with them. Really, who wants to risk picking up some new communicable disease for the sake of a double-double and a Dutchie?
Better to stay in the vehicle with your favorite music, the kind of climate you prefer, and your thoughts.
My opinion is that people would embrace this kind of service immediately, the way they adopted suitcases with wheels in the last 15 years. In 1990 I knew of only one place in North America that sold a suitcase with wheels (it, too, was in LA) and now it's hard to buy a bag of any size that doesn't roll in any store on the continent.
There are two lessons there for the folks who call themselves marketing experts, and the sooner they get wise and address the concerns of the drive-through nation the better off we'll all be.
The one I'd visited was actually the most famous donut store in the world, since it turns up fairly regularly in movies, TV shows, music videos, postcards and travelogues because it has a giant donut on its roof and is an LA icon as a result. That would be Randy's, and if you're ever passing the intersection of Manchester and the 405 northeast of LAX, you should stop in for a sugar twist or six.
Today, I only know of one donut store that does not have a drive-through, and that would be the original Tim Horton's on Ottawa Street in Hamilton.
This 180-degree change in donut store design in a decade-point-five suggests that we are a drive-through culture in North America, and I am of the opinion that it's time we embraced this reality and took it to the next level.
Joining the automotive snake that leads to the Tim's drive-through every time I want a hot chocolate and an apple fritter (fried fruit is better than no fruit at all) makes this idea vibrate in my brain, because I see an opportunity to do a little drive-through multi-tasking which would release me from one of my least favorite tasks in the whole world -- stopping for gas.
I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned there is never, ever a good time to stop for gas. Never.
How great would it be then if, during my wait for that hot chocolate and apple fritter, someone could pump $20 worth of gas into my vehicle? For that service, I would gladly pay an extra 10 percent, which ought to tell you how much I really hate stopping to pump gas.
I'd even be willing to turn the equation upside down and stop for gas if the station were set up so I could order coffee or a take-home meal at the same time. So I'd pull up to the talking menu, order the oriental chicken salad, a medium coke and $20 worth or guess, or something like that.
I haven't completely worked out the details for this drive-through break-through in my head, because there's probably a hundred things I wouldn't know enough to consider if I tried to work them out, and because I'm more of a visionary than a details guy.
But the folks who do know how to work out the details of such things should get busy with this, since I am absolutely certain that the motoring public would take to this idea with open arms.
They might find other things that could be included in the equation, as long as they give the driver a chance to use that idling time before breakfast or dinner or whatever is delivered and don't hold up anyone else. Maybe they could install a cash machine between the ordering point and the pickup point, or a box that sells stamps and accepts letters, or who knows what.
This kind of service speaks directly to the urge that people have to stay in their vehicle during such transactions, and it has nothing to do with being them being lazy. The truth is that, for most people, being in their car is the only time during the day when they're alone, and they cherish that.
Even the most sociable people in the world don't always want to leave their cocoon of personal space to take part in yet another group activity, with all of the demands and potential hazards they bring with them. Really, who wants to risk picking up some new communicable disease for the sake of a double-double and a Dutchie?
Better to stay in the vehicle with your favorite music, the kind of climate you prefer, and your thoughts.
My opinion is that people would embrace this kind of service immediately, the way they adopted suitcases with wheels in the last 15 years. In 1990 I knew of only one place in North America that sold a suitcase with wheels (it, too, was in LA) and now it's hard to buy a bag of any size that doesn't roll in any store on the continent.
There are two lessons there for the folks who call themselves marketing experts, and the sooner they get wise and address the concerns of the drive-through nation the better off we'll all be.