Drive through etiquette question

[Kathryn Merteuil]

People are just strange in regards to how they line up.

I know at a bank, when I would the drive through, they would form a long line at the drawer window and ignore the other open lanes. It got so bad that they ended up closing the drawer permanently. The light was turned off, there was a sign up that said "THIS WINDOW IS CLOSED PLEASE USE ANOTHER LANE".... yea people still pulled up and sat there. Many would mouth curse words, and use hand gestures. They just did not like using one of the 7 other lanes available

The most common question was "When is the drawer lane opening back up"? People would take time to come inside the branch to complain about the drawer being closed. More than a few people came inside and complained about how we had shut down our drive through.

 

[brockash]

Yes, I live in the sticks, and our local McDonalds just installed a double/two lane drive through order area (that then narrows to just the windows to take $$/give food, obviously).

I don't know if it's because yoopers are too polite, or if they are doing the correct thing, but rather than create two lines (one for each drive up order station) they are making a single line, and don't split off left or right until right before approaching the order stations.

Being raised in the cut throat city , I tend to go around the long line waiting, and get in the second "line" (which often only has one or at most two cars in it). Is this rude and I'm supposed to be waiting with everyone else? Why have two order slots, if not to fill them?

I know this isn't a serious worry, but I don't want to tick off my neighbors .

Terri

I do kinda think it's rude, as you obviously know you're cutting people in line. Some of our grocery and many many retail stores are set up as 1 line until a cashier is just about ready and then they split you off to the next line available. It seems more efficient and in my opinion a more "fair" way to do it, as you never know when there's going to be a hold-up or when you pick the slowest cashier etc.
Having said that I do see many people just choose a lane right away at the double lane McDonalds. If there is a single line, I will always wait my turn in that line, as it's what I prefer anyways, but there are many times that there are 2 lines right from the beginning basically.

 

[wenrob]

I do kinda think it's rude, as you obviously know you're cutting people in line. Some of our grocery and many many retail stores are set up as 1 line until a cashier is just about ready and then they split you off to the next line available. It seems more efficient and in my opinion a more "fair" way to do it, as you never know when there's going to be a hold-up or when you pick the slowest cashier etc.
Having said that I do see many people just choose a lane right away at the double lane McDonalds. If there is a single line, I will always wait my turn in that line, as it's what I prefer anyways, but there are many times that there are 2 lines right from the beginning basically.

She isn’t cutting the line she’s getting into a different line. She’s described it as two lanes not one that merges into two.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

She isn’t cutting the line she’s getting into a different line. She’s described it as two lanes not one that merges into two.

Not technically.

The OP said there was no lane markers. The OP's description of "just installed a double/two lane drive through order area (that then narrows to just the windows to take $$/give food, obviously)." That matches the description of every single McDonalds I've been to with 2 ordering stations.

What makes the difference is lane markers. Some McDonald's have lane markers for 2 actual lanes feeding through to each ordering station. Some have lane markers for 1 actual lane that splits off to two ordering stations and within that 1 actual lane it may be further back that it splits or it may be closer to the ordering stations.

TBH without lane markers it's kinda ambigious what people are supposed to do which is why I said it depends on each and every location and the OP should be contacting someone to get lane markers in there. Without them it's unknown if what the OP is doing is the intended way (so I agree and at the same time disagree about line cutting).

There's quite a lot of McDonald's in my area and they aren't all set up the same way.

 

[luvsJack]

People are just strange in regards to how they line up.

I know at a bank, when I would the drive through, they would form a long line at the drawer window and ignore the other open lanes. It got so bad that they ended up closing the drawer permanently. The light was turned off, there was a sign up that said "THIS WINDOW IS CLOSED PLEASE USE ANOTHER LANE".... yea people still pulled up and sat there. Many would mouth curse words, and use hand gestures. They just did not like using one of the 7 other lanes available

The most common question was "When is the drawer lane opening back up"? People would take time to come inside the branch to complain about the drawer being closed. More than a few people came inside and complained about how we had shut down our drive through.

Probably not true for all of the people that want the drawer window but I know a lot of older people prefer that lane at banks. It used to be the only lane and they don't like change plus a lot of them like to actually see the person they are talking to.

 

[fla4fun]

Probably not true for all of the people that want the drawer window but I know a lot of older people prefer that lane at banks. It used to be the only lane and they don't like change plus a lot of them like to actually see the person they are talking to.

Also, some older people may have difficulty opening the canister in the other lanes and getting it in and out of the pneumatic tube. I always have to open my door and take off my seatbelt to reach the canister, and I am not a senior yet. We have a huge over 55 community behind the shopping center where my bank branch is and the drawer lane does a booming business.

Our McDonalds only has one drive through lane so I have no experience with double lanes. Knowing how people drive though I would think it would be very hazardous to have a double lane with no signs or markings to show people how to navigate it.

 

[brockash]

She isn’t cutting the line she’s getting into a different line. She’s described it as two lanes not one that merges into two.

Any Mcdonalds I've been to has one drive thru lane to a point (right before you split to actually order). If there's a line of cars in the first line and people ordering at both, then starting a 2nd line is cutting in my opinion, as you CERTAINLY know there are others waiting before you. If the 2nd ordering spot is empty and no one from the first line is moving over there (I've never seen that happen,) then I can see how going around those parked to directly go and order would be appropriate, but if there's someone ordering at that speaker then I wait my turn in the original line. Most Mcdonalds I've been to, there's really not enough room (other than blocking traffic/the parking lot) to have 2 separate lines from the beginning.