Drive-Thru Restaurants (Drive-thru)

1. Definition and Service Characteristics

A drive-thru restaurant, known in English as Drive-thru (phonetically transliterated as "Delaisu" in Chinese), refers to an F&B service model designed specifically for motorists, enabling customers to order, pay, and collect their meals via dedicated drive-thru lanes without ever having to step out of their vehicles. The classic setup utilises a "three-window" layout: ordering at the first window, paying at the second, and collecting meals at the third, with the entire transaction typically completed within minutes. The core appeal of this model lies in taking convenience and speed to the extreme, satisfying the on-the-go dining demands of motorists in an increasingly car-centric society.

2. Origins and Development

The drive-thru restaurant concept originated in the United States during the 1920s. In 1921, Kirby's Pig Stand in Texas pioneered the drive-in service format, where customers parked in the car park while carhops took orders and delivered food directly to their vehicles. Following World War II, spurred by the expansion of the US Interstate Highway System and surging vehicle ownership, the format enjoyed exponential growth. In 1975, McDonald's opened its inaugural "Drive-Thru" outlet in Arizona to serve military personnel based nearby who were restricted from stepping out of their cars in uniform; the format was subsequently rolled out across the US and globally, becoming one of McDonald's hallmark service operations.

3. Major Brands and Practices

• McDonald's Drive-Thru: First pioneered in the United States in 1975. In December 2005, the first McDonald's Drive-Thru outlet in Mainland China opened in Dongguan, Guangdong. As of March 2026, McDonald's operates over 7,900 outlets in Mainland China, with its Drive-Thru network strategically located along key urban transport routes. In recent years, these outlets have undergone extensive smart digital upgrades: customers can pre-order via the mobile app, with the kitchen system triggering meal preparation based on the vehicle's real-time distance (such as three minutes prior to arrival); automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras then match the vehicle to the order as it enters the lane, delivering a seamless "pre-order, arrive and collect" experience that keeps average pick-up times within two to three minutes.

• KFC "In-Car Express Pick-up": As of the first quarter of 2026, over 7,000 KFC outlets offer in-car express collection services, covering both drive-thru lane and kerbside pick-up formats. Tailored to China's dense urban environments, KFC introduced an innovative "Kerbside Pick-up" service in 2025—dispensing with dedicated lanes to set up roadside pick-up bays around outlets instead, allowing motorists to grab their meals on a stop-and-go basis without driving into the restaurant premises. Furthermore, the brand has partnered with leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers like BYD to explore integrated "charging + food pick-up" hubs, catering simultaneously to the energy needs of both vehicle and driver.

4. Localisation in the Chinese Market

In China, the conventional American drive-thru model faces structural challenges stemming from dense urban layouts and a mature food delivery ecosystem. High land costs and population density make large-scale dedicated drive-thru lanes difficult to implement, while hyper-efficient delivery platforms offering 30-minute delivery have reduced the need to drive out for meals. Industry data indicates that only around 14% of McDonald's nearly 7,000 locations in China feature drive-thru lanes. Market analysts point out that the greatest untapped potential lies in highway service areas (R&Rs), where the need for long-distance drivers to purchase food and go without leaving their vehicles is far more pronounced.

5. Development Trends

• Deep Digital and Smart Tech Integration: Leveraging app pre-ordering, automatic number plate recognition, and predictive meal preparation to transform everyday convenience into a frictionless experience, significantly cutting lane queue times.

• Expanding Service Footprints ("Kerbside Pick-up"): Overcoming the physical site constraints of traditional brick-and-mortar outlets by utilising roadside spaces flexibly, making the service well suited to high-density urban road networks.

• Cross-Sector Ecosystem Synergies: Integrating with EV charging infrastructure to establish unified "charge and dine" consumption hubs represents a prominent new frontier for the industry.