July 24 is Drive-Thru Day, and Jack in the Box® restaurants pay homage to one of the leading conveniences of modern society
Roger Miller might be known as the King of the Road for his 1965 hit single, but automobiles clearly rule the nation's highways. Ever since John Lambert built America's first gasoline-powered vehicle in 1891, generations of motorists have managed their lifestyles around their beloved automobiles
Other than gas stations and parking garages, few business concepts are more reliant upon automobiles than drive thrus. Whether motorists are cleaning their laundry or cleaning out their bank accounts, a myriad of businesses offer drive-thru service. In recognition of those banks, bakeries and coffee shops that serve today's time-hungry motorists, Jack in the Box restaurants, the nation's first major drive-thru hamburger chain, pays homage to Drive-Thru Day (July 24) with an offbeat list of 10 unusual drive-thru destinations:
- Lone Star Park Race Track (Grand Prairie, Texas) The two most common places to lose your shirt are the cleaners and the track. Thanks to drive-thru service, you can now lose your shirt at either place without ever leaving your car. Of course, after wagering on the horses at Lone Star Park, you can win enough to buy a closet full of shirts... and your own cleaning service.
- Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge (Pharr, Texas) All highway bridges can be considered drive thrus, but what makes the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge unique is its "see-thru" characteristics. U.S. Customs officials added a drive-thru, car-wash-size x-ray machine to this bridge, enabling agents to quickly scan the contents of big rig trailers. Inspections that used to last hours can now be completed in less than 15 minutes.
- Drive-Buy Convenience (Duquesne, Mo.) You can forget about "blue light" specials at this drive-thru convenience store. But if you ignore the red brake light on the car in front of you, you might find yourself shopping for a new bumper.
- Tulsa County Health Department (Tulsa, Okla.) Worried about the upcoming flu season but worried more about navigating a waiting room full of coughing sickies to get a flu shot? Worry no more. This fall, head over to the Tulsa County Health Department and park your car next to the syringe-toting nurses at a drive-thru immunization area. All you have to do is roll down your window and roll up your sleeve.
- Hawaiian Airlines Drive-thru Check-in (Honolulu, Hawaii) Wish those lengthy airport check-in lines would magically disappear? Well, wish no more. At the Honolulu International Airport, Hawaiian Airlines now provides convenient drive-thru check-in service. Got bags? No worries - they'll take care of that too.
- Shrine Drive-Thru Tree (Myers Flat, Calif.) One of the most unusual drive-thrus in the U.S. is tucked away among the ancient redwoods of northern California. You can actually drive your vehicle through this giant, living redwood, which is hundreds of years old.
- Sulphur Springs Park (St. Lucia) Not to be outdone by the redwood promoters in California, the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia lays claim to the world's only drive-thru volcano - a 40,000-year-old crater that features bubbling mud and sulphurous gasses.
- Little White Wedding Chapel (Las Vegas, Nev.) In 1965, Elvis Presley scored a hit with "Crying in the Chapel." But only tears of joy are allowed here as motorists exchange wedding vows at a drive-thru ceremony. And for just a few bucks extra, the King himself will sit in the back seat!
- Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (Whittier, Alaska) At 2.5 miles, this is North America's longest highway tunnel. Located on the Portage Glacier Highway, it connects Whittier and Prince William Sound to the Seward Highway and the rest of southcentral Alaska. Not long enough? The world's longest highway tunnel is in Norway, connecting Oslo with the country's second largest city, Bergen, via the 15.2-mile-long Laerdal Tunnel. Still too short? The Seikan Tunnel, which links the main Japanese island of Honshu with the northern island of Hokkaido, is the longest railroad tunnel in the world at 33.4 miles, 14.3 miles of which lie under the Tsugaru Strait.
- The Main Place Christian Fellowship (Tustin, Calif.) Feeling a little guilty about running that stop sign? Losing sleep because you were going 40 in a 35 mph zone? Absolve yourself of these and other sins at this church's drive-thru prayer booth.
Honorable Mention
- Rhode Island (gained statehood in 1790) Rhode Island may have been the last of the original 13 states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, but it's first in terms of drive-thru time. With a surface area of just 1,210 square miles, Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation, and a car can easily - and within posted speed limits - pass through the entire state in less than 90 minutes.
- "Car Wash" (1976, Directed by Michael Schultz) This cinematic tribute to one of the most popular drive-thru concepts combines the wit of Richard Pryor and George Carlin with a funky, disco-packed soundtrack.
Want more? Click here for an A-Z directory of drive-thru concepts - from common destinations like a dairy to not-so-common enterprises like a dog kennel, liquor store and zoo. The letter "P" alone offers an array of drive-thru concepts, including:
Pawn shop Dean's Drive-Thru Pawn Shop (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
Pet store Doggie Drive-Thru (Niles, Mich.)
Pharmacy Walgreens (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Photo processing Cord Camera (Columbus, Ohio)
Pizza parlor Mr. Gatti's Pizza (Bedford, Ind.)
Postal service The Mail Cache (Anchorage, Alaska)
Jack's First:
Jacks Today:
|
