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Comment by ridgered4 | Hacker News Reader

> A great example I use is there are a ton of restaurants and fast food places around me. I used to walk to get lunch every day but eventually had to stop, these places realized most customers went through the drive through so they closed the lobby. Now even though this place is a 5 minute walk from me, it's no longer accessable if I'm not in a car.

I think this may have to do COVID and then staffing shortages creating a necessity rather than a active business decision. It would be ridiculous but couldn't you walk through the drive through? (I probably wouldn't do it either but I can't really think of a reason you couldn't)

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I think this may have to do COVID and then staffing shortages creating a necessity rather than a active business decision.

There's a Starbucks near me that was built as drive-through only. Where there should be a lobby, it's just blacked-out glass and a door for the employees to enter through. Makes the whole strip mall look really scary, especially since vagrants sleep in the doorway.

I assume it's for commuters, which means all Starbucks contributes to the neighborhood is traffic and crime. Thanks, Starbucks!

It would be ridiculous but couldn't you walk through the drive through?

I used to do this all the time when I was a kid, but more and more places won't serve walk-ups at drive throughs. They claim it's for safety, hygiene, insurance, or whatever the excuse-du-jour is. They just close the window and ignore you.

I've been turned away more often than not by restaurants (of a variety of brands) for attempting to walk/bicycle through the drive-through. I have no idea if it's corporate policy, franchise policy, or incapable exception handling by staff, but the de facto result is that no, you can't reliably go through a drive-through without a motor vehicle (I assume they allow motorcycles, despite that I can't see at all what the functional difference between a motorcycle and a bicycle is from the perspective of a restaurant drive-through).

A lot of places won't let you do that for safety/liability reasons. And it's not a completely nonsensical concern, there are often multiple blind corners, people driving way too fast for conditions and only looking for other vehicles.

> It would be ridiculous but couldn't you walk through the drive through?

I was told "Sir please come back in a vehicle" when I tried. When I told the guy I don't have a car, the guy gave me a blank stare.

I walk through drive-throughs regularly. I don't even get particularly odd looks like I'd initially expected. These include both fast food and bank/ATMs (or a teller at the other end).

Walking through a drive-thru probably becomes an insurance and liability risk; and depending on local laws, it might be seen as a pedestrian entering traffic.

It’s private property so traffic laws won’t apply. Pedestrians are allowed all over parking lots.

good point, didn't think of that!

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