Revealed: the weirdest drive-thrus in the world

In 2017, hungry drivers rejoiced when bakery chain, Greggs, opened its trial drive-thru store in Salford, enabling fans of reasonably-priced baked goods to indulge without even leaving their car.

Now, Euro Car Parts has polled more than 2,000 UK adults to find out why Brits use drive-thrus and what other services they want to be a drive-thru. The research revealed that 1 in 10 (10%) drivers admit to using drive-thrus to avoid interacting with fellow shoppers!

The top 10 services Brits would like to be available as a drive-thru are:

Parcel pick up/returns point (22%)

Cash machine (21%)

Online shopping collection point (21%)

Post office (18%)

Pharmacy (17%)

Bank (13%)

Serviced petrol station (13%)

Ice cream parlour (12%)

Off license (11%)

Doctors (10%)

Interestingly, 14% of women want a drive-thru ice cream parlour, whilst 12% of men were keener on a drive-thru off license.

Although the majority of people aged between 16 and 54 like and use drive-thrus, a third (33%) of those aged 55+ think drive-thrus are unnecessary and don’t use them, showing that perhaps the drive-thru is an invention of the age of convenience.

The majority of services Brits want to see as drive-thrus would mean they could run errands more easily, however Euro Car Parts have found some of the more unique (and strange) drive-thrus in the world. See the full list here: https://www.eurocarparts.com/blog/top-ten-weirdest-drive-thrus-world

Get your shots here

Guns and drinking - not the most common pastimes of driving. However, in Schulenburg, Texas, you can get exactly that at the creatively named Double Shot Liquor & Guns Drive Thru.

Mourning commute

For those who are unable to attend the funeral of a loved one due to old age and illness (or a fear of being shot in a drive by, apparently), do not fear. Now you can pay your respects to the dearly departed behind the bullet-proof glass from the comfort of your car at Robert L. Adams Mortuary Drive Thru in Compton, California. There’s even one in Japan - the Aishoden Funeral Home in Nagano Prefecture Sunday!

Highway to heaven

Residents of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, can now find solace and prayer on the drive home at the Christian Life Center Divine Drive-Thru. Every Friday, the church’s prayer team join motorists behind the wheel in prayer taking convenience to a ‘higher’ level. And at Christmas time, those in Old Bridge, New Jersey, can drive through an immersive Christmas nativity scene at the Sayre Woods Bible Church.

Daiquiri drive-thru

Despite drink driving definitely not being a legal option, the loose open container laws in New Orleans mean that the Daiquiri Bay Cafe in Metairie, Louisiana, is ready to serve commuters a strawberry daiquiri after a long hard day at the office (as long as your cup has a lid without a straw, of course).

Down the aisle

This Las Vegas chapel has been the number one pit stop to get hitched quickly since Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow in 1966. A Little White Wedding Chapel is most well known for it’s ‘Tunnel of Love Drive-Thru’ costing just $50, and they even offer an on-site Elvis Presley impersonator!

Bill Stimson, Marketing Director at Euro Car Parts said: “Drive-thrus were one of the great inventions of the 20th Century - combining convenience with our growing desire to buy faster. The fact that the number one most desired service to become a drive-thru in the UK is a parcel pick up/returns point just shows how highly we value convenience.

“We’re all familiar with our fast-food favourites, however it’s clear to see that there are certainly some more interesting drive-thrus in the world! Whether it’s a drive-thru church, mortuary or bar, there’s definitely scope for some more unique drive-thrus in the UK.”