In which U.S. city did McDonald's open its first restaurant with a drive-thru window in 1975?

McDonald's opened its first drive-thru window in Sierra Vista, Arizona, in 1975.

The restaurant was located near Fort Huachuca, a U.S. Army installation. The drive-thru was developed to serve soldiers who could not easily leave their vehicles while wearing military clothing. This practical local solution became a major part of McDonald's customer experience and eventually a defining feature of the brand's restaurant format.

The drive-thru changed how customers interacted with the company. It extended the brand beyond the dining room and counter, making speed and convenience visible in the restaurant's physical layout. Over time, menu boards, speaker systems, pickup windows, and lane designs became important elements of McDonald's retail identity.

Sierra Vista is sometimes confused with San Bernardino, the home of the McDonald brothers' original restaurant, or Des Plaines, where Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald's. Those locations are important for other milestones. The first McDonald's drive-thru is specifically associated with Sierra Vista in 1975.