Where was the first McDonald’s restaurant with a drive-through window opened?

The first McDonald’s restaurant with a drive-through window opened in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

The location opened in 1975 near Fort Huachuca, a major United States Army installation. The drive-through was especially useful for soldiers who could not leave their vehicles while wearing parts of their military gear, and it became an important adaptation of McDonald’s service model.

Drive-through service later became one of the most recognizable parts of McDonald’s branding and restaurant experience. It extended the company’s long-standing emphasis on convenience and speed beyond the traditional counter-service format.

The location is often confused with McDonald’s historic restaurants in San Bernardino or Des Plaines. San Bernardino was the site of the brothers’ original restaurant, while Des Plaines was Ray Kroc’s first McDonald’s franchise. Neither was the first drive-through McDonald’s.