The McDonald’s drive-thru format was created for customers who wanted to order without leaving their cars.
McDonald’s opened its first drive-thru in 1975 at a restaurant in Sierra Vista, Arizona, near Fort Huachuca. The location served military personnel who were not allowed to enter the restaurant while wearing fatigues, making the format especially useful for that customer group.
The drive-thru became a major part of McDonald’s brand identity because it combined the company’s established emphasis on speed with the convenience of automobile service. It later spread widely across the chain and became one of the most recognizable features of McDonald’s restaurants.
A drive-thru is sometimes confused with a drive-in, where customers historically received service while parked. McDonald’s drive-thru uses a dedicated ordering window and pickup window rather than table-side car service.