Drive through convenience stores

[joeandre]

Hello,
I'm looking for information on zoning code or state regulations relating to drive through convenience stores. What I mean are small buildings (sometimes with an attached walk-in convenience store, but usually stand-alone) where you drive your car into what amounts to a large garage, and an attendant takes your order for a limited range of convenience goods (tobacco, beer, soda, snacks, and sometimes milk, bread, eggs, diapers, cat litter, etc.). You never get out of your car.

I grew up with these stores being fairly ubiquitous in southern Ohio. I have been shocked that when I was in California they weren't on every corner. And I'm a little surprised that here in the Cleveland region (a fairly car-centric, and often frozen place) I could only find one 'beverage stop'. I know the thought of a drive-thru mart is horrifying to some, but I can't understand why such a car-centric lazy society doesn't have them from coast to coast. I'd be interested to hear if they are prohibited in many areas or if it's just a lack of demand.

[mendelman]

Well, I'm here in SW Ohio and when we moved here 2+ years ago, I was surprised by the existence of this use/form. Honestly, I don't why it is not more prevalent outside this region.

I mean drive-thru banks, restaurants, pharmacies, etc and pretty common throughout the country, so why not drive-thru convenience stores.

Perhaps something to do with Ohio liquor laws?

[dvdneal]

I've seen drive-thru liquor stores in Arizona and Virginia, but never milk and eggs. I guess they could have sold groceries, but where is the profit and fun in that? There's one in Norfolk that was a drive-thru garage with coolers on each side. Attendants (in bikinis) would run up and down on a curb to take and deliver orders. Everyone in the city was appropriately outraged and made good use of the service.

[Linda_D]

There used to be a few of these drive through convenience stores south of Buffalo about 30 years ago, but they long ago went belly-up. Milk, eggs, bread, pop ...

At least two pharmacies (one Rite Aid and one CVS) in Jamestown have drive-up prescription windows, however.

[Gotta Speakup]

Could it be land costs make these too expensive? I have seen drive through tellers when I was a kid and saw a drive through coffee place in Florida, but I haven't seen any more in years.

[joeandre]

Land costs aren't much of an issue. If a convenience store can thrive, a drive-through convenience store should be able to thrive as well. Generally they have a much smaller footprint than other convenience stores because they have little to no parking. Congestion can be a big issue if the place doesn't have sufficient room for a 'waiting line', but having a driveway wrap around to the back of the building seems to work for most, and it's still smaller than a parking lot.

[terraplnr]

New drive-thrus of any stripe can be hard to build in California due to air quality impacts (cars just sitting and idling). I wonder what the emissions impacts to the people working in the drive-thru convenience stores would be, even though the "store" is open at both ends, the workers still have to smell exhaust all day. My grandparents lived in Wooster, Ohio and I remember one in their neighborhood growing up (it may still be there, don't know). It was fun driving through, but it also made me feel pretty darn lazy.

[joeandre]

Terraplnr, it can def be a big issue if the area doesn't have emissions requirements for vehicles. I was in a vehicle with someone once and they kindly asked us to leave.

Mendelman, I would think state liquor laws wouldn't be an issue, it would have to be local regulations. Even then, there would still be a market for cigarettes, drinks, lottery tickets, and snacks.

It's too bad drive-through convenience stores don't have a unique NAICS or I could try to map them out (instead of doing homework).