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Tim Hortons: Drive-thrus R great!

E

Eug

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Canadian Business: Rumble at the Tim's drive-thru

Every motorist knows that drive-thru windows are convenient, but did you know they also are responsible for all kinds of social and civic good? Drive-thrus are valuable to the elderly, the immobile, parents with small children and, believe it or not, are actually better for the environment than cars in parking lots — or so says TDL, the parent company of Tim Hortons.

Facing a tide of municipal anti-drive-thru ordinances, TDL commissioned a study last year from RWDI consultants, based in Guelph, Ont., comparing total emissions given off by customers' cars that use drive-thrus and those that use parking lots. The controversial result — that cars using drive-thrus produce lower emissions than those using parking lots — is now part of the company's arsenal when it takes on councils planning drive-thru bans. Such bans are a challenge for every drive-thru-based business, but the stakes are especially high for Tim Hortons — last year, 50% of its $2 billion revenue came in via the drive-thru.

Personally, I hate drive thrus. I'm glad these cities are banning them. I'm not sure what the status is for them in Toronto, but I do see them discouraged in new neighbourhood zoning discussions.
 
In Toronto, new drive-throughs are banned in areas with nearby residental uses. So predominately industrial areas can still sport them, including most big box complexes.

I hate them too. I particularly dislike how restaurants close after a certain time, but remain "open" for drive-through only service. Both the McDonald's and Burger King at Dufferin and King do this, despite the large local car-less population.

Even Tim Horton's can operate locations and do extremely well, without a drive-through, and even in suburban areas. A Tim's opened across the street from me and does a great business without one.

Meanwhile, downtown Kingstonians can go to the Sleepless Goat for a great cup of coffee.
 
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as much as i hate drive-thrus from an aesthetic point of view, i have to admit they're very useful to those who have a disability and drive. BUT, depending on the layout, for those who are disabled and rely on a wheelchair, etc, to actually go in the store, there can be difficulty to access the store unlike a sidewalk storefront. i guess it all depends on your individual circumstance if there's a benefit or not.
 
It seems like a study stating Big Macs are healthy because a study compared them to a Crispy Chicken Classic and found them better. The places where they are banning Tim Hortons drive-thrus are mainly in neighbourhoods where there are not big parking lots and a walkable neighbourhood is desired. They should have compared the pedestrian environments and the environmental difference of walking versus the drive-thru. I don't think suburbia will be banning drive-thrus any time soon.
 
Here is a link to the report:

http://www.crfa.ca/news/bytopic/pdf/drivethroughs_rwdi.pdf

Interesting that they are using peak period figures for comparison. And for the sake of their logic, I can also argue that a Tim's with no drive through and a small lot that doesn't handle 270+ cars will result in even less emissions - so why aren't we promoting THAT?

AoD
 
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ShonTron said:
In Toronto, new drive-throughs are banned in areas with nearby residental uses. So predominately industrial areas can still sport them, including most big box complexes.
Click to expand...
This doesn't sound correct, as a new drive-through TD Bank was built just south of Saint Clair on Warden. Surrounding it is a new townhouse development. Across the street is another relatively new townhouse development.


Prometheus The Supremo said:
as much as i hate drive-thrus from an aesthetic point of view, i have to admit they're very useful to those who have a disability and drive. BUT, depending on the layout, for those who are disabled and rely on a wheelchair, etc, to actually go in the store, there can be difficulty to access the store unlike a sidewalk storefront. i guess it all depends on your individual circumstance if there's a benefit or not.
Click to expand...
Reasonable point although I still agree they should still to continue to make access to the disabled as good as possible in areas where drive-thrus are banned.

It is an inconvenience for those who drive and are disabled not to have a drive-thru at every branch. However, I think it is a reasonable compromise to limit them to non-residential areas.
 
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Eug:

This doesn't sound correct, as a new drive-through TD Bank was built just south of Saint Clair on Warden. Surrounding it is a new townhouse development. Across the street is another relatively new townhouse development.
Click to expand...

I think the bylaw limits the distance to 30m from residential areas. Have to double check to be sure.

AoD
 
Surely the most logical answer would be stricter guidelines on how Drive-Thrus should be planned, with convenient (and pleasant) pedestrian access in mind. That way, when space and site permits, there isn't an unnecessary roadblock.

Other than drive-thrus being ugly and usually planned poorly (the Tim Hortons at Carlaw/Lakeshore is a really terrible example) I'm not sure what's to hate. With more and more hybrids on the road, and the reality of wide-spread adoption of clean-fuel cars (in the relatively near future) the arguments against drive-thrus from a pollution standpoint are somewhat temporary. Especially on an urban planning time scale.
 
maybe they should shut down drive through bank machines....we are defintely spoiled!
 
The arguments against drive-throughs have as much to do with urban design as pollution. Most drive-throughs are pedestrian unfriendly and anti-urban. But that's not to say that they can't be designed to fit into an urban context. If the city is satisfied with a drive through plan in an area where they're not permitted, it can still be approved with a site-specific rezoning.

Toronto drive-through guidelines

Here's an example of a Tim Hortons in an urban context where the drive-through and parking are in the back. This one's in Peterborough.

007reduced.jpg
 
Whether these are an overall "good" depends on the specific context. There needs to be enough room for the lineup of cars to form without spilling out onto a street or creating accessibility problems in the parking lot. I have no problem with a properly designed drive-through, but they can certainly be a problem.

A problem with Tims is that many of them are combined with Wendy's, but each of them has a drive-through lane. That can create a real problem for anyone else trying to navigate through. The one at Hurontario and Derry, which I am familiar with, seems to be always congested.
 
So, you fix the problem of limited parking by having drive-thrus. Nothing like the sight and smell of a dozen idling cars in the morning.
 
Also keep in mind that Drive-Throughs/Walk-Up hybrids are biased in favour of the former in terms of customer service - the priority is always on serving those in vehicles first.

AoD
 
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