Drive through service is inherently inefficient. Barking your order into a speakerphone a meter or more away or through a window. Cars idle and form a line that can backup into a road. I wish more people would park and walk in.

It really makes more sense to require order ahead and time boxing. That way people can just drive up to a window, take their bag, and go. Most places that you order online, they just make it when you show up. You never really save any time. Arby's is a bit interesting, they make you pick a time, and the store doesn't even get the order until 5 minutes before the time you said you'd be there.

As it stands today, it's mostly useless, because you still have to wait in the drive thru behind people just ordering now.

I propose the better model is the drive thru is for people who've ordered and paid already, and have shown up at or after their requested time. Cancel anytime up until five minutes prior. People who've not done so must park and walk in to order.

You've got to see the McDonalds near the Ithaca Mall. They split the line into two streams to take your order, have a single window for payment and they will send you to an alternative pickup window or one of three parking spaces if your order is not ready at the main pickup window. The people there have an espirit de corps I've never seen at a fast food restaurant.

But seriously, there is no excuse for inefficient businesses. If a business is inefficient the customers, owners and employees are paying for it. Sometimes it takes very bad business conditions for people to stop making excuses, unfortunately it also takes the bankruptcy court too often.