An Open Letter To Drive-Thru Users In Midland Odessa

We live in a place where cooking only occurs so often at home, and we all love to eat out. Sometimes we have the extra time and we bring the family to what I'd call a "sit-down" restaurant like Outback Steakhouse, LongHorn, Salt Grass, Bubba's 31--you get the idea...But usually, we're all in a hurry. Which means something much faster, Whataburger, McDonald's, Wendy's, Chik Fil-A, Wienerschnitzel, Popeyes...  No matter what your taste buds are craving you'll find a drive-thru for it in the Permian.

This brings me to what you see on the regular here: LONG lines that sometimes go all the way to the street. The biggest offender of this is the McDonald's Off the Loop 250 Frontage Rd in Midland next to the corner DK. People don't remember that there are TWO lanes at McDonald's Drive-Thru's and that means you DON'T have to remain in a single-file line that stretches all the way out onto the frontage rd when you could pull forward into the second OUTER lane by going around the traffic sitting in line for the INNER lane. This way you're not blocking anyone on the frontage rd and you're using BOTH drive-thru lanes. PULL UP!!!

That's just an example of a dual-lane Drive-Thru. The one at the location we're talking about has the two separate lines with speakers to order-but then comes back together to form one line heading towards the register and food pick-up. There is nothing worse than a rude driver in a hurry who doesn't respect the every-other-car rule and who cuts someone off-throwing off the orders for the workers inside just so they can be ONE car ahead. Be courteous-everyone's time is just as important as yours. Place your order, and then wait if it's not your turn to pull up yet!

Then we have people who are talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to anything going on around them. Don't be one of these people who isn't ready to order when you get to the speaker, and who doesn't have money ready to pay or a credit or debit card ready when you arrive at Window #1. And if by chance they ask you to pull forward a little to Window #3 because your order was 50 miles long (which you should have gone inside for) or because you ordered a complicated drink from McCafe--pull forward enough so the person behind you can get to Window #2.

We're all trying to get something to eat and get home or back to work from lunch. Let's be kind in line--even in our cars in the drive-thru!