To operate and survive during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and institutions have had to adapt – fast. As people need to keep a safe distance from one another, implementing social distancing indoors is challenging, and experts suggest that outdoor spaces carry a smaller chance of infection. But there is one model that ticks all the boxes and is being implemented globally, and that’s the drive-thru. No longer just for ordering fast food or watching movies, click or scroll through to see how businesses, schools, and medical institutions are using the drive-thru to carry on.
The uncertainty and restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic mean that unemployment is rife and for those who are keen to take on new staff, social distancing creates a difficult environment for recruiting. Enter drive-thru job fairs. Michigan-based security company Allied Universal screened candidates for its openings while they were sat in their cars, allowing for everyone to stay at a safe distance, while removing the awkardness and risk of technical complications that can come with virtual interviews.
Being separated from loved ones has been one of the greatest difficulties of the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly when it comes to staying away from elderly relatives who are at greater risk. In May, several care homes across the UK came up with an idea to ensure that residents were getting enough contact with family members – drive-thru visits. Time slots are put in place and furniture is moved outside, allowing loved ones to spend time together while keeping safe. One residential home in Norfolk, England even put on a drive-thru disco for everybody in attendance.
Drive-thru centres have become the norm when it comes to coronavirus tests, but the system is also being rolled out in the UK for treatments not related to COVID-19. A drive-thru clinic in Liverpool, for example, is providing outpatients with routine medical check-ups through their car windows. While staff at a hospital in Southampton are also encouraging people to stay put inside their cars, as screening and preliminary tests are all carried out in-vehicle before patients set foot inside for their appointments.
It isn’t only essential medical treatments that are adapting to the drive-thru approach – as of May, residents in Miami, Florida were able to get their usual Botox injections delivered through their car windows. Plastic surgeon Michael Salzhauer is known for his reality television appearances in the US, and for $600 (£478) he will provide a line of forehead Botox for people looking to iron out those creases. Salzhauer was inspired to use this new way of staying open in the garage of the building where he lives after he had a drive-thru blood test to check for coronavirus antibodies. And as Botox is typically injected into the upper face region, clients can still wear mouth and nose coverings while having their treatment.
Some soon-to-be-wedded couples decided to host virtual weddings, while others called off their ceremonies altogether – but a select few have decided to go ahead with their big day, guests in tow, in a way that doesn’t break the rules. This couple in Düsseldorf, Germany was one of three pairs to tie the knot at a drive-thru cinema venue while attendees tuned into the vows via their radios.
Another typically church-based proceeding that has shifted to drive-thru is funeral services. Japan actually started performing drive-thru funerals in 2018 as they are more time-efficient, but social distancing rules amid the pandemic have prompted other countries around the world to introduce the idea. Mourners in Maryland in the US, for example, are now able to pay their respects from the safety of their cars in a procession of vehicles that drives past the casket.
Drive-in cinemas might not be new, but they have certainly made a comeback as coronavirus has forced traditional picture houses to close. The ease of keeping your distance makes an outdoor trip to the movies an ideal pandemic pastime, and most cinemas, like this one in Brazil, offer snack services, delivered straight to your car by a member of staff clad in personal protective equipment (PPE).
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It’s not just stars on the big screen who are entertaining the masses from their cars – some musicians have also taken to the stage to perform to evenly-spaced crowds of vehicles. In late April, the city of Bonn in Germany approved drive-in concerts with strict regulations: a maximum of two people per car, passengers having to stay inside the vehicle, convertibles having the roof up and cars staying 1.5 metres apart.
Outdoor performances at a distance reached new heights when American acrobat Nik Wallenda’s Daredevil Rally arrived in Florida in June, billed as “the world’s first drive-in stunt show”. The show featured BMX riders, motorbikes in a cage and even a human cannonball, as well as Wallenda’s tightrope walking talents. The performer has tiptoed his way across the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and most recently a live volcano in Nicaragua, but this is likely the first time he has performed to a field full of cars.
Drive-thru animal parks have led to many a ripped-out car aerial and dirtied window over the years, but allowing visitors to drive through the premises is a good alternative to fully reopening sites. In April, Mother Farm near Tokyo closed its doors, but it is back open for business as a drive-thru attraction. Each day up to 200 cars can cruise around the grounds. And while petting isn’t allowed for now, visitors still get to spend a day with the animals, from a distance.
As well as animals to show off, farms also have produce that they need to sell before it spoils. In Germany, lockdown was still in place during the well-loved spargel (white asparagus) season which runs from April to late June, so farmers took to the roadside to reach customers, selling their fresh food to keen customers in their cars.
Many large events such as Tokyo's 2020 Olympics have made the decision to postpone because of the pandemic, but some have managed to adapt to the drive-thru format, such as the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, which took place in May. The Canadian city was due to host a huge variety of exhibitions and events throughout the summer, and luckily some of those could hold pandemic-friendly versions, such as “A Taste of PNE – Mini Donut Edition”. Queues stretched for miles as drivers waited in line for their donuts, which will hopefully at least scratch the surface in terms of earning back the CAD $52 million (US$38m/£30.6m) loss the non-profit Pacific National Exhibition expects to make this year.
Fine dining has a greater challenge when adapting to the new social distancing rules, and restaurants have had to tweak their menus – and prices – to keep business rolling through the pandemic. Canlis in Seattle, for example, has dropped its $135 (£108) four-course meals in favour of the humble burger, ready for pick-up in its makeshift drive-thru restaurant. Although the move is a complete shift from its usual service, Canlis has had cars waiting around the block to get hold of dishes from its revised menu.
Drinking and driving is never a good idea, but a Scottish brewery has put an interesting spin on it. BrewDog launched a beer drive-thru service back in March, where customers can turn up at most of its UK bars and order anything on the menu, including its famous Punk IPA beer. This isn’t the first tweak the brand has made in light of the pandemic – BrewDog also changed its production line to start producing hand sanitiser to help in the fight against coronavirus.
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While some miss being able to eat out, others are struggling to eat at all, which is where drive-in food banks have come into play. Feeding South Florida, the largest food distribution centre in the region, has seen a 600% increase in demand for its services as unemployment has skyrocketed during the pandemic, and a 1.5 mile (2.4km) queue of cars was seen at the centre. The bank has reported serving 265,000 people a week, more than double the 125,000 they typically help. Charities have set up shop outside and both donors and those in need of food can drive by for drop off or pick up.
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Click and collect-type offerings have been available at a lot of retailers for years, but now you don’t even need to unbuckle your seatbelt to get what you ordered. This department store in Thailand is partially open, so shoppers are welcome but only if they stay firmly sat in their car seats. Throughout May the country also encouraged drive-thru flea markets.
Lockdown left many feeling green-thumbed as they attempted to spruce up their gardens, and the demand for plants soared. Shopping restrictions had left garden centres in a difficult situation, and so the drive-thru nursery was born. Some horticulturists were even able to pick up plants for free as shows like the Landesgartenschau, which would normally take place in Ingolstadt in Germany, were unable to go ahead, and the team behind it decided to give away the 27,000 plants that should have been part of the exhibition.
Florists in Tokyo wanted to ensure that Mother’s Day would still be celebrated properly, regardless of lockdown restrictions. The national day, which falls on the second Sunday of May in Japan, prompted hundreds of loved ones to snap up gerberas and carnations as part of the 2020 Smile Flower Project, which brought market stalls and larger retailers together to safely distribute bouquets to customers in their cars.
School was out early this year as students across the world started learning from home to reduce coronavirus infection rates. After years of hard work, there was one experience that students didn't want to miss out on – their graduation ceremonies. High school and college graduates donned their mortar boards and gowns in front of and inside cars as tutors congratulated them on finishing their education. This photo comes from an Illinois high school’s drive-by celebration parade after in-school lessons had been called off since mid-March.
Religious gatherings have been pinpointed as hot spots for spreading coronavirus, and so many places of worship have had to shut their doors. Leaders of one church in the US didn’t let this deter them, however, as drive-thru services allowed for congregations to come together while staying apart. In this photo, Father Dennis Rausch of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Florida even managed to incorporate the sprinkling of holy water as cars drove past.