Posted on 03/04/2017 7:22:08 AM PST by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA — Credit — or blame? — the Army for the first drive-through fast food restaurant in the world.
Impossible as it may seem to believe today, especially in an Army town like Sierra Vista, home to Fort Huachuca, where camo is as frequently seen among residents as sunshine, there was a time when soldiers had strict orders not to wear their fatigues off the military base. For local businesses in town, like the McDonald’s restaurant on Sierra Vista’s main drag, Fry Boulevard, that spelled trouble.
“I don’t know why,” current owner LeAnn Richards wondered of the rule. “We get [service members] all the time.”
Then-owner Dave Rich knew he had to get creative to keep his customers coming, especially the ones in camo. After all, the base access then was the main gate, which was just minutes away from McDonald’s where the daily lunch rush brought soldiers and civilians alike.
In January 1975, some 14 months after the restaurant first opened, the McDonald’s on Fry Boulevard debuted the drive-through window — the first in the world — to accommodate the soldiers in fatigues who were able to order from their cars, and changed the fast food experience forever.
“For them to say ‘no, you can’t come in here in uniform’ would have been devastating,” said Richards, whose family took ownership of the restaurant in 1989, and today owns nine McDonald’s restaurants throughout southern Arizona.
She surmises, though, that the first drive-through would have popped up eventually, even if the Army policy hadn’t expedited the innovative approach in Sierra Vista.
“They were working on one,” she said. “They opened one two weeks later in Oklahoma City after this one.”
That original McDonald’s building was torn down in 1999, the same year the current one went up. The original was located where the current building’s parking lot now is. But its quirky ties to history are still around.
Inside the current restaurant’s Playland stands the life-size Ronald McDonald that served as the speaker for customers to place their orders at that first drive through. The original drive through window itself is on display at the Henry F. Hauser Museum in Sierra Vista.
The Fry Boulevard drive through’s impact is evident. Richards says that the window gets an average of 90 cars per hour, and accounts for 70 percent of the restaurant’s business.
And the drive through concept is still evolving. In recent years, restaurants, including the one on Fry, added a second lane for drive through cars, which feed into the same service window.
“This is one of the first ones that did because I thought it was exactly what we needed to do,” Richards added.
And soldiers can wear all the camo they want.
Neat story.
If soldiers weren’t allowed to wear uniforms to restaurants, me and a buddy wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pick up the breakfast tab for four of them at Chick-Fil-A this morning.
there was a time when soldiers had strict orders not to wear their fatigues off the military base.
Anyone know why this was policy?
Must of been logistically difficult to work with.
....when soldiers had strict orders not to wear their fatigues off the military base.
I remember we had to wear our Class A uniform or civilian clothe off base.
Years after I got out of the Army I was shocked the first time I seen soldiers sitting in a fast food place in their fatigues. It just did not seem right. Now they travel in their fatigues. I guess I am just an old fuddy duddy. :^)
I’ve been in that McDonald’s quite a few times and never caught this piece of history. Thanks for posting this!
In January 1975 ... the McDonald’s on Fry Boulevard debuted the drive-through window — the first in the world
No, don’t think so
I'm still LOL!
A Girl is at the Drive Trough Window, Sitting a top her horse, with her Brother I assume, sitting behind her. He's costumed like Robin-Hood and she protectively costumed as Lady Godiva LOL LOL LOL !!!
Some of us thought that the little street next to MD’s connecting Fry with Wilcox should have been renamed Berger after Cncl Women Ethal Bergur, then McDonalds would been onthe corner of Berger & Fry. lol
Might be the first for a McDonald’s. But not first drive through in the world.
The military has many strange rules. Until the 1980s we Navy fliers were forbidden to wear our flight suits off base or into any base facilities unless we were scheduled to fly that day.
I think it was due to the terrorism back in the 70s.
I’ve heard, that most McDonald’s, do most of their business through the drive in window. Interesting to think that many just don’t want to park the car, go inside, eat inside, then leave. They would rather eat as they drive, apparently, or are on tight schedules and need to get their “fast food”.
Thanks for your service. Speaking of Navy fliers, I saw “An Officer and a Gentleman” again the other night. I don’t know how realistic that movie was, but, reminds me we all have a debt of gratitude to pay to those who have served.
I believe it was because of the hatred of the lefties during the Viet Nam era - there was a lot flag burning and spitting on soldiers. They’ve been out of control a long time.
The military decided to fold to them. But also, I guess it did provide a measure of protection to our military personnel to have them not be readily identifiable targets.
Same with the USAF. Had to do with what was perceived to be a less than professional appearance by wearing any work uniform off base. Also some of it was to quell possible incidents between service members and scumbag anti war hippies after Vietnam. What changed was somebody important remembered that fighting a war or being ready for one was their job.
Various reasons as to why what the hippies thought was no longer important but things like when “The Killing Fields,” came out, the popularity of being anti American wasn’t cool anymore.
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