Drive-in service establishment

Abstract: A drive-in establishment designed to facilitate dispensing food or other commodities to customers in automobiles from drive-up stations or windows. The establishment has two of its sides (10A,10B) joined in a curved segment (10C) with one dispensing window (WC) on the curved segment, and dispensing windows (WA, WB) on adjacent sides. Multiple egress (40) lanes are disposed such that at least one lane is accessible from each dispensing window, even while automobiles are parked at the other windows. The use of a curved segment, rather than the typical corner arrangement, facilitates using multiple egress lanes to significantly increase traffic flow.

Description: The present invention pertains to establishments catering to drive-up, automobile service, such as restaurants that dispense food through drive-up windows. Many restaurants provide drive-in service. Typically, an establishment provides one or more dispensing windows and an order taking station. A single traffic lane is provided past the order station and the dispensing window or windows, such that automobiles drive up, place their orders at the order station and pick up their order at a dispensing window. This typical arrangement inevitably creates traffic bottlenecks in moving cars from the order station and past a plurality of dispensing windows, particularly when a larger order has to be filled. Some drive-up service establishments increase traffic flow by providing multiple ingress/egress lanes, with a dispensing station associated with each lane, as is typically the case with drive-up bank teller operations. To accommodate remote dispensing stations, a pneumatic or other document transfer system is provided between a main building and each remote teller station. An example of such a system in the food industry is US-A-4 311 211, which discloses a packaged food delivery system having multiple ingress and egress lanes with remote dispensing stations; packaged food is transported from a central building to remote dispensing stations using an overhead electrically driven carrier for transporting a gimballed tray carrying money and foodstuffs. The use of multiple remote dispensing stations is disadvantageous in several respects for restaurants and other such establishments. In particular, they are not cost effective in their use of land and their order delivery systems are expensive and unsuited to transporting restaurant food orders. To provide advantages over prior art service establishments catering to drive-in food or other commodity dispensing, the objects of the present invention are: 1. To provide an establishment that facilitates dispensing food or other commodities to customers in automobiles from drive-up dispensing stations. 2. To provide such an establishment designed such that multiple egress lanes can be arranged to facilitate independent egress from any of multiple dispensing windows so as to significantly reduce traffic bottlenecks, thereby increasing traffic flow and cash flow through faster service. US-A-1 633 886 discloses a service establishment in accordance with the prior art portion of claim 1. This prior service establishment utilises a single track dispensing area arranged within the building such that vehicles containing commodities from the dispensing sections need to follow each other from the entrance in single file to the single exit. The present invention, as defined in claim 1, has the dispensing sections provided in walls of the building with vehicles being able to drive away from any particular dispensing section without being blocked by a vehicle being served at another dispensing section. Thus, briefly, the present invention provides a drive-up service establishment having the features of the characterising portion of claim 1. Multiple egress lanes are arranged such that automobiles may egress from any dispensing station even though automobiles are parked at the other dispensing station. Providing a curved segment, with a dispensing station located on the curved segment, greatly facilitates the use of multiple egress lanes such that order dispensing and traffic flow is greatly facilitated, thereby increasing sales volume. The present invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, the single Figure of which shows an overhead plan view of a drive-up service establishment embodying the invention with a dispensing station located on a curved segment with multiple egress lanes. Other particular embodiments of the invention are set out in claim 2. The illustrated embodiment is shown as a restaurant service establishment that provides drive-up order dispensing through multiple windows typically staffed by restaurant personnel. Of course, other arrangements could be used to dispense food or other commodities. The Figure shows a service establishment 10 that includes side walls 10A and 10B joined by a curved wall segment 10C. Multiple dispensing stations (in this case windows) are provided, with a window WA located on side 10A, a window WB located on side 10B, and a window WC located approximately medial the curved segment 10C. Each window is adapted for dispensing food orders to automobiles that park adjacent the windows. A single ingress lane 20 is provided by which automobiles can obtain drive-up service by placing an order at a menu/order station 30. The orders are then picked up at one of the three dispensing windows WA, WB or WC. A second menu/order station 32 permits two orders to be taken at a time. After receiving an order at one of the dispensing windows, an automobile exits the service establishment through one of egress lanes 40A, 40B or 40C defined by partial painted stripes 41 and curbs 42. Egress lane 40A is accessible to automobiles exiting window WA even though an automobile may be parked at window WC. Egress lane 40C is accessible to an automobile exiting window WC even though an automobile is parked at window WB. Egress lane 40B is accessible to automobiles exiting window WB. In operation, automobiles placing orders at the menu/order stations 30/32 can drive ahead to either dispensing windows WA, WB or WC. Once an order is filled and paid for, the automobile exits the service establishment via its assigned egress lane 40A, 40B or 40C, unaffected by other automobiles parked at the other dispensing windows. Providing a dispensing window WC on curved segment 10C is an important aspect of the invention, as are the arrangement of the multiple egress lanes. This arrangement represents a significant improvement over current building designs for service establishments in terms of smooth traffic flow and the ability to provide multiple egress lanes. Another significant advantage of the present design for a service establishment is its flexibility in providing improved traffic flow. For example, window WB can be reserved for large orders, with windows WA and WC being used for smaller orders that can be filled more quickly. In that regard, window WB can be located such that a second automobile can stop behind the automobile at window WB without constricting exit from window WC via egress lane 40C. While the invention has therefore been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, changes can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, additional dispensing windows may be provided, or one dispensing window can be eliminated (or closed down). If only two dispensing windows are used, eliminating window WA will also eliminate the need for egress lane 40A, thereby conserving space.

Claims: A service establishment for dispensing food or other commodities to customers in automobiles comprising: a building (10) having two non-parallel structures (10a,10b) with at least one dispensing station (WA) located in at least one (10b) of said non-parallel structures; an automobile ingress lane (20) by which all automobiles can access the or each said dispensing stations (10b,10c), said ingress lane having a width which will accommodate only a single automobile at a time and an egress lane (40B) accessible from said dispensing station (WB), an area being provided immediately adjacent each said dispensing station for accommodating an automobile to receive commodities from said dispensing station, said non-parallel structures being joined together by a curved structure (10c); a central dispensing station (WC) for dispensing commodities being located approximately medial said curved structure; characterised in that said structures are walls (10a,10b) of the building, and in that two egress lanes (40B,40C) are provided, one egress lane (40B) being parallel to said one wall (10b) and the other egress lane (40C) being a central egress lane generally tangential, at least initially, to a portion of said curved wall (10c) accessible from at least said central dispensing station (WC), said egress lanes having a width which will accommodate only a single automobile at a time, each said area being disposed out of the path of any egress lane other than the egress lane from that particular area, whereby automobiles at either said dispensing stations may egress via their respective egress lanes by proceeding in a substantially straight-forward direction even though an automobile is parked at the other dispensing station. A service establishment as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a further dispensing station (WA) is provided located in the other (10a) of said non-parallel walls of said building; and a third egress lane (40A) is provided from said further dispensing station (WA) and has a width which will accommodate only a single automobile at a time, this third egress lane being positioned such that an automobile at said further dispensing station may egress via said third egress lane by proceeding in a substantially straight-forward direction even though automobiles are parked at the other dispensing stations.

Inventors: ACOSTA RICHARD, ACOSTA, RICHARD
Applicants: ACOSTA RICHARD, ACOSTA, RICHARD
Application year: 1988
Main classification: A47F10
IPC codes: A47F10