drive-thru

British  

noun

1. 1. a takeaway restaurant, bank, etc designed so that customers can use it without leaving their cars

   2. ( as modifier )

      a drive-thru restaurant

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Example Sentences

A $1 increase in gas prices can lead to around six fewer drive-thru customers a day, a recent analysis found.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 survey also found that a majority of consumers would take advantage of off-premise dining options, including delivery, takeout and drive-thru ordering, more often if they could better afford it.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026

Starbucks plans to open roughly 400 net new U.S. stores annually, relying more heavily on lower-cost designs and smaller formats that support drive-thru, mobile order, and pickup.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

“Dutch Bros Coffee is a fun-loving, mind-blowing drive-thru coffee company,” the company’s release said.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

By the time I get on and off the turnpike, I’m starving, so I go to a drive-thru and then cruise the fraternity and sorority houses looking for those familiar Greek letters.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King