Who or What Caused Tim Hortons Drive-thru Problems? Tim's, Customers, Laziness, City Hall, or the Combo?

There's quite a brew-ha-ha this week over coffee traffic snarls. What's the cause and where's the solution? Maybe it's a little from column A, a little from column B. TV reports can't cover every driver but a few did admit to the preference of waiting in the car rather than parking, and walking in. Though it is not always possible to predict how successful a business or franchise will be, a Tim's franchise is probably going to have them lining up morning, noon and night. One can foresee potential problems.It seems everyone has to have a morning jolt.     Click picture to enlarge

The Conception Bay South example of extending the drive-thru lane further away from the main street seems to have solved the vexing accident-causing stressor over there. Any expense for extra land required would not likely take long to recover, after all, it is Tim Hortons. Too bad the extra long drive-thrus were not part of this type of business development policy years before. Restaurants like Tim's will get away with what is legal.

In the meantime, they can do their bit to solve the problem by, for example, limiting the drive-thru to just drinks? It will likely speed things along.

In the long-run, food businesses with drive-thrus will have to do what works for everyone, extend the length of those lanes. It's kind of amazing how people put up with it, waiting patiently for that coffee or breakfast in one rush hour crawl, only to frantically enter another back on the main streets. Either there is something addictive about the coffee, or the daily communal, single-file gathering itself, is perhaps a comfort before facing the reality of the day.

As consumers we are part of the problem and solution.