{
  "id": 897980,
  "title": "Pull up to the window, please, for a glimpse of an American icon: The drive-thru",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/pull-up-to-the-window-please-for-a-glimpse-of-an-american-icon-the",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-14T18:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/drivethru-dining-car-culture-america-250-da66714c7282d307d5240f91c31b9e56"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two distinctly American icons, fast food and automobiles, have merged to create the drive-thru phenomenon. This fusion began early in the 20th century with the establishment of drive-in restaurants, a beloved sight depicted in the popular TV series \"Happy Days.\" However, the true innovation emerged in the late 1940s, attributed to either In-N-Out Burger in California or Red's Giant Hamburg in Missouri. These establishments marked the birth of the drive-thru concept.\n\nBy the mid-1960s, the drive-thru had transformed into a booming American market. Companies like Jack in the Box revolutionized the concept by introducing standalone drive-thru restaurants without indoor seating or parking, aided by a talking mechanical clown to take orders. Meanwhile, Western states were home to chains like Wienerschnitzel, known for their unique A-frame structures featuring an entrance tunnel specifically designed for vehicles.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON (AP) — Full disclosure: this should really be two tales. How better to pay tribute to the natural and perhaps inevitable combination of two distinctly American icons: fast food and cars? Those two massive sociological forces had already joined…",
  "key_points": [
    "Drive-thru merges fast food and automobiles.",
    "Born in late 1940s by In-N-Out Burger or Red's Giant Hamburg.",
    "Standalone drive-thrus with talking clowns emerged in 1960s."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}