Drive-Up, Drive-Thru, Drive-In

One very big difference between the US and all of Europe is the abundance of fast food restaurants from which we can buy and consume food without ever getting out of our cars. The variety of food from these places isn't all that great: it is usually food which most people think of as typically American: burgers, fries, hotdogs, and milkshakes, fried chicken (KFC). There is also Mexican convenience food (tacos, burritos,etc), which is not now thought of as typical American, but which I suspect certainly will be soon, and a few such establishments that serve fish. Now that so many Americans are morbidly obese from consuming large amounts of typical American fare, all of these fast food establishments also offer salads and diet drinks as part of some show of being attuned to the health conscious.


Nearly all of these restaurants (I can see my French teacher shudder every time I use this word to describe these places) have what is called a "drive thru." There is a driveway alongside of the building which leads up to a large menu board. You stop at the menu board, decide what you want, speak your order at the speaker in the menu board, drive around to the drive-up window, pay, and pick up your food. You don't get out of your car; you don't unbuckle your seatbelt; you don't give the cashier a tip. Then you drive happily away, more than likely, consuming your meal in the car as you drive.
A drive-in differs in several ways from a drive thru. One, even if you wanted to, you could not choose to have your meal inside the restaurant, though you might choose to sit at a table outside. There are many many menu boards, each of which is located next to a parking space. The method of ordering your food is the same: you look at the menu, decide what you want, then tell it to the speaker. In a few minutes, a server will come walking or skating out to your car with your food. You pay either with a card and use the menu board, or you pay your server. Either way, you eat your food in the car.
There are a few places which serve food with just the drive-up window where you place your order, pay and get your food, but not many. These days, drive up windows, without fancy menu boards are more common at banks and pharmacies, and even package (liquor) stores than restaurants.