Are Drive-Thrus Killing the Environment? Minneapolis Isn't Taking Any Chances

This past week, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to prohibit new drive-through fast-food restaurants, banks and drugstores , citing the climate benefits of taking cars off of the roads to cut back on gas emissions .

Lisa Bender, the City Council President, tweeted : “Responding to our constituents’ concerns about their impacts on neighbors, pedestrian safety and building design, Minneapolis will no longer allow new drive-throughs.”

Drive-thru windows have long been associated with the fast-food segment, with burger chain In-N-Out claiming to have set the trend in 1948. In fact, the popular California hotspot started as a drive-thru-only restaurant, until long lines and a crackdown on city government building permits forced the chain to expand. Ironically, the chain’s home town of Baldwin Park banned drive-thru windows in 2010 as part of Michelle Obama’s national campaign to stem obesity. The trend continued—with San Luis Obispo, California prohibiting the drive-thru window back in 1982, much to McDonald’s chagrin .

Not everyone is a fan of Minneapolis’ new ordinance. The first version of the ban failed in 2016 , including vocal opposition from an advisory committee on people with disabilities. One user tweeted in response to Bender, “ Instead of drive-thrus at food service establishments, far more parking will be needed, paving over far more green space.”

With the global climate crisis becoming more and more urgent , Minneapolis has decided to take a controversial step to do what they can, one window at a time.