Which U.S. fast food chain was the first to offer full drive-thru service?

Southern California in the 1940s was essentially the birthplace of the fast-food burger franchise system as we know it today. However, it wasn’t McDonald’s or Carl’s Jr. that built the first drive-thru restaurant; it was In-N-Out Burger.

Even before Harry and Esther Snyder (the original owners and founders of In-N-Out) built their first store in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948, Harry recognized the value of a two-way intercom system. The Snyders installed the system, creating the world’s first drive-through-only restaurant. The drive-up window had been born, and fast-food service took on a whole new meaning.

Drive-in restaurants had existed since at least Texas’ Pig Stand in 1921, but customers had to pull in and park, then wait for carhops to take orders and deliver the food.

In-N-Out was the first known restaurant to offer neither indoor seating nor outdoor parking. In fact, the company was entirely drive-through-only during its early expansion, until cities began refusing to allow new restaurant locations due to traffic jams. Thereafter, In-N-Out restaurants began offering parking areas and indoor seating.

The chain is currently headquartered in Irvine, California. It has expanded outside Southern California into the rest of California, as well as into Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and Colorado. Through it all, the company has remained family-owned. Today it is run by Esther and Harry’s granddaughter, Lynsi.