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Permalink Reply by Kathy Fadorsen on August 3, 2011 at 11:23am

We have only a handful of them in Ohio most areas zone against them I think because the health departments are not fond of them. I think because they dont want to walk around when the snow gets bad parking lots are a mess most of the time.

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Permalink Reply by Ian C. on August 14, 2011 at 12:04am

I think it's just that coffee is so much more popular in the Pacific Northwest.  In a lot of other places, there's a dearth of non-Starbucks, non-McDonalds options for coffee, drive-through or not.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Svoboda on August 14, 2011 at 7:06am

I live in Texas and we have opened a double drive thru in January. Yes, the heat is something that we have to work around, but in my opinion anything is doable if you are willing to put in the time and effort. We have been leaving our air conditioning on during the summer days because I am talking about 100+ degree weather. We also have been leaving the air on at night as our 3 group espresso machine produces an abundance of heat as you already know. In fact, it gets so hot (at night when we leave and close the windows) in the drive thru that the syrup starts to melt in the monin pump and when we come in the morning there is monin syrup on the counter under each one of the pumps. Since leaving the air on at night we have eliminated this issue. Our bill is really no different than my house electric bill during these ridiculously hot summer days. I live in a city with 700k+ people and we are the only drive thru. I agree the drive thru is scarce everywhere but NW.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Swenson on August 15, 2011 at 4:57pm

With a previous employer of mine, we would help put people into DDT buildings throughout the country.  In each region of the country, I have seen various results and various guidelines for planning and zoning.

 

When it comes down to it, I think it is a matter of start up cost.  In the northwest where there are a lot of DDTs, the planning and zoning, and landlords, are used to this style of building and have systems in place for getting them in business efficiently and effectively, since they really are everywhere.  Many of times in other places such as the Midwest, they have much stricter guidelines, that are meant to act as blanket policies for ALL buildings.  Majority of the newer buildings in the Midwest are required to be ADA compliant, hard plumbed, and meet guidelines of new larger retail buildings/centers in the same commercial district (differs per municipality).  Aside from that, if the particular site does not have utilities already run to the PAD site, then there is a very hefty additional cost.  I have seen one particular site rack up $100,000 in site improvements alone.  Many times the landlord will incur this cost in exchange for a long lease term and will amortize and build the tenant improvement monies into the lease (not always tho).  You take that additional cost/term and add ~$75,000-100,000 for the small fully compliant building and equipment, you may be looking at upwards of a $2,000/mo note payment plus a $1000+ PAD rent payment making it harder and harder to break even.  There are very few start up DDT's that can maintain that financially.

 

As Steven said, I don't think the AC is going to break the bank.  I truly think it is the initial start up cost that will break the bank.

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