Food & Drinks

Starbucks Embraces the Drive-Thru

  • Company plan to boost sales is all about window service
  • The chain is slower than Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s

Customers in the drive-thru line

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Starbucks Corp. has a plan to push more lattes and egg wraps out the door. Via the window.

The world’s largest coffee-shop chain is embracing the drive-thru lane. Eighty percent of all its new U.S. cafes will have them. While that may contradict the sit-down coffee culture Starbucks helped pioneer, in-the-car service can be a big moneymaker -- when done right.