Drive-through espresso stands?

Beth2

Mar 12, 2019 at 11:39am

Where are the drive-through expresso stands in this area? Is there a regulation against them in Essex county? There are some ideal drive-through places here in Maplewood. For example, the little take-out place on the corner of Springfield and Boyden Parkway that never seems to do well would make an ideal coffee stop. I'm wondering why they don't exist here--I think they would be well received.

mrincredible

Mar 12, 2019 at 12:13pm

I think it's individual municipalities, not the county. There are multiple drive through restaurants in Orange, East Orange and Newark for example. But the Burger King in Maplewood has none.

Are you thinking of the little shops up and down the coast in the Pacific Northwest?

A drive through at the corner of Springfield and Boyden would be a traffic nightmare.

Beth2

Mar 12, 2019 at 1:53pm

mrincredible said:
I think it's individual municipalities, not the county. There are multiple drive through restaurants in Orange, East Orange and Newark for example. But the Burger King in Maplewood has none.
Are you thinking of the little shops up and down the coast in the Pacific Northwest?
A drive through at the corner of Springfield and Boyden would be a traffic nightmare.

Yes, in the Northwest, in the middle of cities, as well as suburbs and even mountain passes. These little stands usually occupy abandoned gas stations or old Kodak kiosks. Perhaps the Springfield/Boyden spot is not ideal, but there are other places along Springfield and Valley. Come to think of it, there are drive-through places in W. Orange as well as Newark. Most in the area tend to be for fast-food rather than coffee. Wouldn't it be great to be able to grab a coffee (good, organic expresso, and not Starbucks necessarily) along the way to work without having to find a parking spot to do so!

Klinker

Mar 12, 2019 at 2:16pm Edited

I would definitely patronize a place like that as long as it wasn't a Starbutts. Perhaps someone should contact Dutch Bros or (even better) Coffee Culture!

mrincredible

Mar 12, 2019 at 3:24pm

We spent several days driving down the Pacific Coast last summer and we tried several of those joints and I never liked the coffee. question

I remember all the ones I saw being on fairly major thoroughfares with easy entrance and exits. Some were in parking lots of larger shopping centers. There might be a spot or two on Springfield Ave where you could build one. There's also the corner of Vaux Hall and Millburn Ave where the gas station burned down. There are a couple of spots along Valley ... maybe the former Blimpie near the high school. Probably a good spot for a coffee shop. But I'm pretty sure the town doesn't allow drive thru windows.

Beth2

Mar 12, 2019 at 3:43pm

mrincredible said:
We spent several days driving down the Pacific Coast last summer and we tried several of those joints and I never liked the coffee.
I remember all the ones I saw being on fairly major thoroughfares with easy entrance and exits. Some were in parking lots of larger shopping centers. There might be a spot or two on Springfield Ave where you could build one. There's also the corner of Vaux Hall and Millburn Ave where the gas station burned down. There are a couple of spots along Valley ... maybe the former Blimpie near the high school. Probably a good spot for a coffee shop. But I'm pretty sure the town doesn't allow drive thru windows.

Yes, I grew up in the Northwest, and the coffee certainly varies, since each coffee stand has a different coffee supplier. Most have fairly robust, bitter coffee (which I happen to like). Many Starbucks coffee places in the PNW have drive thru windows as well. However, since drive thru windows are not allowed here, then it seems that this may be a lost cause. LOL

mrincredible

Mar 12, 2019 at 4:18pm

I must have not picked the right ones. None seemed very robust to me.

Drive thrus are possibly a lost cause in Maplewood. I wasn't around when Burger King was built, so I don't know what that looked like. But I remember when there was talk of a KFC opening on Springfield Ave you would have thought they were proposing building a zombie virus research station. I don't think a drive thru was even being considered. At any rate talk of that kind of development evinces hostility in the local populace.

So if you say it's okay for an upscale coffee shop to have a drive thru window, how do you tell Burger King they can't? It's favoring one kind of business the clientele of which probably lands higher (on average) on the socioeconomic ladder than Burger King's.

Beth2

Mar 12, 2019 at 4:45pm

mrincredible said:
I must have not picked the right ones. None seemed very robust to me.
Drive thrus are possibly a lost cause in Maplewood. I wasn't around when Burger King was built, so I don't know what that looked like. But I remember when there was talk of a KFC opening on Springfield Ave you would have thought they were proposing building a zombie virus research station. I don't think a drive thru was even being considered. At any rate talk of that kind of development evinces hostility in the local populace.
So if you say it's okay for an upscale coffee shop to have a drive thru window, how do you tell Burger King they can't? It's favoring one kind of business the clientele of which probably lands higher (on average) on the socioeconomic ladder than Burger King's.

I gather you did most of your coffee drinking in Oregon (they're a little less wired down there). And why shouldn't Burger King and KFC exist in SOMA and have drive thru windows of their own, zombie virus research notwithstanding? (forgive the non-local naivete)