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Comment by ben_w | Hacker News Reader

Was drive-thru the only late night food option in that bit of Czechia? That felt like the pertinent part, not being able to get any in some places.

(Here in Berlin I have to plan around Sunday trading rules in a way I didn't back in the UK, but we have Spätis, so there are options).

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Some cities like Portland, Oregon have made it a violation of city code to refuse to serve pedestrians and bicyclists through the Drive Through window if the lobby is closed.

There are still some businesses that violate this, but at least you can report it and they will be fined, and threatened with revocation of their business license.

Good. Let's make this federal law. These restrictions are ridiculous and we stand no chance of eliminating car culture without eliminating them. I wish I was kidding, and I wish it were just a trollish joke to say "you should be able to bike through Taco Bell at 2am", but if we're gonna eliminate car culture in the US, we can't just do it in the downtown cores of Chicago, NYC, Seattle, SF, etc. We gotta do it everywhere, and a lot of "everywhere" in the US is drive-thru this and drive-thru that, especially once you get out into the boonies (which of course need more infrastructure work to become bike friendly in their current states, but also, rural bike trails can and should exist, but there'll be little reason to use them if you can't stop anywhere along the way to take a break - and the rabbit hole continues from here)

After 9 or 10 PM that's exactly how it is here in TN, USA. Dine in is closed and the drive through won't take you on foot or on a bike. I think most franchises have a blanket policy against serving people without a car to intentionally exclude... Certain People.

> I think most franchises have a blanket policy against serving people without a car to intentionally exclude... Certain People.

Bicyclists?

The homeless, I imagine

I would assume the homeless, certain income ranges, etc. That's the real reason to close the lobby but keep the drive through right, so people aren't hanging around in it and resting at night?

But why? They would have to allow these same “Certain People” in their lobby from 7am until 9pm when their most affluent patrons are probably coming in for lunch, after soccer practice, etc. At the drive through there is barely any interaction between staff and customer much less between customers.

No, it was during a day. I had a trailer behind a bicycle with my then two year old son who wanted chips. So I tried McDonald's.

Since there was no secure way to lock the bicycle (well, locks don't really work either) I tried drive-through.

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