Driving through Chapel Hill and Carrboro, one will likely notice the odd lack of restaurants with a drive-thru window. Dunkin’ Donuts, which opened a Chapel Hill store in summer 2017, is hoping to change that.
According to a project description by the Town of Chapel Hill, Dunkin’ Donuts is “proposing an addition of a drive-thru lane and landscape island to the existing Dunkin’ Donuts and to improve bicycle and pedestrian access from the Franklin Street side path.”
Due to a previously established law, the project cannot commence without a special use permit from the town, which the restaurant is currently petitioning for.
In the interest of cutting down on unnecessary emissions from stalling car engines, Chapel Hill and Carrboro enacted a ban on drive-thrus in 1998. Since then, restaurants have only been allowed to build a drive-thru after applying for and being granted a special use permit that must be approved by the town council.
Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, a biscuit shack on Franklin Street, is one of few restaurants in Chapel Hill to have a drive-thru window, and was only able to build one after petitioning the town as Dunkin’ Donuts is doing now.
Dunkin’ Donuts’ tagline, “America Runs on Dunkin,’” accompanied by a cartoon man running, shows how the franchise plays off being made for on-the-go Americans, and the majority of their locations include drive-thrus.
“As a matter of convenience for expecting moms, parents with toddlers, ADA guests and all guests during inclement weather,” Dunkin’ Donuts stated at the top of their petition, “we the undersigned, would greatly appreciate the approval of a drive-thru lane at Dunkin’ Donuts in Chapel Hill.”
The donut shop is a popular spot for seniors who wish to go off campus for lunch, but many feel the lack of a drive-thru makes the trek to and from Dunkin’ Donuts too long for a lunchtime trip.
“I am definitely in support of a drive-thru at Dunkin’ Donuts because the line there is always super long,” senior Ryann Brinkman said.
There is one small zone in Chapel Hill that allows restaurants with drive-thru windows, but it is located on Highway 54 on the other side of town from Franklin Street and is a considerable distance from Chapel Hill High School. The zone is home to an Arby’s and a Burger King, both with drive-thru windows.
In Carrboro, the Wendy’s restaurant at 100 South Greensboro Street opened before the prohibition was enacted and was allowed to keep its drive-thru window open despite the new law.
The Wendy’s has become a popular destination for seniors looking to go off campus for lunch, mostly because it is convenient.
“When I want to go off campus for lunch I usually end up going to Wendy’s,” senior Faith Chamblee said. “It’s not even my favorite, but it’s the only place nearby with a drive-thru.”
