Over 50 Years Ago, McDonald's Opened Its First Drive-Thru, Decades After In-N-Out. Here's How the U.S. Army Helped Inspire the Change

Over 50 Years Ago, McDonald's Opened Its First Drive-Thru, Decades After In-N-Out. Here's How the U.S. Army Helped Inspire the Change

The change to the business model impacted how the whole franchise operated in the decades followingMcDonalds circa 1970s Underwood Archives/GettyNEED TO KNOWThe first United States drive-thru opened in 1931McDonald's waited until the mid-1970s to give it a try, with the restaurant's first drive-thru location in Southern ArizonaThe U.S. Army played a surprising role in helping the plan come togetherIt's been 50 years since McDonald's introduced i…