Breakfast Drive-Thrus

In a fun twist on the traditional restaurant review, we set out to review breakfast restaurant drive-thrus.

We’re talking the “grab and go” places….the “I didn’t have time to make something at home and still need to eat,” kind of places.

Where you go is probably determined by a short list of factors:

• ·         Convenience – Relative location to a main road and ease of driving through
• ·         Quality – is the food and beverage tasty
• ·         Speed – Time to order and receipt
• ·         Price

With school going back into session and the summer vacation season coming to an end, we thought it would be fun to “analyze” Westborough drive-thrus on these characteristics. As you might guess, a non-scientific method was used. Two “commuters” went through each drive-thru ordering a popular item during morning drive time in a four door car. We then repeated the trip through the drive-thru (sans food) in an F350 truck with a 16’ trailer attached (thanks to Lawn Aeration Plus)…as we realize people go through the drive-thru in different vehicles. The truck/trailer combination made it through almost every drive-thru; some were better than others.

We were simulating being in a rush, so we never got out of the vehicle.

We recognize making two passes through a restaurant drive-thru hardly constitutes a scientific method. The intent was to share our experiences and have some tongue-in-cheek fun (pun intended.) We split the food entrées, so nothing went to waste. We did an iced or hot coffee, and a breakfast entrée; where there were “specials”, we ordered the special (i.e. “A number two.”) We did consult the internet to make sure we were not overdosing on caffeine. 

Convenience is a relative item. A Route 9 westbound location isn’t terribly helpful if you need to go East on Route 9. We measured convenience as getting on and off the closest main road.

We did record the hours the drive-thrus are open. We did this by calling each restaurant. This is particularly important for the early risers.

Here are our findings:

Company	Convenience	Quality	Speed	Price
Burger King (Rt 9 Westboound) 139 Turnpike Road (508) 366-7997 Drive-thru open Sun-Wed 5:30AM – Midnight Thu, Fri, Sat 5:30AM - 2AM	Easy off Route 9 Westbound, exit onto Lyman Street.	We hadn’t been to Burger King for breakfast in ages. They are promoting a new breakfast menu. Arguably the best breakfast hash browns.	Fast, pleasant order taker. The Rt 9/Lyman Street intersection traffic light cycle can cause delay.	Under $5
Boston Market Mass Turnpike - Service Area 6A Milepost (508) 870-9969 Drive-thru open 10:00AM – 9:00PM	Included solely for Mass Pike travelers. There is a Dunkin Donuts in the plaza without a drive-thru	No Breakfast	--	--
Dunkin' Donuts (Rt 9 Eastbound) 124 Turnpike Rd (508) 366-5784 Drive-thru open 24x7	A popular morning place. Easy off, easy on.	Coffee is great. Donuts and bagels are what you would expect. It seems you have to ask for napkins.	The place is so popular a line around the building and out to Route 9 develops. On these days, pass on Dunkin’ and head to McDonalds.	Just under $4 for coffee with a donut or bagel, around $5 for hot.
Dunkin' Donuts (Rt 9 Westbound) 133 Turnpike Rd (508) 898-9994 Drive-thru open 24x7	This had the tightest yet achievable overall corners. We’ve seen worse, but we had to pay attention especially when maneuvering the truck/trailer.	Coffee is great. Donuts and bagels are what you would expect.	The place is so popular a line around the building and out to Route 9 develops. On these days, pass on Dunkin’ and head to McDonalds.	Just under $4 for coffee with a donut or bagel, around $5 for hot.
Honey Dew 2 Connector Road (508) 366-7661 Drive-thru open: 5AM – 8PM	If you live at Windsor Ridge, use Connector Road, or work on Research, Computer or Technology Drives, this is a no-brainer stop off.	Our sausage, egg and cheese on a plain bagel had a cold center…a downfall of microwave ovens in fast food restaurants.	Order and pick up was fine on the back side of the building.	Around $5.50
Honey Dew 65 East Main (508) 366-5211 Drive-thru open: 5AM – 9PM (weeknights 8PM)	For everyone heading east on Main Street, this is a hidden jewel when time pressed.	Our sausage, egg and cheese sandwich was very good. This is the only drive-thru not handing us a sandwich “in a bag.”  Yes, there was a wrapper, but no bag and no napkins. We like using the bag as a litter bag….filling it up with trash breakfast trash and tossing in a receptacle at a destination. Also, had we picked up breakfast to eat somewhere else, it would have been awkward to carry.	One car in front of us….perfect! If you are arrive and continue east on Main Street, this is an easy stop off. If you need to continue west, the left turn out of the parking lot onto Main Street can take time.	Just under $6
McDonalds (Rt 9 – E) 166 East Main Street (508) 366-2276 Drive-thru open 5AM to midnight.	Three entrances and two exits make this location high on convenience.	The Egg McMuffin is the signature breakfast sandwich introduced in 1972.  Combined with a hash brown, and you’ve got a great “grab and go.”	When the regular crew is working, you almost fly through.	Just under $5
McDonalds (Rt 9 W, by Wal*Mart) 299 Turnpike Road (508) 616-0209 Drive-thru open Sun-Wed 5:00AM – 11:00PM Thu, Fri, Sat 5:00AM - midnight	One way in, one way out….traffic can be a bit of a hassle.	The Egg McMuffin is the signature breakfast sandwich introduced in 1972.  Combined with a hash brown, and you’ve got a great “grab and go.”	The only times we saw a line form at this McDonald’s was around lunchtime. They do have 3 windows in a row (the “ignore”, the payment, the pickup), something confusing any “non-regular.”	Just under $5
Panera Bread Bay State Commons 600 Union Street (508) 898-3400 Drive-thru hours: 6:30AM – 9PM	We checked; Panera is a US based company.   Why?  Their drive through turns the “wrong way” (to the right), so people hit the curb all the time OR get out of their car (see photo). This is the 3rd Panera in the country with a drive through; we can see why. We did not attempt to manuver the F350/trailer through the drive-thru. We suspect it would make it only if no cars were at the exit. Being in Bay State Commons makes this a little off the beaten path for almost all but the Bay State condo crowd.	We asked what to order, and went with the recommendation of bacon, egg and cheese on an asiago cheese bagel.   Of all the breakfasts, this one tastes the most like “real” food and not some overly processed or imitation.	Speed is not their things. One car in line….we waited at the window over 5 minutes….an eternity when you are in a hurry. The drive-thru opening at 6:30AM almost disqualifies Panera as a breakfast restaurant according to your intrepid early morning reviewers. We asked the single worker at the single window why so slow, and he explained he has to run around to collect food. Panera Bread logistics “fail” outside and inside at the drive-thru.	Just over $6
Wendy’s 300 Turnpike Road (508) 366-0081 10:00AM – 2:00AM daily	A little off the beaten path for a place with Rt 9 visibility. More convenient if you are at BJs or the Rt 9 Stop & Shop	No Breakfast	--	--

Full disclosure….on a “normal” day we frequent the Rt 9 Eastbound Dunkin Donuts, or the Rt 9 Eastbound McDonalds. Our co-pilot swears by the Green Mountain Coffee at the Mobil Station (130 Turnpike Road) on Rt 9 at Lyman Street (the Mobil Station is not a drive-thru, therefore not included.)

The Author

Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994. His reviews are what he would tell friends, and are not an academic analysis.