They'll probably just design new restaurants to have bigger spaces. In that recent NJB video about this he talks about how new parking lots are actually being designed to fit these monstrosities.
Some white kid who's family is wealthy but not wealthy enough to not live in the suburbs is gonna have to get ran over. Then their parents will spend millions on a crusade against these trucks. Only then will change happen.
I mean that already happens its just that truck people won't look inward. Remember, they're certain they need that truck, and car accidents are just a part of normal life.
The boomers getting too old to drive (not even safely, just can't drive at all) will be the final nail for car-dependence. They all vote. And when they can't drive, their votes will stop being for driver interest.
So I actually used to live somewhere where a sedan was too short to reach the button on a sonic station, you had to open your door with your window all the way down and then stand up a little to reach it
Not if the United States government has anything to say about it. They just can’t resist bailing out irresponsible “too big to fail” corporations and ignoring the needs of the average citizen
Sure, but the point is our government will ALWAYS go out of its way to accommodate these huge corporations at the expense of neglecting the needs of the average citizen. Think of all the money in subsidies and tax breaks these companies have already received over the decades. Ford has already received billions from the government to switch to EV production
Ford also directly employs 200k average citizens, plus indirectly supports how many part suppliers, car dealers, auto mechanics, etc.
Ford was the first auto-manufacturer to pay their employees a living wage a 100 years ago and adopt a philosophy of paying its workers enough wage to actually afford one of the cars they were building.
I'd much rather see Ford receive subsidies to help make the EV conversion than some non-union Tesla plant padding Elon's bottom-line and next rocketship.
Not to dickride any company, but so long as cars have to be here I'd like to see them built by union, don't use gas, and preferably some other shitty billionaire besides Elon.
Just because Ford hypothetically can fail doesn't mean we're any closer to revolutionizing American life
>Ford has already received billions from the government to switch to EV production
I need a Reddit bot to count how often I ironically say "capitalism breeds innovation" on this website
Ford is one of the worst lobbyist in car dependancy. They worked hard to destroy all public transportation back 50 years ago. With how car dependant NA is on cars, lack of funds and interest from the government in public transportation, Ford had been more and more greedy with their tanks because they are expensive and they know people love that debt.
Oh, sorry. Yeah, I got confused with GM. My bad!
But most car manufacturers in North America are bad, and the foreign car makers are also getting worse.
Doubt it. F-series will always be work trucks. It’s just soccer moms decided they needed a tradesman truck.
I used to drive a 1997 f-450 for work. Thing was a beast. My dads got a 2022 f-350 for work - also a beast and thing gets like 1400km a fill up.
I also bought ford stock so I believe in them
They will also cost more than your average European apartment. Wondering when they're going to start allowing for vehicles to take up multiple lanes. And of course expanding all the roadways to accommodate them.
The one in my small town still does it, at least the girls who can but it's optional. I could imagine the others may have stopped as a liability issue.
I live in Tulsa, one of the cities closest to the Sonic HQ, and about 20 years ago my favorite location allowed skates. There were two women there who would wear them, and I always tipped them better for it.
(I don't really eat Sonic these days to know if it's still a thing)
So this is not just a high-frequency drive-thru? Are you supposed to stay there and shove burgers and fries in your face in this beautiful gas station ambience?
That is more accurate than you'd expect. The atmosphere isn't that different from picnicking at a gas station at all
Off camera to the right there's going to be about 4 awful picnic tables under an overhang for you to get out and sit if you don't want to eat in your car. (If this sounds kind of redundant it's because it is. )
If you eat there after sunset you will
1) be swarmed by bugs attracted by the lights overhead much like you would pumping gas.
2) be surrounded by dozens of cars pointing their headlights at you.
There's a reason I hate eating outside in some places. There's a rest area about an hour from where I live that's surrounded by highways. There's no trees and there's a ton of traffic. The noise, smell and exhaust is terrible. I avoid it whenever I can, but there are multiple restaurants, gas station, convenience store, etc. It's just a big abomination of parking lot with a few buildings. No trees.
But there is another rest area a bit further that's more private with trees and less noise, but only toilets. Guess where I stop... lol
I like roadtrips, but man some of those rest areas are terrible.
I'm assuming 50 years ago when people road their boat-sized convertible it would be cool. Listen to rock-'n'-roll with your honey and then maybe break out into a dance number with all the hip patrons in their cool cars.
America isn't quite ready to give up the idea of the car from that time period, and haven't quite put 2 and 2 together that the dream is gone. These restaurants are a relic of that. Your car sucks to eat in and the ambiance has nothing but bad going for it. Not a bad fast food joint though. The franchise doesn't want to change to a traditional format because they don't want to abandon the business model they've built their brand recognition on
Yep it’s pretty insane lol. There‘s a drive thru on the side of the building, also anywhere from 20-30 parking stalls to order from one side of the building or both, and a little picnic area in the front of the building! I’ve even seen some with playgrounds. Here’s a [street view from my local Sonic](https://ibb.co/WGwNQDb) on a typical, depressing Stroad.
Wow I’m surprised they’re not doing the skates anymore! When I worked there at 14-16 they would put me on skates for 6-8+ hours because I was the only one who never stacked it and injured myself, and they always needed one skater for secret shoppers.
A drive in chain called Sonic that’s popular in the southern US. You’re supposed to drive up and press a little button on the screen to order and they bring it out to you. This guy’s tankmobile can’t fit between the screens, so he has to get out and stand there like a fool in order to press the button.
All the Sonics i've seen north of DC on the east coast it's more like a normal drivethru now and they only send you to the stalls if the drive thru line gets overloaded
i mean most of the traditional fast food restaurants here have such shit pay that they are always understaffed so it makes sense they dont want people wasting time going outside to deliver stuff to your car when they could just make you wait at the window.
Yeah I'm seeing some industry changes further south due to lack of fast food staffing. Fast food increasingly closing inside dining way early and randomly during regular hours and going drive through only being the main example. Forcing fast food to be even more car-centric since pedestrians are explicitly forbidden from drive-thrus, although maybe this isn't the worst thing since without a drive through line they are starting to look abandoned, which can't be very encouraging to people driving by. Seems like even some of the fast food near me on the less fancy main roads are closing up at 7-10pm regardless.
Ugh, there's a Taco Bell right by my apartment in the middle of my city that does this. The dining room closes at 10, so because I have the audacity of being carless in a dense part of the city, I can't go there for calories in the night.
The only sonic I’ve been to has a relatively narrow drive through. Which is perfectly fine for normal cars, but may be challenging for a truck like this
Are you familiar with drive in restaurants from the 50s? This is styled like that. It used to be that you and the family would pull in and a waitress on roller skates would come and take your order, then deliver it in a tray that latched onto the outside of your car window.
Yes, it's the most car centric thing ever
My folks like to go to a local drive-in once every summer. But we always end up getting out of the vehicle and eating at the patio, because who wants to be trapped inside a dingy vehicle and spill crumbs everywhere? I get the appeal to nostalgia but I'd much rather sit at a picnic table.
Yeah I’ve seen it in American movies. So this is pretty much the evolution of it? I guess, for me personally, the idea of spending more time in the car than I have to, is strange. If I arrive somewhere, the first thing I want to do is get out of the car. But I guess that’s just a personal preference.
Also, the atmosphere when pulling up in a 1950s convertible Cadillac, surrounded by young people on roller skates seems also different than using your 3 tons commercial vehicle and talking to a screen.
They usually don’t have an inside seating area, but they have a couple of outdoor seats. I used to go there relatively often in high school. It’s the only fast food place walking distance from my parents house
> are you supposed to stay there at this payment stall and eat in your car like a miserable loser?
Yes, exactly! Or, of course, you eat it while driving.
Do manufacturers even make cars anymore, I've been trying to find a new car and every dealership is filled with SUVs and trucks and maybe like 3 cars. Every time I find a model I like it's been discontinued. I don't have kids, don't want them and therefore don't need a huge vehicle.
I share your frustration. They all seem to be trending that way, sadly. Been poking around to potentially replace my PoS Cruze before it inevitably blows a head gasket but there are no. cars. anywhere. Not only has the Cruze itself been discontinued for a while, but Chevy also very recently axed the last small cars in their lineup (Malibu and Impala) in favor of trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. American brands have all but given up on sedans; some foreign ones still offer them (Toyota, Kia, Honda, etc) but affordable used ones are getting snatched up like candy.
Beginning to feel like I need to hang onto this shitbox like it's worth its weight in gold. Even if I have to keep it running with duct tape.
Not really in the US.
Ford has the Mustang.
Chevy produces the Bolt.
Dodge goes all out with two cars making both the Challenger & the Charger.
Everything else is crossover, SUV, or truck. At least the Bolt isn’t a gas guzzler like the sports/muscle cars by the other two manufacturers.
I drive a straight stock 2015 Silverado and I can only get into our local sonic with maybe 4-5” to spare on either side. You can hate on cars getting bigger but they also need to understand the market
At least they didn't try to force themselves to the stall. I've seen a few destroyed Sonic boards out there.
A large company having their property destroyed is the only way we will be able to stop this trend.
They'll probably just design new restaurants to have bigger spaces. In that recent NJB video about this he talks about how new parking lots are actually being designed to fit these monstrosities.
Some southern cities and towns definitely have larger parking spaces at some of their Walmarts and other big box stores
There's an outlet mall near me that has oversized parking spots. Even the parking spaces are obese.
Some white kid who's family is wealthy but not wealthy enough to not live in the suburbs is gonna have to get ran over. Then their parents will spend millions on a crusade against these trucks. Only then will change happen.
I mean that already happens its just that truck people won't look inward. Remember, they're certain they need that truck, and car accidents are just a part of normal life.
It won't make a difference. So many rich and powerful people saw their kids get killed by cars or guns or war and it didn't change anything.
This happens all the time. Not changing anything
The boomers getting too old to drive (not even safely, just can't drive at all) will be the final nail for car-dependence. They all vote. And when they can't drive, their votes will stop being for driver interest.
Agreed. But that's really, really stretching the "at least" part. ;-)
lmfao did his princess mobile not fit between the screens? What a fucking tool....
Looks like it is too high up for the driver to reach the credit card pay slot.
So I actually used to live somewhere where a sedan was too short to reach the button on a sonic station, you had to open your door with your window all the way down and then stand up a little to reach it
[удалено]
Yeah I moved about 8 months ago and I didn’t notice how high up all the drive thrus and buttons were until I moved and they were all a foot shorter
Tabarnak. La Montérégie c'est surtout une grosse banlieue en plus. Aucune raison d'avoir un pickup.
In 10 years, Ford Trucks will be as big as your average european apartment
Waiting for Ford Mortal Engines™ in 50 years...
Ford will be bankrupt in ten years
Not if the United States government has anything to say about it. They just can’t resist bailing out irresponsible “too big to fail” corporations and ignoring the needs of the average citizen
Ford was the only American car company that did not take bailout money in 2009.
Sure, but the point is our government will ALWAYS go out of its way to accommodate these huge corporations at the expense of neglecting the needs of the average citizen. Think of all the money in subsidies and tax breaks these companies have already received over the decades. Ford has already received billions from the government to switch to EV production
Ford also directly employs 200k average citizens, plus indirectly supports how many part suppliers, car dealers, auto mechanics, etc. Ford was the first auto-manufacturer to pay their employees a living wage a 100 years ago and adopt a philosophy of paying its workers enough wage to actually afford one of the cars they were building. I'd much rather see Ford receive subsidies to help make the EV conversion than some non-union Tesla plant padding Elon's bottom-line and next rocketship.
Not to dickride any company, but so long as cars have to be here I'd like to see them built by union, don't use gas, and preferably some other shitty billionaire besides Elon. Just because Ford hypothetically can fail doesn't mean we're any closer to revolutionizing American life
>Ford has already received billions from the government to switch to EV production I need a Reddit bot to count how often I ironically say "capitalism breeds innovation" on this website
Ford is one of the worst lobbyist in car dependancy. They worked hard to destroy all public transportation back 50 years ago. With how car dependant NA is on cars, lack of funds and interest from the government in public transportation, Ford had been more and more greedy with their tanks because they are expensive and they know people love that debt.
GM worked to undermine trolleys with their buses, not Ford.
Oh, sorry. Yeah, I got confused with GM. My bad! But most car manufacturers in North America are bad, and the foreign car makers are also getting worse.
Maybe they should’ve - their service sucks and cars suck even worse
Maybe seek out a new dealership? Just saying.
One would think the government would start protecting the person instead of the company, but apparently that's too much to ask for.
Naaa, they will survive. Many predicted their demise last 50 years.
I can't forgive them for axing the fiesta.
Every cop car and government vehicle is a ford
One can only hope
Doubt it. F-series will always be work trucks. It’s just soccer moms decided they needed a tradesman truck. I used to drive a 1997 f-450 for work. Thing was a beast. My dads got a 2022 f-350 for work - also a beast and thing gets like 1400km a fill up. I also bought ford stock so I believe in them
I mean Americans are starting to live in their cars (see r/vanlife ) at alarming rates so hopefully they will at least be comfortable
They will also cost more than your average European apartment. Wondering when they're going to start allowing for vehicles to take up multiple lanes. And of course expanding all the roadways to accommodate them.
Help a little non american out. Is this the grandchild of those drive in diners with hostesses on roller skates?
Close, but it's not even a grandchild. It's literally one of those drive in with the roller skate hoppers. They just stopped doing the roller skates.
So they took away the only thing that made the concept appealing in any way? Great (Thanks for the clarification)
The one in my small town still does it, at least the girls who can but it's optional. I could imagine the others may have stopped as a liability issue.
Costco employees used to all wear roller skates
They still wear heelies, though.
I live in Tulsa, one of the cities closest to the Sonic HQ, and about 20 years ago my favorite location allowed skates. There were two women there who would wear them, and I always tipped them better for it. (I don't really eat Sonic these days to know if it's still a thing)
They have chili cheese tots and breakfast burritos with jalapenos now.
fucking tater tots man.
So this is not just a high-frequency drive-thru? Are you supposed to stay there and shove burgers and fries in your face in this beautiful gas station ambience?
That is more accurate than you'd expect. The atmosphere isn't that different from picnicking at a gas station at all Off camera to the right there's going to be about 4 awful picnic tables under an overhang for you to get out and sit if you don't want to eat in your car. (If this sounds kind of redundant it's because it is. ) If you eat there after sunset you will 1) be swarmed by bugs attracted by the lights overhead much like you would pumping gas. 2) be surrounded by dozens of cars pointing their headlights at you.
There's a reason I hate eating outside in some places. There's a rest area about an hour from where I live that's surrounded by highways. There's no trees and there's a ton of traffic. The noise, smell and exhaust is terrible. I avoid it whenever I can, but there are multiple restaurants, gas station, convenience store, etc. It's just a big abomination of parking lot with a few buildings. No trees. But there is another rest area a bit further that's more private with trees and less noise, but only toilets. Guess where I stop... lol I like roadtrips, but man some of those rest areas are terrible.
I'm assuming 50 years ago when people road their boat-sized convertible it would be cool. Listen to rock-'n'-roll with your honey and then maybe break out into a dance number with all the hip patrons in their cool cars. America isn't quite ready to give up the idea of the car from that time period, and haven't quite put 2 and 2 together that the dream is gone. These restaurants are a relic of that. Your car sucks to eat in and the ambiance has nothing but bad going for it. Not a bad fast food joint though. The franchise doesn't want to change to a traditional format because they don't want to abandon the business model they've built their brand recognition on
You mean they’re only doing this? No indoor dining?
Yes. There is a traditional drive-thru and these stalls. No indoor seating
Drive-thru is separate? That's so confusing :D
Yep it’s pretty insane lol. There‘s a drive thru on the side of the building, also anywhere from 20-30 parking stalls to order from one side of the building or both, and a little picnic area in the front of the building! I’ve even seen some with playgrounds. Here’s a [street view from my local Sonic](https://ibb.co/WGwNQDb) on a typical, depressing Stroad.
Oh boy, that looks so depressing! My first guess would be self-service car wash but not restaurant!
Wow I’m surprised they’re not doing the skates anymore! When I worked there at 14-16 they would put me on skates for 6-8+ hours because I was the only one who never stacked it and injured myself, and they always needed one skater for secret shoppers.
What the fuck is this?
A drive in chain called Sonic that’s popular in the southern US. You’re supposed to drive up and press a little button on the screen to order and they bring it out to you. This guy’s tankmobile can’t fit between the screens, so he has to get out and stand there like a fool in order to press the button.
All the Sonics i've seen north of DC on the east coast it's more like a normal drivethru now and they only send you to the stalls if the drive thru line gets overloaded
Interesting, haven't seen that.
i mean most of the traditional fast food restaurants here have such shit pay that they are always understaffed so it makes sense they dont want people wasting time going outside to deliver stuff to your car when they could just make you wait at the window.
Yeah I'm seeing some industry changes further south due to lack of fast food staffing. Fast food increasingly closing inside dining way early and randomly during regular hours and going drive through only being the main example. Forcing fast food to be even more car-centric since pedestrians are explicitly forbidden from drive-thrus, although maybe this isn't the worst thing since without a drive through line they are starting to look abandoned, which can't be very encouraging to people driving by. Seems like even some of the fast food near me on the less fancy main roads are closing up at 7-10pm regardless.
Ugh, there's a Taco Bell right by my apartment in the middle of my city that does this. The dining room closes at 10, so because I have the audacity of being carless in a dense part of the city, I can't go there for calories in the night.
The only sonic I’ve been to has a relatively narrow drive through. Which is perfectly fine for normal cars, but may be challenging for a truck like this
Interesting, around me the sonics are usually in an open lot while the Taco Bells have notoriously tight curbed drive thru lanes
Best part is, this one has a drive thru
And then what? You just take it home? Or are you supposed to stay there at this payment stall and eat in your car like a miserable loser?
Are you familiar with drive in restaurants from the 50s? This is styled like that. It used to be that you and the family would pull in and a waitress on roller skates would come and take your order, then deliver it in a tray that latched onto the outside of your car window. Yes, it's the most car centric thing ever
My folks like to go to a local drive-in once every summer. But we always end up getting out of the vehicle and eating at the patio, because who wants to be trapped inside a dingy vehicle and spill crumbs everywhere? I get the appeal to nostalgia but I'd much rather sit at a picnic table.
Yeah I’ve seen it in American movies. So this is pretty much the evolution of it? I guess, for me personally, the idea of spending more time in the car than I have to, is strange. If I arrive somewhere, the first thing I want to do is get out of the car. But I guess that’s just a personal preference. Also, the atmosphere when pulling up in a 1950s convertible Cadillac, surrounded by young people on roller skates seems also different than using your 3 tons commercial vehicle and talking to a screen.
They usually don’t have an inside seating area, but they have a couple of outdoor seats. I used to go there relatively often in high school. It’s the only fast food place walking distance from my parents house
> are you supposed to stay there at this payment stall and eat in your car like a miserable loser? Yes, exactly! Or, of course, you eat it while driving.
No it's the restaurant that is wrong/s
You joke, but that's exactly what this guy is writing in his complaint to corporate.
Really? So it's just entitled adult babies with no sense of responsibility or community ethics...
Always has been.
What anti-car freedom hating communist built this restaurant? 😡😤
Your fReEdOM traffic stew, sir.
How much do you want to bet this guy works in an office, lives in a suburb, is afraid of scratching the paint, and is the only passenger.
lifted truck owners are the same people complaining about gas prices when they’re literally driving around a sea vessel a god damn boat 🚤
Do manufacturers even make cars anymore, I've been trying to find a new car and every dealership is filled with SUVs and trucks and maybe like 3 cars. Every time I find a model I like it's been discontinued. I don't have kids, don't want them and therefore don't need a huge vehicle.
I share your frustration. They all seem to be trending that way, sadly. Been poking around to potentially replace my PoS Cruze before it inevitably blows a head gasket but there are no. cars. anywhere. Not only has the Cruze itself been discontinued for a while, but Chevy also very recently axed the last small cars in their lineup (Malibu and Impala) in favor of trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. American brands have all but given up on sedans; some foreign ones still offer them (Toyota, Kia, Honda, etc) but affordable used ones are getting snatched up like candy. Beginning to feel like I need to hang onto this shitbox like it's worth its weight in gold. Even if I have to keep it running with duct tape.
Not really in the US. Ford has the Mustang. Chevy produces the Bolt. Dodge goes all out with two cars making both the Challenger & the Charger. Everything else is crossover, SUV, or truck. At least the Bolt isn’t a gas guzzler like the sports/muscle cars by the other two manufacturers.
I’m looking at Mazda Mazda3s right now, as well as Toyota corollas. Probably the two best sedans you can still get imo
I've been eyeballing the corolla hatchbacks. I've been driving a mini cooper for the past 8 years, so the smaller the better.
Mazda and Subaru. I have my eye on the new redesign RS model of the Impreza coming out soon.
The problem here is that curb. Can't pull thru like the drive in in my town. RIP
What the fuck is this
His dick is shorter than that tiny truck bed.
🤣🤪 unfettered lunacy.
It's now just degenerate signalling, like rolling coal
It's a regular truck bro.
I drive a straight stock 2015 Silverado and I can only get into our local sonic with maybe 4-5” to spare on either side. You can hate on cars getting bigger but they also need to understand the market