(Photo © Elly Blue)
Responding to last month’s biking momma drive-thru debacle, Burgerville has announced that they’ll welcome people on bikes to each of their 37 drive-thrus (which are from this day forward known as cycle-thrus!).
To celebrate the new bike-ability of their drive-thrus, Burgerville said in a press release that from 2:00 to 4:00 pm this Thursday they’ll offer free small blackberry smoothies (with purchase of menu item with equal or greater value) at their Hawthorne location (1122 SE Hawthorne).
(Photo © Elly Blue)
The company also announced that they have already begun adding signs to “alert drivers and bicyclists to safety precautions for bicycle access”. Burgerville’s Chief Cultural Officer Jack Graves will also be on hand to discuss their “expanded bike policy”.
In other biking-in-drive-thru news, Portlander Brad Reber says he got refused at his bank today on liability grounds (the teller told him he “might get hit”). Will banks follow Burgerville’s lead on this issue? We hope and we’ll see.
Update: I rode our loaner to get some lunch today at the drive-thru window at the Burgerville near our office, at SE 11th and Hawthorne. There are some new signs up, and I was served with a smile — check out my quick photo set. The service went smoothly (my order was taken at the menuboard, despite a sign telling me to ride up to the window); but navigating the maze of a parking lot, dodging cars, and breathing idle exhaust was a drag. — Elly
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Great! After a Burgerville cheeseburger (or veggie treat, if you will) what say we all go over to the offending bank branch and ask the manager to supply data on safety problems with bikes at drive-thrus. Can they explain why cars moving at the appropriate speed for a parking lot might be a danger do bicycles?
I bet said bank manager might be interested in providing said research if a couple of individuals closed their accounts!
i saw one of the new signs at the burgerville close-in on powell.
“they’ll offer free small blackberry smoothies (with purchase of menu item with equal or lesser value)”
Shouldn’t that be “equal or _greater_ value”? I’d hate to think that someone purchasing big-ticket items wouldn’t get the free shake. 🙂
Thanks overall for taking this bold step.
Though…hello Burgerville…how about a Vancouver location too for this offer too? – to celebrate your deep Vancouver business roots…serving bicyclists ice cream and hot food since the 1930s (?) back at the old Holland soda fountain on Main St (where Dulin’s Cafe is now).
I looked on their web site for the press release for more info – but did not see one in the news section.
Looks like it should be “greater value” — fixed, thanks for catching that.
Well that’s great, I ride by their every day… if only they did it at a convenient hour. I’m sorta working 2-4.
you heard it here first from a Burgerville-aholic:
http://bikeportland.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3242
Glad they came around to doing this. I waited to get my drink on a very hot day and when I got to the window they told me to “go around” the front door” I was on my bike in a bad area with no lock… I still will never go back there. Once bitten twice shy…
But good for the others that will support it. Congratulations!
The bank was Chase. They are the opposite of everything I like about Portland; I am not at all surprised.
I plan to close my account regardless.
Yay Burgerville! 😀
Thanks Burgerville! Not that I needed another reason to go there, but now I have one.
Love to see other fast food types do the same.
Burgerville is the only fast food restaurant I go to anymore – they buy local, give back to the community, make more than a token effort towards sustainability, give back to the community, and actually listen to their customers. I’m glad to see that they chose to do this, and realized the particulars of their customer base, rather than just adopting a blind corporate stance and ignoring the issue.
They’re not a perfect corporate citizen, but they’re far above all their competitors.
Ditto to Matt P.
Burgerville is the only fast food we eat in my family. The sustainable practices and the local food sources are a model for other restaurants to learn from. (Not to mention, the food just tastes better).
I’m looking forward to trying a cycle-thru (maybe I’ll have to go get a cup holder for my handlebars for all the seasonal milkshakes.)
I for one will not be bought off, I mean who do they…….
MMM MILKSHAKES!
I’ve been dropping off my electricity bill at the downtown Vancouver Clark PUD ‘ride-up’ kiosk for several years. They have a pass-through drawer and comm system just like the banks. Generally a car or two around. No incidents and the staff is always happy to see me.
peejay @ #2 – I know someone who did exactly that – walked into the bank and told the manager that they would close their account if not served thru the drive-thru. Not only did the bank change its policy, a bike rack appeared out front!
E @ #11 – Yeah, ever since Chase took over WaMu they’ve been getting crotchety-er. I’m willing to line up with any other cyclists that want to assemble all at once & dangle their accounts in Chase’s face at the drive-thru – and follow through with closures!
Jene-Paul
Chase: “New to Oregon”
No kidding.
When you close your bank account open a new account at a credit union. You’ll have your money in an institution where you’re part owner. The money stays in the community instead of going back East or worse. Anyone can join a credit union and you can get cash at most cash machines.
Oh, and thank you Burgerville! Impressive recovery.
I’ll drink a perk-shake to that!
What exactly is a “Chief Cultural Officer”s job responsibilities? Did he go to college for that?
I’ve never had a problem with a cycle-thru at Burgerville before, but it’s a welcome change in policy.
So I was the one that was not ever going to go back to Burgerville after a nasty Manager told me to go somewhere else! Guess what! I am so happy that Burgerville open their window to bicycles that I had to go back and the shake was GREEEEAT! thanks Burgerville!