City that launched California’s eat-and-ride craze puts brakes on drive-through restaurants
By John Rogers, APSaturday, July 3, 2010
City where drive-through eating began is full
BALDWIN PARK, Calif. — The birthplace of California’s drive-through craze has had its fill of fast food restaurants.
The blue-collar town of Baldwin Park east of Los Angeles is banning new drive-throughs as it hopes to shed its reputation as a haven for convenient, fatty foods.
It’s an ironic development for a community that proudly claims to have opened California’s first drive-through restaurant more than 60 years ago — a little joint named, appropriately enough, In-N-Out.
The town of 90,000 people is concerned that its 17 drive-throughs are causing traffic jams stretching outside its parking lots.
Still, not everyone is happy with the ordinance. They say the town should allow even more drive-throughs.
