Ban On Drive-Thru Restaurants Poised To Change In Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CA — The Palm Desert City Council on Thursday is once again revisiting the probability of allowing drive-thru restaurants in the city.

After serious discussions earlier this year on the topic, council members are poised to direct city staffers to draft a Zoning Ordinance Amendment that would set standards and criteria for drive-thru eateries.

The city currently bans drive-thru’s anywhere except the commercial areas near Interstate 10.

“The use of the drive-thru has become essential to everyday living whether it’s for convenience or necessity," argues Patrick Wood of Wood Investments Companies, which owns the now vacant Chase Bank at the Palms to Pines Shopping Center on Highway 111.

According to Wood, his company is in talks with the restaurant chain Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers to come to the location if the drive-thru ban is lifted.

"Removing the 23-year-old vacant building that previously was a Chase Bank and replacing it with an updated quick-service restaurant is the highest and best use for this location that fronts on Highway 111,” Wood said in a released statement.

Not everyone is in favor of bringing drive-thrus to Palm Desert. It's been more than 70 years since the first such eatery popped up in California. Palm Desert became a city in 1973, and by then drive-thrus were all the rage, but the ban didn't budge. It's one of the few cities to hold steadfast.

During the pandemic, drive-thru was a lifeline for some restaurants, although "curbside pickup" became the new buzz phrase in Palm Desert and beyond.

But changing the city rules comes at a time when several other U.S. cities have placed moratoriums on drive-thrus in an effort to curb emissions, reduce litter, improve pedestrian safety and enhance walkability. Ban supporters also cite drive-thrus as yet another factor in the country's ongoing obesity trend.

But Dick Shaloub, franchise owner of Mcdonald's, said drive-thrus give customers what they want.

“Things have changed, demographics have changed, technology has changed and especially coming out of a pandemic," he said. "Customers want convenience and safety that drive-thrus offer. Drive-thrus bring increased employment, less traffic, electric vehicles with less emissions. Overall, it’s frustrating when we can’t give customers what they want.”