Portland, OR, cyclist Sarah Gilbert, aka CafeMama, did what she normally did and rode her bicycle through a drive thru at Burgerville on August 12.  This time, however, she was told they wouldn’t be able to serve her on her bike.  So she did what any respectable blogger would do and tweeted, blogged and wrote about it.
Within hours, Burgerville had responded, and shortly thereafter changed its policy to allow bicycles to use the drive thru at all of its 39 locations. (Also to its credit, Burgerville uses local ingredients when possible and engages in generally sustainable business practices.)
This is a case of a company making the right decision and taking advantage of the opportunity to positively connect with its customers.  Gilbert rides a custom bicycle made to fit her and her three sons, and surely any driver seeing that in front of them in the drive through would get a smile on their face, and more than likely more cyclists will ride thru “because they can.”  I know I would.
Now, Wachovia, here’s your opportunity to do the same.  I used to ride my bike through your drive thru.  Then you put up your “sorry, we can no longer accept walk-up customers” sign, and I’ve been turned away when on my bicycle.  I do this because even with using a deposit slip and getting a receipt, it still uses less paper than the envelope at the ATM, and sometimes I actually  need to deposit cash and the nearest full service branch is considerably further away.  So, I challenge you to make the right move and send out a company-wide memo allowing bicycles to use your drive-thru services.  Hmmm…what kind of positive message do you think that would send in these times?
