Drive-Thru Birthplace Kicks Ones to the Curb

The town of the first In N Out Burger has banned the construction of any new drive-thru restaurants.

August 04, 2010

BALDWIN PARK, Calif. - The birthplace of the first drive-thru restaurant has decided to place a nine-month moratorium on any construction of drive-thru restaurants, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Baldwin Park, Calif., is home to the first U.S. drive-thru restaurant €" In N Out Burger €" back in 1948.

Today, Baldwin Park has around 83,000 residents and 17 drive-in restaurants. Town leaders had a two-fold plan in mind with the ban: to fix traffic congestion and to help curb obesity.

"We see ourselves at the forefront of the fight on obesity," said Marc Castagnola, Baldwin Park community development manager. "We also want to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk around."

Some studies have traced a connection between fast-food restaurants and heavier Americans, which has lead other cities to curb the number of those eating establishments. Los Angeles attempted to stop construction of new fast-food establishments for a year and other California municipalities are considering keeping the number of quick-service restaurants low.

However, the restaurant industry counters that the obesity problem is more complex than simply too many fast-food locations. "The fast-food industry has been moving in this direction for a while, providing more healthy alternatives as well as menu labeling information," said California Restaurant Association spokesman Daniel Conway.

The health-care reform legislation has a menu-labeling provision designed to provide consumers with more information about restaurant food. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking comments on the new menu-labeling measure.

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