Motorists on the go have one hand on the steering wheel-the other on a hamburger
Illustration by Leo Michael
by David R. Black
Critics' charges that eating hamburgers may be hazardous to a person's health are well-documented. But the greatest hazard of all may not be what's in the hamburger, but who's eating it-and where he or she is eating it.
With consumers continually being pressed for time or seeking privacy, the automobile has become a new-age restaurant. Longer commutes coupled with an ever-increasing number of fast-food, drive-through windows has made the sight of a person driving 60 miles per hour on a freeway, steering wheel in one hand and Big Mac in the other, rather common.
NPD Group, a Chicago-based tracking firm, estimates that one of every 10 meals purchased in a restaurant in 1994 was eaten in a car. That's up 25 percent from a decade ago. And drive-thru customers account for 55 percent of restaurant sales where the service is available.
"When you are racing against the clock, you don't have time to sit down and enjoy a meal in a restaurant," points out Bob Gerald, a Cleveland-based computer software salesman. "Time is money."
Gerald calls himself a veteran of dining and riding as his job finds him on the road constantly. It is not surprising for Gerald, whose selling region stretches between Chicago and Philadelphia, to put 2,000 miles a week on his car.
On the same day, he might be in Pittsburgh during the morning and Columbus, Ohio, during the afternoon. Consequently, time is of the essence.
"It's extremely convenient," Gerald notes. "Almost every freeway exit has a McDonald's or Burger King. Fast-food restaurants are all over the turnpikes. That's what they are there for."
People who travel long distances for their jobs are not the only ones caught up in dining and driving.
Anthony Franklin has about a 30-minute commute between home and his downtown Cleveland workplace. But the relatively short commute does not deter him from stopping at McDonald's each morning for a sausage biscuit sandwich, hash browns and coffee before turning onto the freeway.
"It has almost become a habit; I don't even think about stopping, I just do it," he says.
What about safety concerns? After all, eating behind the wheel can be potentially dangerous. While it does not calculate accidents that directly involve eating in cars, the National Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 7 percent of fatal car crashes in 1992 (the most recent figures available) were attributed to inattentive behavior, which includes eating and talking on cellular telephones.
Franklin is not concerned. "I don't really worry about that; I'm a careful driver," he says. "You look out on the freeway and you see many people doing the same thing [dining and driving]. I think it all makes us pay attention a little more."
Can a person actually enjoy a meal when attention is divided between eating and the road? "It may not be the most nutritional way to eat, but [the meal] hits the spot," Franklin adds.
Andrea Kartson considers her car her castle. Spending time in her car gives her an opportunity to calm down from the daily stress of her job as a financial analyst. One way she calms down is to have a hamburger and french fries.
"I've eaten in my car ever since I began to drive," she says. "It's nice to get in the car, relax and have a bite to eat. It takes my mind off the problems of the moment."
New marketing avenue
Some food companies have gotten into the dine-and-drive spirit.
Burger King Corp., the nation's No. 2 fast-food restaurant, is testing a new pocket-like sandwich wrapper that is easier to pick up and put down-a key element when eating in stop-and-go traffic. Southland Corp., operator of 7-Eleven convenient stores, is experimenting with a grilled chicken breast sandwich and a breakfast sausage sandwich, both shaped like hot dogs.
But dine and drive does not excite all fast-food makers. McDonald's discourages food consumption while driving because of the safety aspects, a spokesman for the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company says.
Automakers, though, have somewhat succumbed to the dine-and-drive craze. Most new models contain built-in cup holders, although spokesmen for the Big Three automakers say there are no plans to add eating trays to vehicles, citing safety and technical reasons.
But some experts say it will only be a matter of time before a tray for eating is standard issue on automobiles-perhaps in the compartment between the two front seats. They say a decade ago no one would have believed that automakers would put in cup-holders.
"Ten years ago, drink holders were unheard of, but now everybody has them," points out Christopher Cedergren, a consultant with AutoPacific Group Inc. "The next step will be making some place to put food."
That would suit Gerald just fine.
"I think it is just giving consumers what they want," he points out. "A lot of us want to eat while we are driving. That's part of life. Some automaker will be the first [to place an eating tray in a car]. When that happens, everyone will follow