In 1947 a restaurant called Red’s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri, opened a window for drivers. It is identified as the first drive-through restaurant.
In 1948 Harry and Esther Snyder opened In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, California. Drivers ordered through a two-way speaker. Nobody left the car.
By the 1970s, drive-throughs had surpassed drive-ins. The format recombined three American things: the car, the road, and the counter.