I was reading about this in the Globe earlier.

Plans were submitted in July to knock down a few shops in Birkenhead town centre (opposite The John Laird Pub) for a drive through restaurant.



https://planning.wirral.gov.uk/onli...b=summary&keyVal=_WIRRA_DCAPR_101952
Reference: APP/17/00982

I don't have strong opinions on this but I thought it was pretty interesting.

Interesting. Wonder if parking will be free?

So one minute, we're accused of being 'fat Wirral'. next they plan to open a drive through restaurant with all the additives and gunge in the pre-prepared foods for microwaves ?

Is it to be called The Healthy Option ?

No difference between selling junk food in a restaurent and selling it in a supermarket, no need to blame it on someone trying to run a business.

I would be dead if it wasn't for junk food

Ah but Ah ! We don't have to buy junk food in a supermarket.

You don't have to buy junk food at a drive-through?

I wouldn't shed a tear if they demolished the whole of the Pyramids. But it seems an odd place to put a drive-through.

It won't get much passing trade like, say, somewhere along the A41 might, particularly if were associated with a filling station. There is very little in Birkenhead to attract anyone there in the evenings either. Shoppers in the day generally shop on foot and there are plenty of fast food establishments and pie shops around anyway. Why choose a drive-through?

Sounds like optimism bordering on lunacy to me, but good luck to them.

I think if Burger king put a drive through there they would do a whopping trade as an alternative to Maccies.

I suspect fast food depends heavily on passing trade. If the passing trade is on foot, the 'drive in' facility is not an attraction. For motorists to take advantage of it in this location, they have to make a conscious decision to drive there. I doubt many will. There is no passing traffic to speak of where it is proposed and it's not exactly a visually attractive area in which to sit in the car park to eat your grease burger either.

I've no retail experience, so could be quite wrong. Wild horses would not induce me to eat in the horrible 'food court' either, but obviously many do!

Both Rock Retail Park McDonald's drive-through and Bromborough's do very well and are usually busy.

KFC have drive-throughs at Tranmere and Bromborough as well.

I prefer drive-throughs than the horrifying experience inside, the sound of an engine running is much more preferable to kids screaming and teen dramatics.

The Maccies in Upton draws a lot of late night clientelle in the younger age bracket. Its a place they hang out and show off their flash Corsas.

I went there once.

I thought it was a place to show off my flash corsets

Forgot about Upton McD's and I've been there at night in my Corsa, quite a lot of the car crew aren't that young any more

The important question is surely whether these clients are going to drive into the centre of Birkenhead to eat their junk food? I suspect not. Too many traffic lights and downtown Birkenhead has few if any other attractions.

Maybe it's part of Frank Field's "Feed Birkenhead" campaign. Just wondering.

The car parks are full enough which shows there are ample people and cars in the area. The McDonald's at Charing Cross is a very busy store. I'm sure McDonald's have done their homework, its not often they close a restaurant through misjudgement.

Mentioning Charing Cross, I wonder why it hasn't got a double "r" or do we just mispronounce it?