In 1949 Ott's of San Francisco was the world largest drive-in

 

MORE THAN 7000 meals a day, each piping hot and cooked to order, pour out of the two gleaming kitchens of the world's biggest drive-in restaurant. Located near downtown San Francisco, the colossal eatery covers 1 1/8 acres of land and employs 176 people including four traffic policemen who flag the customers into the correct spot in the 250-car parking area. 

Patrons can dine in their cars, enter the restaurant for booth or counter service, or linger over their meals in an enclosed patio. There's also a cocktail bar. For the staff there are a private dining room and two dressing rooms complete with showers. 

Enjoy music with your dinner? Just hand the carhop a nickel and tell her what number you want on the master juke box. Then tune in the music on your own car radio—it's broadcast from the drive-in's short-range transmitter. 

The two kitchens double the capacity of the establishment. Air pumped into the kitchens is filtered, all dishes are kept warm by hot air and glasses are chilled by refrigeration. When the cook slides an order across the delivery counter to be picked-up by a waitress, it's kept warm by a battery of overhead infrared lamps. 

Inside the kitchens are all sorts, of new wrinkles, for speeding service to the eat-and-run patrons. One machine molds hamburger patties at a rate of 800 per hour, while another automatically slices buns at a rate of 1000 per hour. Automatic dishwashers and sterilizing equipment help keep the kitchens spic and span. 

An intercommunitation system with eight stations scattered over the restaurant keeps the owner in touch with all his departments. The coin-operated music sysetem has 21 outlets spaced to avoid excessive blaring or dead spots. 

Ott's also caters to the businessman who wants to tote home a dinner to the wife and children. He can call the restaurant from the office and place his order for the evening meal. By the time he arrives at the drive-in, the food will be waiting in a box, piping hot and ready to go. 

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images and info provided by the Popular Mechanics Archive | Zetu Harrys Collection