What should I check about the drive-thru before buying a fast food restaurant?

For many quick-service restaurants the drive-thru is the busiest door, and it belongs to the site as much as to the brand. Two units under the same banner can have lanes that work very differently. Walk it, time it and read the paperwork behind it before you rely on the sales numbers. Treat each item below as a question for the seller, and write down what you cannot confirm.

Start with the lane itself

Go at the busiest times and watch. Count how many cars fit between the entrance and the order board before traffic backs onto the street or into the parking lot. Note where the lane bends, whether a delivery truck can block it, and how cars leave. A lane that spills onto a public road creates problems that no staffing change fixes. Ask whether the franchisor has ever flagged the layout.

Read who controls the access

Ask whether the lane crosses land the franchisee does not own. Ask your lawyer to read the lease and any shared-access or easement terms: who maintains the pavement, who clears snow, whether a neighbour can change the entrance, and what happens if the landlord redevelops the lot. Ask whether the municipality has approved the layout as built. If the layout raises a permit question, ask the municipality.

Test the numbers and the equipment

Ask for the speed-of-service timer reports and the share of sales that comes through the window, by daypart. Then check what keeps that window moving: headsets, order boards, menu boards, payment terminals and the staff on shift. Ask what hours the lane runs and whether late-night coverage depends on one or two people. If you are weighing how well the kitchen supports it, see this answer on checking kitchen equipment.

• Timer reports by daypart, not one average
• Share of sales through the window, compared with counter and delivery
• Lease or site-plan terms covering the lane, signs and shared access
• Age and service history of headsets, boards and terminals