One of the convenient features of fast food restaurants is their drive-thru service. Fast food is already a great option for anyone who needs some sustenance but has little time to spare, and ordering using the drive-thru lane allows people to get what they need without ever leaving their vehicles. What customers may not realize when using commercial drive-thru windows is that such a feature can easily be a health and safety hazard.

When using a drive-thru window, cold weather and contaminants from the outside, such as those from vehicle emissions, can enter the restaurant. This can create an uncomfortable environment for the employees working there, and it can harm the food being prepared. However, there’s a simple way to prevent this occurrence: drive-thru air curtains.

Continue reading to learn about drive-thru air curtains, their advantages and why they are worth getting, and where you can purchase one for your commercial drive-thru windows.

What is a Drive-Thru Air Curtain?

Source: ReadyAccess

A drive-thru air curtain is an appliance that is installed above a drive-thru window that prevents fumes, dust, insects, and other exterior contaminants from entering the restaurant. It also insulates the space by minimizing the amount of heated or air-conditioned air leaving the restaurant.

The appliance blows a stream of air, starting from the top of the window down to the bottom, when the drive-thru window is open. This air movement is what keeps out unwanted elements and keeps in the warmth or cool temperature already established in the restaurant.

What are the Advantages of Drive-Thru Air Curtains?

Safe and Healthy Interior Environment

In any place where cooking and/or food preparation is done, it’s crucial to maintain a healthy and safe environment. This ensures that the food provided to guests and customers is safe to consume and tastes good. Otherwise, you risk harming your customers and losing their business because of unsatisfactory experiences.

Getting an air curtain for your restaurant’s drive-thru windows can help ensure no harmful contaminants from the outside enter through the open window. For example, with a line of cars running right next to the building, car exhaust fumes accumulate in the area, but those harmful gases and chemicals will remain outside if there’s an air curtain installed. Every time the window is open, the air curtain will blow air that keeps outside elements from entering through the open window.

Not only does this keep customers’ food clean and healthy, but it keeps the employees healthy as well. They won’t be exposed to such contaminants and exhaust, meaning they’ll be in better health and more productive.

Energy Efficiency

When drive-thru windows are open, it not only provides an opportunity for any cool or warm weather to enter the building, but it also allows any heated or cooled air from the inside to exit through the window. Because of this, it can be tougher to cool or warm your property to the desired temperature. To counter this, you’ll likely have to set the temperature to something even higher or lower just to get the right temperature. However, this action is costly, because you end up having to overwork the heating/cooling system, resulting in higher energy bills. This additional cost can be avoided with an air curtain.

Source: ReadyAccess

When an air curtain is installed above your commercial drive-thru windows, the air it blows down will keep the indoor temperature and outdoor weather separate from each other and in their place. You will have to spend money on the air curtain, but it will be worth it in the long run compared to the extra money you would have to spend on heating and cooling costs.

Worker Comfort

If employees don’t feel comfortable in their working environment, then it’s going to be a lot tougher for them to work efficiently. And when employees don’t do as good of a job as they could, customers suffer, which harms the business.

Employees who are working at a drive-thru window can easily become uncomfortable because of the outside weather they are exposed to when the window is open. They might inhale harmful car fumes or become cold due to the chilly temperatures present. Business owners can prevent this by having air curtains installed at every commercial drive-thru window.

The air curtain will protect workers from the outside and its elements, ensuring their comfort. Before, workers may have needed to dress in big coats and hats to stay warm during cold days and nights. But this won’t be the case with an air curtain. In fact, some air curtains have a built-in electric heater, so employees can ensure they stay warm when it’s freezing cold outside. Employees also won’t need to worry about being bothered by any insects or car fumes.

Where Can I Get Drive-Thru Air Curtains?

If you are a business owner who wants to take advantage of the features air curtains have to offer, then visit Ready Access to see their selection of drive-thru windows. They offer numerous types and styles of commercial drive-thru windows that include an air curtain, so they can meet whatever needs you’re looking for.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.