Drive Thru in Style | Abu Dhabi UAE [Market Friday]

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Abu Dhabi, UAE

15 years ago, when I set foot here in this foreign land, one of the first things (apart from the weather) that I noticed was the stark difference at how people here tend to buy things. I mean simple things like a can of soda, cigarette, an emergency ingredient for your cooking, etc.

In the Philippines, where I came from, when we need something, we walk up to a nearby sari-sari (convenience) store and personally get what we need. Here, we just call the shop and ask them to deliver. And yes, they would deliver even just a single can of soda if that's all that you need. That still stands true up to now.

The same can be said for food. There are now lots of food delivery services that we can call to enjoy our favorite restaurant/fast food at home.

But this is not what I want to talk about today.

Why don't we talk about Drive-Thru?

We are mostly familiar with fast food drive-thrus like McDonalds or Starbucks, or Jollibee in the Philippines. There's a lane where we can find a menu, talk to an attendant over the intercom and wait for our order at the end of the lane.

Here in Abu Dhabi, almost all fast food shops have "drive thru". However, it is not a single dedicated lane for ordering food. It could be a whole block of street or parking area.

There are some streets where the whole block would be lined with coffee shops, burger joints, or shawarma shops. When you happen to pass by these blocks at night, do not be surprised when you find lots of car parked around the area.

Airport Road, Abu Dhabi

Nothing special going on, just people trying to get dinner!

Don't get jumpy when a you hear cars honking here and there. They're not honking at you. They're trying to call the food attendants to place their orders.

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See that guy in white shirt standing next to the Pajero? That's a food attendant taking a customer's order. The customer would then wait for his food at the comfort of his car.

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These guys on the other hand are waiting for their would be customers.

These shops normally have very small seating capacity that people especially locals, just prefer to drive by and buy their take-aways. These also benefit the local ladies, who, culturally would not sit in a crowd with lots of men. In a normal restaurant setting here, there would be "family areas" where ladies can sit and dine. These small joints obviously do not have that option.

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Though, there are some restaurants that still have that "drive-thru" option even if they have enough seating, like Salt.

This Salt branch is located just outside the Umm Al Emarat Park. People come here for their very delicious beef sliders! Yumm! And! Don't forget the oh so yummy Lotus Shakes. Anyway, they have ample space for dine in, but a lot still just drive thru to place their orders.

Outdoor seating at Salt, Abu Dhabi

They have outdoor seating, too, but since the weather is not yet conducive, nobody eats here. They wait for their food inside.

But some would not want to dine in, especially during these times when people would like to minimize contact with others as much as possible. These people are the ones who "drive through".

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Who park with their headlights on? Oh, they are not there to park. They are waiting for the food attendants to bring the menu so they can place their orders.

That's it! My #marketfriday contribution for this week. I'm glad to have shared this unique way of buying food in this part of the globe, which I believe is driven by both convenience and culture.

Do you have "market" experiences you'd like to share? Anything where you spend money in exchange for a service or a merchandise? Share away at the Market Friday Community, initiated by @dswigle.

See you!

❤️Arlyn

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I love it! I love all the different ways we can do a drive-thru! I actually had no idea they had that many! I'm with you on the can of soda... the corner store or 7-11, which I guess is technically a corner store... having it delivered like that is a luxury! Do you pay a delivery charge? It would be more than the can of coke!

Interesting in Abu Dhabi what they call a drive-thru, it sounds like all the fast food has the ability to be called a drive-through! And I like the methods the different places use! Do they have the rules written somewhere or are we to assume some way to do it? :)) That is hilarious to have a traffic jam trying to get food.

This was interesting to see! Thank you for showing us the way!!! Culture shock for me! :)) Thank you! I want to thank you for being a part of #MarketFriday! Each week, I post for the challenge to provide a different look of American culture, some of it over the top and some, everyday things. Sometimes, I just show places that I have gone to, all having an entry fee to qualify it for the #MarketFriday tag! It is a challenge to find new things during the pandemic, but, we still have to live, so we have been able to pull it off. It shows off how much we are alike and how different life can be. In the end, it makes it an experience that I look forward to. I appreciate the love and support you give to #MarketFriday! It Is heartwarming to see how many posts into the challenge, including you. Thank you! Truly! Your participation adds a unique flavor to the mix. I just love clicking on the link and having a new world open up, right before my very eyes! Thank you again for being a part of all this! I hope you have a lovely week!

Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:

How to Participate:

Go to the market! Any market will do! Food, clothing, plant, or animal, if you wish. You can go to the zoo, an art auction, and restaurants. Anywhere or anything that you pay money for any kind of service.
Take pictures! Be creative! It’s fun!
Tell us a little bit about the market, what brought you here?
Post the picture.(s)
Don’t forget to use the MarketFriday Community #196308 to post from or hashtag it! #MarketFriday by @dswigle If you hashtag it, drop the link to your post here so I can easily find them.

As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!

Upped and reposted

!tip .20

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Oh, I can't believe it's been two weeks since I posted this, and that I forgot to reply to your comment. 😌

Nope, the shops do not charge extra for the delivery. I don't normally do this though, since I try to get everything I'll need from when I do my grocery shopping. But when it happens that I need something, I go to the shop myself to get what I need.

For the "drive-thru", it could really be noisy (imagine the honking!) but it's a norm here already. Some time back, I heard another city here has banned this kind of practice as it can disrupt the community. Here in Abu Dhabi, I guess it's there to stay. Haha

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