Two new McDonalds drive thru lanes at Maidstone, situated in front of the amenity building, left of the entrance. The view wasn’t as clear as my visit was taken during the night. This drive thru snakes around the car park and makes finding the exit more difficult as it’s now much less obvious. Works commenced on adding this drive thru in late 2022, including reconstructing the entrance of the site to be shifted to the right, so the drive thru windows can be installed, & changing the layout of the car park. Since, the parking area is smaller, but the front of the amenity building appears much brighter and newer. The drive thru had a soft launch on the 31st Jan 2023 and has been open ever since. This drive thru lane will ensure the interior of Maidstone doesn’t become overcrowded during busy periods. It’s also suitable for customers who don’t necessarily need to use any other facilities & those who are in a rush as it provides a quicker service in addition to not needing to park and enter the amenity building. Roadchef have opened a few McD drive thru lanes, but these are always served from the amenity building itself and not a separate, stand-alone McDonalds (unlike their Costa Drive Thrus), and not every McDonalds will be easy to build drive thru windows next to. Maidstone’s McDonalds being positioned next to the entrance meant building this drive thru was simple. The concept of drive-thru fast food at motorway services had been uncommon, until the 2020 lockdown when Roadchef opened their first McD drive thru at Durham. Maidstone being an offline site (you are required to leave the M20 at J8) means motorists have to do some travelling before reaching the site, at which point some motorists will find this drive thru futile as they’ve already wasted enough time getting here. I’d say these drive thrus work better for online sites directly off the motorway, but the positioning of McDonalds in amenity buildings means this can’t always be achievable. These drive thru lanes were empty during my visit due to the late time of day & lack of custom at Maidstone. The motorway signposts have been updated to include “Drive Thru” on the McDonalds advertisements for both directions of the M20, so customers can expect to find it here and use it if wanted. This drive thru lane is also advertised lots around the site and clearly marked out, making it simple for those using it.

Photo taken on 09/04/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Maidstone, McDonald's Drive Thru, M20, Roadchef