Reading's Drive-Thru Scene Expands Rapidly!

Drive-thru spots are on the up in Reading - three new sites opened in the past three years and more are planned.

They let customers grab food and drink without leaving the car, handy for commuters and busy people. For businesses they boost sales and can cut operating costs compared with dine-in sites.

New openings include Starbucks at Reading Link Retail Park (May 2023), Greggs on Bath Road (March last year) and Five Guys at the Showcase, Winnersh (January).

Before these, Reading already had five McDonalds, two KFCs, three Costa cafes and a Burger King offering drive-thru service.

More may be coming: plans have been submitted for a Starbucks drive-thru on Scours Lane near the Norcot junction in West Reading. The company won permission for a totem sign featuring its green and white siren logo and an advert for Zest ultra rapid EV charging on Friday, May 22.

Starbucks has eyed other sites before. A proposed drive-thru at Shepherds Hill, Earley, was rejected by Wokingham Borough Council's planning committee in January 2024. Months later Starbucks opened at Brunel Retail Park in October of that year.

Recent closures suggest a shift from the cafe model: its spots at The Oracle Riverside and a kiosk in the shopping centre shut in April 2024 and last year respectively. The short-lived Brunel Retail Park cafe closed about 12 months after opening in October last year.

Drive-thru locations around Reading by brand:

McDonalds: Forbury Retail Park, Reading Gate Retail Park, Bath Road, Oxford Road, The Square, Lower Earley.

KFC: Forbury Retail Park, Reading Gate Retail Park, Reading Retail Park, Oxford Road.

Costa Coffee: Reading Gateway, Suttons Business Park, Lower Earley, Reading Road, Winnersh.

Burger King: Reading Gateway.

Five Guys: Showcase Cinema, Winnersh.

Greggs: Bath Road.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter