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Drive-thru Device for the Hearing Impaired Save Email Print
Posted: 11:18 PM Aug 30, 2007
Last Updated: 11:26 PM Aug 30, 2007
Reporter: Mary Rinzel
Email Address: mary.rinzel@weau.com

A | A | A

If you're rushing around and your stomach is growling, racing through a drive-thru might be your best bet. But, what if that wasn't an option?

For millions of people who are hard-of-hearing, it isn't and a local restaurant is trying to change that.

Besides burgers and fries, one Culver's is now serving up a special kind of service to make its drive-thru accessible to everyone.

“Hi! How are ya?” asks Culver’s Manager Shaun O’Meara as he walks up to car parked in the drive-thru.

Door to door service is the latest in customer service at the Culver’s in Menomonie.

"Just fill out this order form and bring it up," O'Meara tells the customer.

Managers say its a nice way to help the hard-of-hearing.

"It's real convenient,” O'Meara says. “They can just drive up and push a button. It rings a bell inside and someone runs out."

But members of the Hearing Loss Association of Western Wisconsin, or HLAWW, say it's much more.

"You can't hear from the inside because it's so scratchy,” says Gayle Dodge, who is hearing impaired. “So this way you don't have to be embarrassed about ordering."

Or skip the ordering all together.

"I do,” says HLAWW Member Mary Jane Griffin laughing. “Unless I have somebody with me who can translate what they're saying."

That's exactly what managers at Culver’s don't want to happen. And why they installed the $600 device.

"It's taking the barriers down to anyone that wants to can order in the drive-thru," says O'Meara.

And HLAWW members say they'll be pulling trough the drive-thru whenever they're in town.

"I would definitely stop in on meeting night to grab something quick to eat," says Griffin.

"I would probably choose this restaurant to eat just because of the feature," says Dodge.

Culver's workers say so far there hasn't been a lot of people pushing the new button. But, they hope once word spreads, they'll be running menus out the door on a regular basis.

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Posted by: Deborah Ann Mow Location: Greeeley, CO on Sep 12, 2007 at 11:20 AM
That's wonderful. My daughter who is in the training for the assistant manager at Culver's Restaurant. My family and I love Culver's restaurant and it becomes our family! We know their workers and owner of Culver's...we come in and sign, "hello"...They know we are deaf and we come to Culver's once a week for a meal but for snack....we also come for snack. Like two times a week. When I drive through, my baby was sleeping...no way I can come in and order the meal..How can I hold the baby and the food..So I chose to drive through and let my baby sleep in his carseat..I have no heart to leave him alone in the parking lot if I had to come in and order. People at Culver's know me very well and they are very friendly, I have a order written already at the window, but sadly the drivers behind me were not happy with that. I think the button for Deafies to push is a wonderful idea and I will have to spread the news to every one. I already printed it out and show it to Culver's in Greeley!

Posted by: velanita Location: charleston, south carolina on Sep 8, 2007 at 04:19 PM
i think that is very wonderful to insall the devices for all resturants in my home town becuz we are very tired of writing on the notes and i do see they just laughing becuz we cant talk to order the foods....and people behind us not seems happy cuz we waste thier time that we write on the notes and give to person...we got fed up so i did drive thur one time and i write the ordes on the paper then i pull up to the window and someone closed the window and wont open so i gave the paper to the window and person look and read then open it i did told i am deaf cant speak on speaker so they take my orders what i wants and got it done i did looked behind my car and i do see long line waiting on me to move out the way..that is suck so the resturants need the special devices to instal and have them to understnd how the deafs can speed up the order and get it done faster in the futures...just please send the infomations and mail to all the resturants i hope they will accept and buy it.

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