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Is this the future of fast food?

There haven’t been many advancements in fast food drive-thru design . . . other than stuff like digital screens to quickly check your order, and re-routing the line to keep…

Taco Bell
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

There haven't been many advancements in fast food drive-thru design . . . other than stuff like digital screens to quickly check your order, and re-routing the line to keep it from spilling into the street.

But Taco Bell is opening a new drive-thru "concept" in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota TODAY . . . and it's a glimpse into the future.  There are two main perks:

There are four lanes, and each has a special designation.  Two are only for customers who pre-ordered through the app . . . one is dedicated to delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash . . . and one is for traditional orders.

To handle four lanes, the building is two stories, and you actually drive below a portion of the second floor.  And instead of your food being handed to you through a window, it's sent DOWN to you in a mini elevator called a "vertical lift."

These new drive-thrus are called "Taco Bell Defy," and while there's nothing EARTH-SHATTERING about the design, the idea is to reduce service times for drive-thru orders to under TWO MINUTES, and this could do that.  Oh, and it's all about drive-thru at "Taco Bell Defy."  There's no indoor dining.

Jim O'Brien is the Host of "Big Jim's House" Morning Show at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit. Jim spent eight years in the U.S. Naval Submarine Service, has appeared on Shark Tank (Man Medals Season 5 Ep. 2), raised over two million dollars for local charities and is responsible for Glenn Frey Drive and Bob Seger Blvd in the Motor City. Jim's relationship with Classic Rock includes considering Bob Seger, Phil Collen from Def Leppard, Wally Palmer of the Romantics and many others good friends. Jim writes about ‘80s movies, cars, weird food trends and “as seen on TikTok” content.