Dashboard Dining

The Pragmatists Answer to Eating on the Go

We might not want to admit it, but how many of us - exhausted after a hard day’s work -  indulge ourselves with a trip through the nearest fast food drive-thru so we can get home and enjoy the comforts of our own bath, bed, or couch? With Americans now spending more than 100 hours a year commuting to work, it is no surprise that the dashboard is quickly replacing the dinner table for many. In fact, a recent survey by Taco Bell revealed that nearly a third of Americans eat in their cars at least once or twice a week.

What's more, car manufacturers heard our cries and are now responding to this trend. During the past 10 years, minivans have gone from two cup holders to 12 or more, including special rectangular ones for drink boxes. Other cars are adding "car coolers," and the armrest tray in the 2003 Toyota 4Runner is unofficially referred to as the "Burger King tray.

Since a majority of fast food business comes through the drive thru (nearly 70 percent of Taco Bell business), many companies have put a large focus on developing portable menu items that are convenient for consumers to eat on the go. Sixty-eight percent of survey respondents said they eat in their cars to save time, with their largest concern being messiness, trash and spills that come with eating on the go.

A number of these self-contained, "on the go" products were put to the test as part of an independent survey conducted by Kelton Research. The Dashboard Dining Index rated the following menu items on key factors, including messiness, drips or crumbs, number of napkins used and whether the product could be eaten with one hand:

* Chicken Tenders (Burger King)
* Chicken McNuggetsR (McDonald's)
* Crunchwrap SupremeT (Taco Bell)
* Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger (Wendy's)
* Tuna Wrap (SUBWAY)

In case you’re wondering which item is the safest for your interior, the majority of car passengers (85 percent) rated the Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme as the most ideal "Eat On-The-Go" menu item. McDonald's chicken McNuggets, the Subway Tuna Salad Wrap, Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and Burger King's Chicken Tenders followed respectively.