Old-School Car Hops Make a Comeback in the Age of Social Distancing

As cities inch toward reopening restaurants, many Americans still feel uncomfortable with dining out.Thankfully, there are ways to dine out, and one of those ways—sitting in your car—is brought to you by the car hop.The car hop, a model of dining where the server brings your food to your car window, is taking off.A new study suggests that Sonic Drive-In has become Americans' most preferred fast-food restaurant since mid-March.And many other restaurants are adopting the '50s-style service feature for the first time.In New Jersey, Brownstone Pancake Factory's servers bring the dishes out on trays that attach to cars' windows.The problem with takeout is that you get cold food by the time it gets home. Here, in the parking lot, we can modify food and offer refills. Complete service, Mohamed "Mo" Maaty,Happy Day's Family Bistro.At Houston restaurant The Butler House, they'll even bring wine pairings right to your car window.And many of the restaurants that have converted their parking lots into drive-in movie theaters are doing car-side service