The Grove Is Letting Customers Literally Drive Through to Pick Up Food on Saturday

Outdoor shopping mall the Grove is preparing to slowly reopen as restrictions to the statewide stay-at-home mandates begin to relax. First up on the agenda: A food-focused drive thru that will let customers actually take their cars right down the walking path, between all the stores, to get a bite to eat.

TimeOut Los Angeles was the first to cover the coming drive-thru setup, which is sure to snarl traffic on Saturday around the famous mall near Third and Fairfax. Thankfully the deep-pocketed folks at Caruso are planning to make this one-off event a charity drive, so it should make some of the inevitable headaches worth the experience. The Caruso group, owned by namesake Rick Caruso, also own and operate Palisades Village, the Americana at Brand, and many other upscale malls around Southern California. The Grove is said to be the highest-trafficked tourist destination on the entire West Coast, doing more annual visitors in a normal year than even Disneyland.

Per TimeOut, the plan is to let cars enter the outdoor mall by way of the valet station area off Grove Drive, wrapping around the famous fountain and over the trolley tracks to land at Falsini’s Maramar To-Go food truck where diners can order burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, tacos, and more. Every meal served from the event will be matched for Para Los Niños, a Skid Row childrens non-profit. The rare event runs from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday only, and the full menu can be found online.

Meanwhile, Angelenos across the city are accommodating a new dining lifestyle that frequently includes the use of their car. From popping the trunk for a picnic on the go, to lining up for hours just for some doughnuts, the car food culture in greater LA has rarely been stronger.

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