Relish

A liquor store with a drive-thru window gets you thinking. Making our sins even easier to accomplish -- now that’s a moneymaker.

Located along St. Charles’ main drag, Fifth Street, the Barrel and Bottle has offered drive-thru service for much of its 45-year history.

The drive-thru is a powerful draw. B&B owner Bobby Patel said that he probably does 30 percent of his sales through the window. As one Yelp commenter summed up her fondness for the B&B a few years ago, “I'm not sure what the selection of other alcohol is because I've never been inside. All I know is that there is a drive-through and cold Jaeger. I do not need much else.”

For the last ten years, the perpetually sleepy-eyed Patel has been passing booze, condoms, cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, rolling papers, snacks, several varieties of antacid tablets, an impressive selection of metal flasks, incense sticks, and something called “Pleasure Spray” through the drive-thru window on the side of his business.

(Patel refuses to sell the adult magazines he carries through the window, though. “People need to come inside to choose which one they want,” he said. It is not difficult to imagine all the conversational awkwardness he is able to avoid with this sagacious policy. )

Patel (pictured at end of article) kindly listed some of the practical benefits of the drive-thru window: You can bring your pet to the liquor store, and not have to abandon it in the vehicle while you go inside. If you are physically challenged or infirm, you do not have to stand up and walk. If it is cold and/or icy--or just plain hot--outside, you need not brave the elements. If your favorite song is playing on the radio, listen to it. If you have small children in tow, you can avoid having to explain adult-magazines (for now), and spare Patel the experience of your brood running wild among all the glass bottles.

Often a carful of adventurers will pull up outside the window, he said, and the visitors will initiate a summit of grave import: they must agree on what to buy, and, with their motor running and Patel waiting, their discussion may go for some time. If they were undecided about which burgers to buy at the Jack-in-the-Box, the crew member handling the drive-thru would probably advise them to “Let me know when you’re ready.” The Barrel & Bottle, with a single window, does not have that advantage. “This is not like McDonald’s,” he said, “where you can just get the number two or the number five.” Indeed, Patel must patiently stare at these unprepared drivers until they and their passengers finally agree on whether it is a Busch, Natural Light--or a Jaeger--kind of night.

The B&B offers a modest selection of wines, nearly all less than $20 a bottle, and a nice round-up of beer already chilled in the cooler.

The drive-thru also makes much more sense if you decide to spontaneously “flash your boobs” or take Patel’s photo, he said. The man has an interesting business...and plenty of stories.

The Bottle & Barrel
930 S. Fifth
St. Charles
636-946-3167
Mon-Sat 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.