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I am proud to announce that SB 918 has been signed into law. The bill updates California’s outdated drive-through restaurant regulations, giving businesses more flexibility to serve customers safely and efficiently while maintaining food-safety protections.
California’s existing rules were designed around small, traditional drive-through windows and have not kept pace with newer restaurant designs. These restrictions can limit how efficiently restaurants serve customers, particularly as drive-throughs have expanded to accommodate more vehicles and increased demand.
SB 918 fixes this problem by allowing restaurants to use larger, modern service openings adjacent to the drive-through lanes that make it easier and safer for employees to serve customers directly from the building. This will reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers for businesses while preserving safeguards that keep food preparation areas protected.
The update will also help restaurants serve multiple drive-through lanes more efficiently, speeding up service, keeping lines moving, and reducing the potential for vehicles to back up around restaurant entrances and onto nearby streets.
The idea for SB 918 came directly from a small restaurant owner in my district who shared how the state’s outdated requirements were creating challenges for their business. That experience helped inspire a practical solution that can now benefit restaurants across California.
Good policy means finding practical solutions that work for everyone. SB 918 cuts unnecessary red tape for businesses and helps make service safer for employees and more convenient for customers. It is a commonsense change that makes it a little easier to do business in California.
SB 918 received bipartisan support and no opposition.
It is a privilege to be your State Senator. Thank you for this opportunity to be of service.