Here’s another example of a sign that expects readers to draw the right conclusion:
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It appears outside my local McDonald’s, which is currently undergoing renovation.
The problem with this sign, from my perspective, is that it doesn’t make the conclusion clear for readers. Why should people use the drive through? And what is the link between drive through and renovations?
And, if I want to get picky, why use the awkward ‘due to’, which makes the whole thing seem so stuffy?
Maybe the restaurant itself is closed. Maybe the access to the restaurant is difficult. Maybe the inside is unpleasant because there’s work going on. Maybe there are construction workers everywhere and no room for customers. Maybe the car park is blocked off, so people need to drive through and keep going. Maybe the ‘drive thru’ is the right place to celebrate the renovations!
I wonder whether the sign turns people off going to this McDonald’s, and encourages them to go down the road to a competitor instead?
Or maybe other people don’t get tied up in knots about the meaning of signs, and see it as a friendly suggestion that they might find the drive through more pleasant than the restaurant itself!