About Kate & DriveThruDaily
A very small, deliberately-personal fast-food blog run out of Nashville, Tennessee, by one full-time writer and a rotating cast of friends who like eating in cars.
Who I am
Hi. I'm Kate Ollinger. I've been writing about food professionally, in various forms, since 2013 — first as a line cook and food-service worker in Nashville and Chattanooga, then as a freelance food writer, then briefly as a marketing copywriter for a national restaurant-industry trade magazine (which is where I learned to read a franchise disclosure document over morning coffee). I quit that job in early 2022 and started DriveThruDaily as a side project. It slowly grew into what it is now: a full-time newsletter and blog about American fast food, published on a Tuesday-Thursday cadence, funded by display advertising and a small paid-subscriber tier for archive access.
Why fast food
Fast food is the most-eaten cuisine in America and one of the least-seriously-reviewed. Nearly every major food publication treats quick-service restaurants either as a punchline or as a source of nostalgic thinkpieces. Neither approach helps anyone decide whether to spend nine dollars at the Arby's drive-thru this Wednesday. DriveThruDaily is my attempt to take the category seriously — as food, as commerce, and as a piece of American everyday life — while also, hopefully, being fun to read.
How the reviews work
Every review on this site is based on food I bought at full price, with my own money, from a location I chose without giving the restaurant any warning that a reviewer was coming. I do not accept sponsored posts, brand-comped meals, media junkets, or affiliate commissions. When a chain reaches out with a launch-event tasting invitation, I decline and go to a regular store on my own dime. I aim for at least two visits before I publish a review, though for major menu items I usually do three or more.
I take my own photos. When I need a photo I couldn't take (a stock image of a storefront, for example), I use licensed Unsplash or Pexels imagery and note it in the caption. I do not use AI-generated images or AI-generated text in reviews.
The rotating guest crew
A few friends contribute guest reviews now and then. When they do, they're bylined by name and they follow the same rules I do: full-price, no comps, two-visit minimum. Currently the crew is Marcus Delgado (Nashville), Priya Bhattacharya (Atlanta) and Sam Tolliver (Austin).
Where the money comes from
DriveThruDaily is supported by display advertising served through Google Ads and by a very small optional paid-subscriber tier that unlocks the searchable archive of older reviews. That's it. No brand deals, no sponsored posts, no affiliate revenue. I break down the numbers in a bit more detail on the Ad Disclosure page.
Where to find me
Email is the best way to reach me: kate@drivethrudaily.example. I read everything, though I don't always reply quickly. For business enquiries or advertising, see the Contact page.
DriveThruDaily is operated by Kate Ollinger LLC, a single-member LLC registered in the State of Tennessee. Mailing address on the Contact page.