Cellular Phone, Hold the Mayo

Los Angeles--indeed, the world--gets its first drive-through cellular telephone store today with the opening of Cellular Specialists on North La Brea in West Los Angeles.

The store, brainchild of Bob Neman, offers on-the-go cellular shoppers one-stop service for their portable telephone needs without, as Neman says, time-consuming delays or high-pressure sales tactics.

It is modeled after a fast-food restaurant and sends waitress-like order takers to the parking lot with menus listing daily specials. Shoppers select a model and wait during a credit check for a mobile telephone number from PacTel Cellular.

Prices, while comparable to those charged by the large electronics emporiums across Southern California, run somewhat higher.

What else do they get? While they wait for their phones, customers are offered a cup of steaming cappuccino. This is, after all, L.A.