Speedy service is the name of the game when it comes to any fast food spot. Yet, the sight of a long line snaking sometimes twice or even three times around the façade of a building harboring our latest cravings has become increasingly familiar to consumers.
Recently, long lines have come due to tempting marketing trends like the Chicken Sandwich Wars, nostalgia food comebacks, or spicy food and sriracha addictions. Time and again, the promise of a cheap yet toothsome meal has summoned Americans from their homes and sent them chasing to the drive-thru.
If you’re looking to avoid clogged drive-thrus in favor of snip-snappy checkouts, QSR’s latest list of the top 10 fast-food franchises could be your meal ticket.
Their 22nd annual Drive-Thru Study is out and draws on 1,500 orders to determine the franchise that delivers the best results on service, speed, and accuracy.
From fastest to slowest, the top 10 drive-thrus are:
- KFC — 302.6 seconds
- Taco Bell — 317.7 seconds
- Hardee’s — 322.6 seconds
- Dunkin’— 328.1 seconds
- Carl’s Jr. — 346.5 seconds
- Arby’s — 356.8 seconds
- Burger King — 362.7 seconds
- McDonald’s — 410.6 seconds
- Wendy’s — 430.7 seconds
- Chick-fil-A — 509.1 seconds
Though Chick-fil-A trailed behind, coming in last as the slowest of the fast-food chain drive-thrus overall, the survey did note that the chain had the fastest average in seconds by cars in line. It also surpassed the other chains for the most average cars in its lines.
In addition, KFC came in with the fastest average total time, Hardee’s with the shortest average wait time, and Taco Bell with the speediest average service time.
The survey also accounted for accuracy by asking consumers if their order was completed correctly while also accommodating special requests. According to the study, this year, McDonald’s and Arby’s tied for the No. 1 spot for order accuracy.
Though favorites like Wendy's and Chick-fil-A came in last as the top fastest fast food drive-thrus, appeared at the highest of the study's food quality component of the survey.
The food quality ranking was based on whether or not the taste of the main dish met expectations and saw Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A tied for first. When it came to the survey's measurement of satisfaction in regard to the level of service, numbers point to a friendly experience as a more important factor to consumers than speed.
Chick-fil-A, Carl’s Jr., Hardees and Arby’s led the highest in scores for satisfaction and friendliness.
Moreover, chains that offered customers friendly staff encounters while meeting expectations of speed and accuracy received high scorers highest in customer satisfaction.
