Buzz
Craving a quick bite? Chain restaurant drive-thrus are hard to top for convenience, though wait times can vary depending on your choice.
In QSR magazine's annual drive-thru study, data was gathered from 1491 drive-thru locations across June and July at different times. The findings revealed Taco Bell as the fastest, with an average drive-thru time of 278.84 seconds (just over 4.5 minutes). Carl’s Jr. followed closely at 303.74 seconds, with KFC trailing slightly at 303.95 seconds.
It’s important to note that these averages were influenced by drive-thru traffic. As QSR highlights, this is why Chick-fil-A often appears slower. “Chick-fil-A handles significantly more cars than most competitors,” the report states. In fact, when comparing wait times relative to the number of cars, Chick-fil-A outperforms Taco Bell by 48.32 seconds.
While speed is crucial, accuracy is equally vital when grabbing a drive-thru meal. Chick-fil-A led the pack with 92% order accuracy, followed closely by Burger King at 90% and McDonald’s at 88%. Despite being the fastest, Taco Bell ranked seventh with 85% accuracy.
Check out the top 10 restaurants ranked by average drive-thru speed below, and explore more insights from QSR’s detailed analysis here.
- Taco Bell: 278.84 seconds
- Carl’s Jr.: 303.74 seconds
- KFC: 303.95 seconds
- Arby’s: 319.64 seconds
- Dunkin’: 321.10 seconds
- Hardee’s: 336.15 seconds
- Wendy’s: 343.07 seconds
- Burger King: 351.38 seconds
- McDonald’s: 413.06 seconds
- Chick-fil-A: 436.09 seconds
