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In a win for fast-food fanatics, QSR Magazine and In Touch Insights have joined forces to unveil their latest study on drive-thru performance. This year’s edition, the “2nd Edition Emerging Experience Study,” compares the speed and efficiency of prototype drive-thrus against established, traditional locations of ten leading quick-service restaurants (QSRs).
The study found that fast food chains are on average getting speedier (dropping 29 seconds from the ordering time) at serving customers in the drive-thru, but not all chains are hitting a slam dunk. McDonald’s was ranked as having the slowest drive-thru service time.
The study, conducted between January and February 2024, employed mystery shoppers to visit a total of 900 locations across the US at 10 chains; Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’, Hardee’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s.
Each brand had three visits: one to a brand-new, innovative drive-thru prototype and two to legacy locations in the same geographic area. This approach allowed researchers to assess the effectiveness of new technologies and layouts in expediting service.
The Chains With The Fastest Drive-Thru
- Taco Bell
- Chick-Fil-A
- KFC
- Carl’s Jr.
- Arby’s
- Dunkin’ Donuts
- Wendy’s
Further findings
- In-store kiosk ordering: This explores how the implementation of self-service kiosks affects order speed and customer satisfaction.
- Mobile ordering for drive-thru pickup: This examines the efficiency of picking up pre-ordered meals at the drive-thru without needing to interact with an employee at the speaker box.
- Mobile ordering for the window: Similar to the above, but focusing on mobile orders retrieved directly at the pick-up window.
- Drive-thru experiences: This likely encompasses the overall speed, accuracy, and friendliness of service encountered throughout the traditional drive-thru experience.
Fast food chains are always on the look-out to improve service time like by adding AI to take orders, and kiosks to free up employees time for other tasks.
One McDonald’s clocked over 356 customers in the drive-thru in one hour from the previous year, but it wasn’t enough to put the chain in the fastest category.
The final results, expected to be released soon, will reveal which QSR chains boast the fastest and most streamlined drive-thrus, both in their new prototypes and established locations. This information is valuable not only for hungry consumers on the go, but also for restaurant chains looking to optimize their drive-thru operations for customer satisfaction.
