The Shortest And Longest Fast Food Chains Drive-Thru Wait Times

If you've ever wondered how your favorite fast food restaurants stack up against one another when it comes to drive-thru wait times, QSR magazine has just released a report that provides that info and much more. Offering insight on favorites from Chick-fil-A to McDonald's, the 2022 QSR Drive-Thru Report includes data on speed of service, order accuracy, customer service, and other categories.

To create this year's report, the publication surveyed more than 1,000 consumers who had visited at least one drive-thru in the previous 30 days.

When it comes to one of the most critical of categories, Speed of Service, many fast foodies might be surprised to discover that Chick-fil-A had the longest average service time with 325.47 seconds (just over five minutes). But on the contrary, Chick-fil-A ranked the highest when it came to customer service, scoring 88 percent in the Friendly category.

Matt Abercrombie, Chick-fil-A’s senior director of service and hospitality, spoke with QSR about the restaurant's prioritization of hospitality when it comes to drive-thru service.

“We believe that looking eye-to-eye with the customer allows for a connection that happens at the beginning of the drive-thru," said Abercrombie.

Those who have ever breezed through the Taco Bell drive-thru might find it less surprising that the restaurant had the shortest Speed of Service at 221.99 seconds, about three and a half minutes.

The full Speed of Service (in seconds) list can be found below: