Which fast-food chain is fastest? This study found out

Oct. 19, 2018

Burger King took the crown in QSR magazine’s annual study of the fastest drive-thrus at fast-food chains.

The publication looked at how long diners typically wait between placing and receiving their order.

Burger King came out first, with an average wait of three minutes and 13 seconds. Here’s how the rest stacked up:

10. McDonalds at 4 minutes, 33 seconds.
9. Chick-fil-A at 4 minutes, 20 seconds.
8. Hardee’s  at 4 minutes, 15 seconds.
7. Carl’s Jr. at 4 minutes, 12 seconds.
6. Arby’s at 3 minutes, 57 seconds.
5. Taco Bell at 3 minutes, 56 seconds.
4. Wendy’s at 3 minutes, 45 seconds.
3. KFC at 3 minutes, 38 seconds
2. Dunkin’ Donuts at 3 minutes, 21 seconds
1. Burger King at 3 minutes, 13 seconds.

If you think it’s taking longer to get your order at a drive-thru, you’re right. The average increased by nine seconds. But usage is growing too. According to the study, drive-thru traffic accounts for 70 percent of business at most chains.

“Over the last five years, everybody has seen, as traffic has increased in the drive-thru, times have slowed down,” said Mike Grams, chief operating officer at Taco Bell, in the report. “Items per (transaction) has gone up almost a half item at Taco Bell in the last couple years, which is a great thing, but it also means something else has to be produced with every order.

To read the full report, click here. 

Want to stay in the know?

Get our free business news delivered to your inbox.



Which fast-food chain is fastest? This study found out

Fast food isn’t quite as fast as it used to be. But here’s which chain came out on top in an annual ranking.

News Tip

Have a business news item to share with us?

Scroll to top