From coffee to prescription drugs, Americans love making a purchase from the comfort of their vehicle. But when it comes to speed of service, not all drive-thrus are equal.
A new study from Intouch Insights and QSR Magazine tested the wait time at drive-thrus in three categories: classic fast food restaurants, chicken restaurants, and beverages.
One hundred sixty-five mystery shoppers across the United States visited the various drive-thrus at different times and on different days of the week between June and July 2025 to gather research for the study.
Among the classic restaurants, Taco Bell took the crown for the fifth year in a row with an average total time spent in the drive-thru of 4:16. Taco Bell was followed by Arby’s (4:32), Wendy’s (4:53), Burger King (6:02) and McDonald’s (6:03).
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Taco Bell has recently revamped its order-taking system by deploying AI at over 500 drive-thrus.
“For our customers, AI is delivering more relevant communications and helping customers find more great food options across our menu, more quickly,” Dane Mathews, Taco Bell’s global chief digital and technology officer, told QSR. “Over time, AI will be at the center of orchestrating Taco Bell’s drive-thru transformation for both customers and team members.”
When it comes to chicken orders, KFC was the clear winner (4:21), followed by Raising Cane’s (6:23), Popeyes (6:50), and Chick-fil-A — America’s favorite fast food chain for 11 years running — which had the slowest drive-thru time of 7:06.
As for beverages, Tim Hortons was the fastest (4:25), followed by Dunkin’ (5:09), Starbucks (6:13) and Dutch Bros (6:22).
While fast food chains work to streamline their operations, for many Americans drive-thru times are less important than one other factor: the price. According to one survey, nearly 8 in 10 Americans said they now view fast food as a “luxury.”
