HOUSTON – The people are speaking and they’re saying Chick-fil-A has slow drive-thru service -- but those findings come with some nuance, according to a fast-food consumer study by QSR Magazine/Intouch Insights.
In its 2022 Drive-Thru report that included input from more than 1,000 customers, the publication ranked Chick-fil-A the slowest at 325.47 seconds or around five-and-a-half minutes.
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The publication asked people for their experiences on speed, accuracy, and convenience in the drive-thru at a number of selected restaurants.
The fastest, according to those surveyed? Taco Bell. The publication said there is an average wait time of just under four minutes.
This is how all of the restaurants ranked with their wait times, according to the report:
- Taco Bell (221.99 seconds)
- Dunkin’ (238.16 seconds)
- KFC (239.02 seconds)
- Arby’s (261.19 seconds)
- Burger King (266.68 seconds)
- Hardee’s (272.1 seconds)
- Wendy’s (275.82 seconds)
- Carl’s Jr. (289.36)
- McDonald’s (291.3 seconds)
- Chick-fil-A (325.47 seconds)
As WSLS noted in its article, the report also takes other factors into consideration, like the number of cars ahead of the customer in line: “Those results showed that 16% of Chick-fil-A customers were in line with over 10 cars in front of them, while the fastest fast food joint, Taco Bell, had no customers reporting that many cars ahead of them – only 1% of Taco Bell customers said they were behind seven cars.”
QSR said the results were clear-cut, that Chick-fil-A’s drive-thrus were slower because they were busier.
Matt Abercrombie, Chick-fil-A’s senior director of service and hospitality, is quoted in the report as saying the brand has approached drive-thru consistently through COVID-19 — “This idea that we know in the drive-thru the guest wants speed and accuracy, but they don’t want to feel rushed. ... We believe that looking eye-to-eye with the customer allows for a connection that happens at the beginning of the drive-thru.”