Report reveals which fast food drive-thrus have the shortest waits and best customer satisfaction

Customers have sounded off about their favorite drive-thrus in the U.S.

The 25th Annual Drive-Thru Study, conducted by Intouch Insight and QSR magazine, looked at 165 shops, part of 13 food brands, across the U.S. between June and July 2025. The 13 brands were divided into three categories: Classic, Chicken, and Beverage.

Customers visited each shop at various times throughout the day and different days of the week to capture which staff members worked the quickest. Other metrics tracked at each shop were: order accuracy, satisfaction and friendliness, food quality, and suggestive selling.

Results found that customers love the drive-thrus at Chick-fil-A and Dutch Bros, which both had an overall satisfaction rate of 98 percent, fueled by the most accurate orders and friendliest staff markers.

Popeyes was a close second, with a 96 percent satisfaction rate, followed by Starbucks, Arby’s, and KFC.

However, customers aren’t as pleased with McDonald’s drive-thrus, which had the lowest customer satisfaction rate of 86 percent. Dunkin’ Donuts and Raising Cane’s were also near the bottom of the list, each with an 87 percent customer satisfaction rate.

The study also examined wait times, or the time elapsed between placing an order and picking it up. This time, Tim Horton’s came in first, with the shortest wait time of 40 seconds, followed by Arby’s with a wait time of 45 seconds.

KFC was in third place at 51 seconds, followed by Dunkin’ Donuts and then Taco Bell.

Popeyes kept their customers waiting for their orders for a while, clocking the longest wait time of two minutes and 13 seconds.

However, Taco Bell offered the quickest overall drive-thru service, with customers spending a total of four minutes and 16 seconds, starting when customers enter the drive-thru line and ending once they exit with their food.

KFC was a close second on this list, with customers spending an average of four minutes and 21 seconds. Meanwhile, employees at Tim Hortons, Arby’s, and Wendy’s also moved quickly, with customers spending less than five minutes at the drive-thru at each brand’s shops.

However, customers at Chick-fil-A spend about seven minutes and six seconds at its drive-thrus overall. This is a bit of a surprise, given that it has the best customer satisfaction rating in the study.

Other metrics looked at how often brands got customers’ orders right. Dutch Bros was in first place with 96 percent accuracy, followed by Tim Horton’s, which had 90 percent accuracy. The top two reasons orders were inaccurate were due to ice modifications or customers receiving the wrong item.

The top friendliest spot was Chick-fil-A, with a score of 93 percent, followed by Dutch Bros in second place and Raising Cane’s in third.