Who’s America’s favorite drive thru? FoodserviceResults studied consumer satisfaction across a range of metrics like speed, accuracy, and customer service at 17 limited-service companies. Taking all metrics into account, the winner is perhaps no surprise: Chick-fil-A gave the most satisfaction in every category except Menu Item Availability. While its lines may be long, there’s no denying Chick-fil-A is a step above when it comes to drive-thru service—and customers notice. (The below figures represent percentage of customers who were highly or somewhat satisfied by brand drive-thru experiences.)
| DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-A | 93 | 93 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 94 | 95 |
| Arby's | 91 | 91 | 87 | 82 | 93 | 92 | 91 |
| Culver's | 91 | 91 | 90 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 89 |
| Panera Bread | 91 | 89 | 92 | 93 | 91 | 92 | 91 |
| Dunkin' | 90 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 87 |
| Wendy's | 90 | 90 | 86 | 84 | 90 | 91 | 90 |
| Dairy Queen | 89 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 88 | 89 | 92 |
| Hardee's/Carl's Jr. | 89 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 89 | 87 | 90 |
| Starbucks | 89 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 93 |
| Burger King | 87 | 86 | 82 | 76 | 88 | 88 | 88 |
| Checkers/Rally's | 86 | 86 | 76 | 78 | 86 | 89 | 84 |
| Taco Bell | 86 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 88 | 84 | 88 |
| Jack in the Box | 84 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 88 | 84 | 84 |
| Bojangles | 83 | 85 | 81 | 76 | 85 | 89 | 89 |
| McDonald's | 83 | 85 | 82 | 81 | 84 | 85 | 84 |
| KFC | 82 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 83 | 84 | 83 |
| Popeyes | 80 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 82 | 85 | 85 |
2020 QSR drive-thru performance study Methodology
The FoodserviceResults team conducted a comprehensive, nationally representative survey of drive-thru consumers in the U.S. using an online survey sample. Participants in the research were screened for frequency of use as well as numerous demographic characteristics in order to ensure that the respondent base was reflective of the U.S. drive-thru market.
Leveraging insights from numerous industry experts, the finalized survey was completed among 1,007 drive-thru consumers during fieldwork. To ensure a relevant respondent base was achieved, all participants were screened to include those who had at least one drive-thru occasion in the last 30 days. An extensive cross tabulation of the respondent sample data was conducted in order to identify major trends, demographic/behavioral themes, and other nuances in the data.
