- Which fast food chains are the fastest and most accurate? Data from Intouch Insight reveals the pros and cons of Chick-Fil-A and which restaurants you’ll want to double-check before you drive away.
While there are few joys that match the euphoria you get by stealing a few French fries out of a meal from the drive-thru, that happiness doesn’t come close to the rage you feel when you get home only to find out the restaurant screwed up your order.
The odds of getting a meal you didn’t quite want, though, aren’t the same at all fast-food locations. Intouch Insight, which has been tracking the speed and accuracy of fast-food drive thrus for a quarter of a century, can offer some insight on where you stand the best odds of order accuracy. The results were reported in the Washington Post.
Chick-Fil-A is the current market leader, with an accuracy rate of 92% averaged over the past six years, the data shows. Burger King and McDonald’s are tied for second at 88%. Arby’s is a bit further behind in fourth place.
As for the other end of the spectrum, KFC holds the lowest six-year average at just 81%. It’s worth noting, though, the chain showed marked improvement in 2024, besting Taco Bell, Wendy’s, and Dunkin—all of which are higher in the six-year average, but still make up the bottom four.
Chick-Fil-A might get your order right, but you’re going to wait a bit longer for that. The chicken-sandwich chain had the longest average number of cars at the drive-thru before you were able to place your order (five), versus the slightly-more-than-one at KFC. All totaled, you can expect to wait eight minutes for your Chick-Fil-A order.
In a hurry, run for the border. Taco Bell will get you in and out in just 4.3 minutes.
