Google "drive-thru food near me" and see how many fast food chains pop up. For me, eleven drive-thru locations pop up within a three-mile radius, including McDonald's, Taco Bell, Sonic Drive-in, Arby's, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, KFC, and Hardee's. Americans love fast food. In 2018 a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics shared that 36.6 percent of adults eat fast food on any given day. That's a lot of fried chicken sandwiches, milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and burritos.
But which one is the best drive-thru in the United States? FoodserviceResults and QSR studied consumer satisfaction across a variety of different categories such as the speed of service, order accuracy, cleanliness, customer experience, and friendliness of the staff and put all the numbers together to reach a verdict and we aren't surprised of the winner at all.
Chick-Fil-A Named America's Favorite Drive-Thru
With a 93, America's favorite drive-thru is none other than Chick-Fil-A. Known for their crispy chicken breast sandwiches and waffle french fries, Chick-Fil-A really showed off their efficiency during the Coronavirus pandemic. Available for drive-thru, carry out, and delivery, the fast food drive-thru service still is one of the most organized of the lot. While the line always looks like a parking lot, the employees get hungry customers through with ease, sharing the menu items with them wearing masks. Some stores are open for dine-in currently as well.
What Kind of Food Do People Order?
What's the first thing that pops into your head when I say "Drive thru food near me?" Is it a burger? If you said yes, you're in agreement with 83% of participants. Chicken came in at 58, Mexican/Taco at 41, Sandwich at 38, Coffee at 36, and Bakery Cafe at only 14. It seems like more people like to hit drive-thru restaurant chains for burgers and fries more than Starbucks and donuts.
Here's the entire list:
- Chick-fil-A
- Arby's
- Culver's
- Panera Bread
- Dunkin'
- Wendy's
- Starbucks
- Hardee's / Carl's Jr.
- Dairy Queen
- Burger King
- Checkers/Rally's
- Taco Bell
- Jack in the Box
- Bojangles
- McDonald's
- KFC
- Popeyes
Of the 17 fast food restaurants studied, Popeye's came in last behind KFC and McDonald's. Burger King found itself in the middle of the pack while Arbys and Culver's came in second and third place. If there's one thing, you can't beat Culver's ice cream. Burger chains that didn't make the list included Shake Shack, In-N-Out, and Whataburger.
This post was originally published on October 5, 2020.
