If you’re a fast-food aficionado like I am, you know that some drive-thru windows can take a bit longer than others. On rare occasions, you’ll often have to wait as long as 10 or 15 minutes just to get your hands on that chicken sandwich or cheeseburger. Thankfully, not all drive-thrus are built the same—some fast food chains are significantly speedier than others.
A 2025 study by QSR gathered data from the largest and most popular fast food chains across America to determine which is the fastest—and slowest. The annual report, now in its 25th year, uses a network of secret shoppers to analyze drive-thru windows for things like accuracy, availability, and most importantly, speed.
This year’s study analyzed 13 of America’s most popular fast food chains, welcoming newcomers like Dutch Bros Coffee, Popeyes, Starbucks, and Tim Hortons to the study for the first time. They’re joined alongside staples like Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and many more.
All told, QSR gathered data from 165 secret shoppers who visited fast food drive-thrus between June and July with a focus on delivery speed. The study also gathered data from another 120 shoppers focused specifically on companies using AI-assistance ordering software. Let’s just say—some chains fared much better than others.
What Is America's Fastest Drive-Thru?
For the fifth consecutive year, Taco Bell is the fastest drive-thru in America according to QSR. The study suggests that customers spend an average of 256.8 seconds (or about 4 minutes, 17 seconds) in line at Taco Bell chains across the country, no matter the time of day.
Taco Bell just barely beat out KFC, which comes in second with an average wait time of 261.2 seconds (4 minutes, 21 seconds). Third behind Taco Bell and KFC is Tim Hortons, which earned an average order time of 265.9 seconds (4 minutes, 26 seconds).
According to QSR, “classic” fast food chains are the quickest on average, with a typical total service time of around 242.6 seconds (just over 4 minutes). “Beverage” chains fall in the middle of the pack with an average service time of 254.3 seconds (about 4 minutes, 15 seconds). Chicken places are at the bottom of the pack.
Fastest Fast Food Drive-Thrus
- Taco Bell — 256.8 Seconds
- KFC — 261.2 Seconds
- Tim Hortons — 265.9 Seconds
- Arby’s — 272.3 Seconds
- Wendy’s — 293.3 Seconds
- Dunkin’ — 309.7 Seconds
- Burger King — 361.1 Seconds
What Is America's Slowest Drive-Thru?
While Taco Bell takes the crown for speed, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Chick-fil-A is America’s slowest drive-thru chain of 2025. Chick-fil-A has an average total service time of 427.0 seconds (7 minutes, 7 seconds)—almost three minutes longer than Taco Bell’s.
Second only to Chick-fil-A on the slow scale is Popeye’s, which takes an average of 410.5 seconds (6 minutes, 50 seconds), while Raising Cane’s is the third-slowest on this list, with a total service time of 383.3 seconds (6 minutes, 23 seconds).
Chicken places took the longest of any other fast food chains in 2025. They combine for an average service time of around 269.9 seconds (just under 4 minutes, 30 seconds)—about 30 seconds slower than any of the traditional burger chains.
Slowest Fast Food Drive-Thrus
- Chick-fil-A — 427.0 Seconds
- Popeyes — 410.5 Seconds
- Raising Cane’s — 383.3 Seconds
- Dutch Bros — 382.0 Seconds
- Starbucks — 373.0 Seconds
- McDonald’s — 363.9 Seconds
It's Not All About Speed
While speed is certainly important—it’s literally in the name—it’s not the end-all be-all for fast food chains. The QSR study also takes important factors like order accuracy, friendliness, and overall likeability into account.
Although Taco Bell may be the fastest, it’s far from the friendliest or most likable of the group; it gets a 78 percent rating on the “friendliness” scale and an 88 percent in overall satisfaction. That puts it at fifth and 10th, respectively.
The friendliest fast food chain should come as little surprise; Chick-fil-A ranks the highest with a friendliness score of 93 percent. Dutch Bros is second with a score of 92 percent, and Raising Cane’s is third at 89 percent.
Chick-fil-A also takes the crown for overall satisfaction, with a score of 98 percent. Dutch Bros, again, is second at 98 percent, and Popeyes comes in third with an overall score of 96 percent. At the bottom of the satisfaction scale is McDonald’s, with a total score of 86 percent.
Order accuracy plays another important role in the fast food experience. According to QSR, Dutch Bros scores the highest on order accuracy, with an overall score of 96 percent. Dunkin’ is second at 91 percent, and Tim Hortons comes in third with a score of 90 percent. At the bottom of the accuracy scale, KFC scores just 79 percent.
Even with rising prices and uncertainty around how AI could reshape the fast-food industry, you can still at least count on two things at your next fast-food pit stop: Quick turnaround times at Taco Bell and friendly faces at Chick-fil-A.
Source: QSR
