Dutch Bros and Chick-Fil-A lead in satisfaction, Taco Bell dominates the speed and elevation of the cane excels in the quality of food in the 25th annual study of the Drive-Thru of Intouch Insight
Ottawa is,, October 1, 2025 / Prnewswire / – Intouch InsightA leader in customer experience solutions, announced today the release of its 25th annual Drive-Thru study, in partnership with QSR® Review. This striking edition examined 13 main QSR brands, including McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, Burger King, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC, Raising Cane’s, Popeyes, Dutch Bros, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Dunkin ‘and Arby.
“This year’s results show both challenges and opportunities in today’s wheel service,” said Sarah Beckett, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Intouch Insight. “The Drive-Thru is no longer just a question of speed. It has become a digital development center where each transaction is more complex. The question is no longer” how to become faster? “But now,” how can we design our workflows while driving and take advantage of technology to optimize this new reality, while maintaining the efficiency for the customer’s queue? “
Key results of the 25th annual study:
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Speed always sets the tone: Overall, the total time was 3 seconds faster compared to 2024 (excluding new brands), the “classic” segment (including Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Arby) paving the way with an average of 5 minutes and 9 seconds.
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Conviviality is the ultimate driver. When the service was friendly, the overall satisfaction of the level of service is soaring 97% against only 22% when the service was not friendly. When the orders were considered user -friendly, the precision of the commands was also higher (89% against 70%) and the speed was faster (5 minutes and 23 seconds against 6 minutes and 57 seconds).
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Communication makes the difference. Clear speakers and precise ordering considerably reduce total waiting times, allowing customers up to 1 minute and 25 seconds per visit.
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The segments present different forces. The classic channels have delivered the fastest moments but marked the lowest in terms of conviviality. Chicken chains have led in conviviality and satisfaction. The drinks channels have found a balance, which earns the upper marks for the precision and the second speed ranking.
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AI offers speed, but not the human touch. This year’s Drive-Thru study also examined 120 additional compatible orders AI on three QSRs in deployment of the vocal-Ai command. In these places, technology has shaved the service time (The time it took the buyer to place his order until they get out of the driving service with their food) at 3 minutes and 53 seconds, before the 4 minutes and 15 medium seconds. However, they failed in terms of precision (83% against 87%), most often attributed to the personalization of orders. When the staff intervened to support the AI control system, precision has increased to 95%, proof that, for the moment, people are essential to the process.
