Gone are the days of the fast-food worker with a broken microphone and muffled voice sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher trying to take your order. The newest Drive-Thru report from QSR, which tracks the quick service restaurant industry, says accuracy is key and is leading to industry-wide changes.
More restaurants are investing in their drive-thrus, digital signage, and even artificial intelligence, all in an effort to boost their accuracy and improve customer experience.
First, the numbers.
When it comes to order accuracy, Chick-fil-A takes the top spot in the most recent QSR report with a 93% rating, followed by McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr., KFC, and Arby’s. Taco Bell came in at 85%, a solid number still.
The report finds this may be the golden age of drive-thrus: accuracy is up overall by 3% across the industry.
Not surprisingly, people hate when their order gets messed up, and companies are taking notice by working on better menu boards, speaker systems, and customer service to get the orders right in the first place.
Taco Bell tells KTLA it’s modernizing drive-thrus with digital-first innovation, including Voice AI, which is rolling out across the U.S. after two years of testing. They say it’s improved order accuracy and reduced wait times in more than 2 million orders across 500+ stores.
We reached out to Dunkin’, KFC, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, and others as well.
McDonald’s tells KTLA it’s building a digital ecosystem including optimized drive-thrus and digital ordering for more speed and convenience. In recent years, they’ve been testing new drive-thru concepts, including an Express Lane, which lets you order on the app and skip the line. In fact, McDonald’s has opened new “on the go” locations with no dining room at all—a prototype McDonald’s says is designed just for drive-thrus and digital ordering.
KFC: They’re not revealing the Colonel’s 11 secret herbs and spices, but they say their business plan includes going 100% digital—digitized drive-thrus, data-driven listening and automation, and yes, AI—as they look to make the drive-thru speedy and accurate.
Dunkin’ is designing digital-only restaurants with a promise of more to come. Customers order on the app or at the kiosk—no cash—as the food is prepared. They’ve come a long way from Fred and “time to make the donuts.”
You hear “AI” over and over again when it comes to drive-thru innovation.
AI expert Dr. Chris Mattmann tells KTLA he’s not surprised. “Drive-thru innovation is the new frontier of AI, where it’s deployed at the edge. You can imagine it in cameras, in drones, identifying and counting people, measuring the length of time operationally waiting in lines, and informing future improved designs of drive-thrus.”
And the more drive-thrus improve, the more they will change the in-store experience as well, says Mattmann.
“I have noted this has even led in some cases to indoor dining at drive-thrus being eliminated in favor of simply drive-thrus combined with indoor kitchens and fewer humans bringing out food, rather than indoor dining,” he told us.
Whatever the future brings, accuracy may beat speed in the mind of the customers. And quality tops all.
When it comes to total time spent from ordering to eating, Taco Bell is quickest and has been for the past four years with the average wait time being just 255 seconds per order. The longest wait time: Chick-fil-A. But that original chicken sandwich with a side of waffle fries is pretty epic with a side of Chick-fil-A sauce.
By the way, if you’re in Southern California wondering why staples such as our beloved In-N-Out aren’t on the list, QSR tells KTLA the report focuses on national/global brands and not beloved regional favorites. So don’t worry, go get in the In-N-Out drive-thru line for that Double-Double and the fries—well done I’d suggest—with a chocolate shake on the side.
