2024 Drive-Thru Study: Key Insights from our Annual Report

For 24 years, the Intouch Insight Annual Drive-Thru Study has been the go-to resource for insights into the drive-thru performance of leading Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) brands. 

By tracking key metrics like speed of service, order accuracy, and overall satisfaction, the study provides true industry benchmarks that help brands improve both their drive-thru operations and the customer experience.

This year, we’re excited to welcome Raising Cane’s—a fast-growing favorite in the chicken category—into the study. With their rapid expansion, their performance data brings fresh insights to our findings.

Additionally, with technology evolving so quickly, we couldn’t leave out an important element this year: the impact of AI. 

AI is transforming not only how orders are taken but also many back-of-house processes, promising faster and more accurate service. The insights shared in this study provide an indication of the potential impact of AI-enabled voice-ordering technology and how it’s reshaping the future of drive-thru experiences.

Ready to explore the full insights? Download the report now, or keep reading for the key takeaways!

Methodology

For this study, we used mystery shoppers to place orders at ten major QSR chains across the U.S. between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Over 1,600 drive-thru visits were completed nationwide, providing a comprehensive look at drive-thru performance.

The brands included in this year’s study are Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’, KFC, McDonald’s, Raising Cane’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s.

We collected data across five key performance areas:

• Speed of Service
• Order Accuracy
• Suggestive Selling
• Food Quality
• Customer Satisfaction

This year, our team shared the latest drive-thru performance trends with industry leaders at the QSR Evolution Conference—and the feedback was incredible. Now, we want to make sure you don’t miss out on those insights! Watch the 2024 Drive-Thru Study: Insights Delivered here!

Speed of Service

Speed is a critical factor in drive-thru efficiency and customer satisfaction. Faster service not only makes customers happier but also allows restaurants to increase order throughput, boosting revenue and profitability.

Over the last two years, the average total time has improved significantly, dropping from 6 minutes and 19 seconds to 5 minutes and 29 seconds. This year alone, the speed of service has seen a solid improvement, going from 4 minutes and 22 seconds last year to 4 minutes and 5 seconds, showing real progress in efficiency.

When shoppers didn’t have to repeat their orders, service times were 27 seconds faster than when they did. This highlights the importance of having well-maintained equipment and attentive team members to minimize the need for guests to repeat their orders.

AI’s Impact

In the 58 orders where shoppers interacted with Voice-AI technology, the total service time was reduced by an additional 29 seconds. This suggests that AI has the potential to make the drive-thru experience even faster and more efficient.

Want to know how each brand performed? Download the 2024 Annual Drive-Thru report below.

Accuracy

Order accuracy plays a significant role in delivering a memorable drive-thru experience. When an order is wrong, the chance of the error being addressed is low, as the customer is unlikely to return once leaving the drive-thru.

When we looked closer at the top issues causing inaccuracies, two out of the top three areas showed some improvement:

• Requests for no ice in beverages were not fulfilled 27.7% of the time, an improvement from 30% last year.
• Incorrect ingredients in the main entrée dropped to 9%, down from 13.8% in 2023.

Clear communication between staff and customers was shown to have a positive impact on order accuracy. Investing in the right tools for the drive-thru is a simple, effective way to reduce errors and improve order accuracy.

AI’s Impact

AI also shows promise in improving order accuracy. In fact, 95% of orders where AI was involved were accurate, compared to the overall study accuracy of 89%. This highlights the potential of AI to enhance the quality of service and reduce errors in the drive-thru.

Suggestive Selling

Suggestive selling is a powerful tool for brands, not only to promote new items but also to boost the average ticket price. In 2024, the use of suggestive selling in drive-thrus saw a solid increase, rising from 56% last year to 64% this year.

AI’s Impact

Interestingly, 69% of customers who knew they were interacting with AI had items suggested during their order, compared to the overall study average of 64%. This suggests that AI may enhance suggestive selling by consistently offering recommendations, which could help drive higher sales.

This year, nearly every brand improved their frequency of suggestive selling—except for one. Want to know which one? Download the 2024 Drive-Thru report to find out!

Food Quality

As brands focus on speeding up service and using new technology to improve the customer experience, it’s essential not to overlook the importance of food quality.

This year’s study shows that temperature plays a significant role in how food quality is rated. When customers received their food hot, their perception of food quality—meaning the food tasted as expected—was 34% higher compared to when it wasn’t hot.

Satisfaction

Are your customers happy with every part of your service? Will they return? Satisfaction is a key part of the overall customer experience.

This year’s data shows a positive trend, with overall customer satisfaction increasing from 90% in 2023 to 94% in 2024. One factor that seems to influence this improvement is friendliness.

The Friendliness Factor

The average friendliness score across all brands improved from 73% last year to 79% this year—though there’s still room to grow.

The study highlights that brands with friendlier service see better results across the board:

Brands that invest in effective training, set clear expectations, and foster a positive work environment tend to have happier employees—and when employees are happy, they take better care of customers.

AI’s Impact

While some shoppers might not always realize they’re interacting with AI, the data suggests that AI can improve customer satisfaction. Satisfaction for interactions where customers knew they were engaging with AI reached 98%, compared to the overall study average of 94% when AI wasn’t involved.

Want To Know More?

The 2024 Annual Drive-Thru Study goes even deeper into all the areas we’ve discussed, with detailed breakdowns of how each brand performed.

Download the full study now to access all the insights!

Benchmark Your Brand Against Industry Leaders

Curious about how your brand measures up to the top names in the industry? Become a Challenger Brand and find out!

You’ll receive:

• Your Brand Data: 150 mystery shops conducted at your locations, including all shopper fees and food reimbursements.
• Complete Research Package: Access your results alongside those of 10 benchmark brands, with raw data files included.
• Custom Reporting: Your portal will come pre-loaded with custom dashboards tailored to your brand, plus a personal advisory call to review the results.

Don't miss your chance to be part of our 25th anniversary Drive-Thru Study next year— it’s going to be a big one! 

Talk to our team and secure your spot now: letschat@intouchinsight.com.