Where is the fastest Drive-Thru?

Now seems like a relevant time to talk about drive-thrus. While we can't use them during alert level 4, if Auckland shifts down to level 3, they'll be the only way to get a fast food fix.

Just recently, a study was conducted by American market research company SeeLevel HX to find which fast food outlet provides the fastest drive-thru experience.

While the data is taken from American restaurants, we can imagine that the systems in place are the same, so of the ten brands tested, which one managed to come out on top?

According to the study, KFC came out on top with an average drive-thru time of just 283.3 seconds, or around four and a half minutes. A figure well below the 356.8 second average from the study.

Considering both losing brands Arby's and Chick-fil-A aren't offered in New Zealand, Wendy's sits in last place from our point of view, with an average wait time (that's still better than the average time) of 358.7 seconds.

Here's the full list, with times listed in seconds:

- KFC – 283.3
- Taco Bell – 310.2
- Carl’s Jr. 341.6
- Burger King – 344.3
- McDonald’s – 349.3
- Wendy’s – 358.7

Level HX noted that six of the brands tested saw a dramatic increase in wait times between 2019 and 2020, but McDonald's and Taco Bell managed to reduce average times.