Taco Bell is named the fastest drive-thru for a fifth year, but it may have lost a human touch with AI
Though Chick-fil-A was the slowest fast-food drive-thru, it was considered the friendliest, per the latest QSR report. At the Golden Arches, however, customers weren’t lovin’ the vibe.
At first glance, it seems as though Yum! Brands’ AI drive-thrus, developed with Nvidia to deliver even faster fast food, are paying off... bar the odd 18,000 water cups.
According to the QSR Drive-Thru Report for 2025, made in partnership with Intouch Insight and released Wednesday, the quickest drive-thrus — measured by the shortest time taken to complete the entire process, from ordering to receiving food — of all the chains surveyed were Taco Bell (4 minutes, 16 seconds) and KFC (4 minutes, 21 seconds), which are both owned by Yum! and have both launched AI-powered ordering systems at select locations earlier this year.
But these outlets were already pretty quick, even if at the expense of accuracy: 2025 marks the fifth consecutive year that Taco Bell has taken the top spot in the rankings. On closer inspection, the total wait time and order accuracy at Taco Bell was the same as last year, and KFC actually took 2 seconds longer than last year’s average — and got 10% more orders wrong.
Service with a smile
While the early rollout of AI drive-thru systems has yet to have a tangible effect on wait times and accuracy, one thing that the tech can’t replicate (try as it might) is real-life connection. The report detailed another factor at the drive-thru: friendliness, measured as the percentage of shoppers who said that the service was “friendly.”
Naturally, Chick-fil-A, renowned for its customer service and lengthy lines, was considered friendly by 93% of customers — and, even though its food took the longest (at 7 minutes and 6 seconds), the chicken chain was also joint first place for overall satisfaction with rapidly growing coffee chain Dutch Bros.
Indeed, as well as being the second-most-amiable outlet in the study (with a 92% “friendliness” score), the “broista”-branded beverage company delivered protein coffees and energy drinks in 6 minutes and 22 seconds on average.
Happy meals?
Perhaps most surprising was just how much customers weren’t lovin’ it over at McDonald’s. America’s biggest fast-food chain was found to be the least welcoming, scoring a paltry 65% for “friendliness.”
Still, even as fast-food customers look for more supersized pleasantries with their service, Taco Bell’s iconic offerings aren’t going anywhere — especially as they start to look more like fan favorite Chick-fil-A’s.
