Drive-thru speed of service is measured by timing the visit in segments, from the moment a vehicle joins the line to the moment the order is handed over 1. The 2025 QSR Drive-Thru Report defines wait time as the period from entering the drive-thru line until reaching the speaker to begin ordering, service time as the period from the start of ordering until food is received, total time as the full span from entering the line to receiving the complete order, and window time as the period from arriving at the pickup window to receiving the order 1. Solink describes a similar set, adding window dwell time as the average time a car spends at the payment and pickup windows 2.
How the timings are collected
Intouch Insight's 2025 study is built on mystery shops, with 165 shops per brand conducted in June-July 2025, distributed across times of day and geographically across the U.S. 1. The 2025 Drive-Thru Study covers 13 U.S. chains on the same basis of 165 mystery shops per brand 3. Solink measures the same drive-thru metrics by analyzing video security footage, and can also perform license plate recognition 2.
What the timings are read alongside
Speed of service is tracked with order accuracy, suggestive selling, food quality, and overall satisfaction 3. Queue length matters to interpretation: CBS reported Taco Bell fastest at 221 seconds of total service time, but adjusting for line length put Chick-fil-A fastest at 107 seconds per car, with McDonald's at 118 seconds 2. The 2025 study average was 335.4 seconds 1.