Survey finds that drive-thru wait times keep growing

Survey finds that drive-thru wait times keep growing
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Consumers looking for a quick bite to eat might want to consider skipping the drive-thru, a new survey says.

The 2014 Drive-Thru Performance Study, conducted by QSR Magazine, says that the average amount of time a customer spends in the drive-thru line is 219.97 seconds, up 40 seconds from last year. The longest wait time was between 2:30 and 5 p.m., with breakfast coming in second. Now, lunch is surprisingly not as busy as it used to be (unless, of course, you decide to hit up In-N-Out at high noon).

There are a few reasons why things could be slowing down. "The chains are more focused on serving fresh food and providing a good drive-thru experience with accurate orders," Sam Oches, QSR's editor, told USA Today. Even though wait times are longer, the average number of cars waiting in the drive-thru line is down to 1.7, from from 2.8 cars last year.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.