Does it feel like you are waiting longer and longer to get that damn happy meal your kid demands at the drive thru? Well you are…at least according to the fast-food industry trade publication QSR Magazine’s 2014 Drive-Thru Performance Study.
In 2013, the average customer was able to go from ordering to driving away in 180.83 seconds – but only one year later, it is now taking an average of 203.29 seconds to negotiate the drive-thru.
And why are you being forced to wait almost a half a minute longer for your yoga mat meat sandwich?
QSR editor Sam Oches notes that the research analyzed more brands (a total of 23 chains) this year than they have in previous years, which could have impacted the data.
But there is also another issue: health.
Some options, like Taco Bell’s “Cantina Bell” menu items, which are meant to be healthier, take longer to prepare and slow down those drive-thru times.
So sure, fast food may be getting healthier – and from it, you may live longer. But what is the point if you are just going to use all that extra time stuck in the damn drive thru?
