Wendy's Has The Fastest Drive-Thru Service, Krystal Has The Slowest

Wendy's has the quickest drive-thru service compared to six of its competitors, with wait times averaging two minutes and 14 seconds, according to a recent study by QSR Magazine.

Taco Bell and Taco John's came in second and third place behind Wendy's with a 158-second wait and a 181-second wait, respectively, the annual study found.

In fourth place was McDonald's (189 seconds), followed by Burger King (198 seconds), Chick-fil-A (204 seconds) and Krystal (218 seconds).

Every restaurant had a slower drive-thru line this year compared to last year, except for Burger King.

McDonald's experienced its slowest average speed of service in the study's 15-year history, while Chick-fil-A's was its slowest showing since 1998 and Krystal's was the slowest since 1999.

Insula Research, which helped conduct the study, attributed the longer wait times to expanded menus and more complicated food and drink offerings, such as McDonald's Pumpkin Spice Latte and Chocolate Chip Frappe.

"It's not just a couple different products that employees are worrying about anymore," Insula Research President Brian Baker said.

In response to customer complaints about its wait times, McDonald's is planning to add a third window to its drive-thru lanes.

While Krystal's wait was the longest, it had the best order accuracy among the group, followed by Burger King and Wendy's, according to the study.

On the other end of the spectrum was Chick-fil-A, which had the worst order accuracy but the friendliest customer service, the study found.

To determine the rankings, researchers recorded more than 3,600 wait times at hundreds of locations for seven fast food chains during the lunch and dinner hours.