The ‘Chick-fil-A Paradox’: Slowest Drive-Thru but No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction, Report Finds

By admin On Oct 17, 2023

Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru is the slowest in the industry due to an abundance of traffic but nevertheless ranks No. 1 in order accuracy and customer service, according to a new report that calls it the “Chick-fil-A paradox.”

The 2023 QSR Drive-Thru Report found that Chick-fil-A finished 10th out of 10 restaurants in service time (from order taken to order received) at 312 seconds and 10th in total time at 436 seconds, trailing No. 1 Taco Bell in both categories and finishing behind competitors such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King.

But Chick-fil-A blew out the competition in two major drive-thru categories.

On order accuracy, Chick-fil-A restaurant finished No. 1 with a score of 92 percent, topping Burger King (90 percent) and McDonald’s (88 percent).

On customer service, the difference was even wider, with Chick-fil-A topping all restaurants with a score of 91 percent for friendliness, far ahead of second-place Hardee’s and Taco Bell, which tied at 79 percent.

A total of 97 percent of Chick-fil-A customers said they were satisfied with their drive-thru service. That score also was No. 1.

Mystery shoppers in the report said Chick-fil-A had more cars in its drive-thru line than any other restaurant.

The report labeled it the “Chick-fil-A paradox.”

“Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru is a long-running amalgam of perception, execution, and customer experience delivered at unrivaled volumes,” it said.

“Chick-fil-A takes a guest’s order via tablet in-line and then conducts hospitality checks throughout the process,” the report said. “So from a perception standpoint, customers don’t feel unattended to or like they’re stagnating, despite how lengthy the line might get. The other, less nuanced fact is Chick-fil-A simply has a lot more cars stacked than the rest of the industry.”

Chick-fil-A scored high in customer service, despite the long waits, because of its unique friendly-focused system, the report said.

“This is where the magic of Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru experience ignites,” the report said.

Its restaurants are closed on Sundays, and its corporate purpose is to “glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A,” the Chick-fil-A website says.

Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Brandon Bell / Staff

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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