Starbucks ranked first in a drive-thru customer satisfaction survey targeting major fast-food and coffee chains.
According to the 26th annual ‘Drive-Thru Study’ released by Insight Touch on the 1st, Starbucks received the highest evaluation in overall drive-thru usage satisfaction. 99% of surveyed customers responded that they were satisfied with Starbucks’ overall drive-thru experience.
The evaluation included not only the time taken from ordering to receiving the product, but also the friendliness of the staff. This year’s survey was conducted between June and July, with investigators directly utilizing drive-thrus of each brand at varying days of the week and times to evaluate service speed and staff responsiveness.
In the overall customer satisfaction ranking, Chick-fil-A, a chicken fast-food chain, followed Starbucks in second place, and Dutch Bros, a drive-thru specialty coffee chain, recorded third place. Additionally, fast-food chains Arby’s, Taco Bell, and Raising Cane’s tied for fourth place with a 95% customer satisfaction rate, while Tim Hortons, a representative Canadian coffee shop, took fifth place. However, it was revealed that brands with high customer satisfaction do not necessarily provide the fastest service.
Measuring the time from entering the drive-thru to receiving the ordered product, Tim Hortons was the fastest with an average of 4 minutes and 20 seconds. KFC followed closely with 4 minutes and 25 seconds, while Dunkin’ recorded 4 minutes and 49 seconds, Taco Bell 4 minutes and 52 seconds, and Arby’s 4 minutes and 53 seconds.
On the other hand, Chick-fil-A, which ranked second in customer satisfaction, had the longest average waiting time of 7 minutes and 6 seconds among the surveyed targets.
Looking solely at drive-thru speed, there was a 2-minute and 46-second difference with Tim Hortons.
The results of this survey also show that drive-thru users do not judge service satisfaction solely by order processing speed. Staff friendliness and overall service experiences, such as the ordering process, were found to have contributed together to customer evaluations.
