Survey: What do drive-thru users want from the experience?
Grabbing food from the drive-thru is the top preference for consumers when it comes to visiting quick-serve chains.
More than half (54%) of customers said they “always” or “very often” choose drive-thrus over dining inside at QSRs, according to a new survey from Mood Media, signaling a strong preference for convenience. Order accuracy was ranked as the most critical drive-thru feature, while nearly three-in-four (73%) respondents ranked timeliness among their top three most important drive-thru features, with more than half putting it squarely in slots two or three.
While almost a quarter (23%) of customers say technology is the most important drive-thru feature, nearly the same number (21%) rank it second-to-last, showing that it can be “polarizing” among guests. Only 5% of respondents ranked mobile ordering as the most important feature for drive-thrus to have. However, 38% regularly use mobile ordering when it is offered.
Mood Media’s survey found that 72% of consumers do not decide to visit a QSR based on the digital features in their drive-thru. However, a large number (92%) of respondents have a neutral to positive sentiment about digital features enhancing their experience at QSRs. Eighty-two percent of respondents are neutral or positive about QSRs collecting data to deliver personalized offers and recommendations.
Human interaction remains relevant for QSR customers. Sixty percent of those surveyed ranked it between third and fifth in importance, showing that customers still value friendly service.
[READ MORE: Placer.ai: Raising Cane's, Dave's Hot Chicken top QSR, fast-casual sectors in Q1]
Additional survey insights include the following:
- When it comes to what consumers don’t like about drive-thrus, long wait times (64%), inaccurate orders (58%) and outdated or unclear speaker systems (47%) top the list.
- Millennials and Gen Z are the most frequent drive-thru users, as 65% said they “always” or “very often” use them.
- Four-in-10 consumers say they are uninterested or concerned about AI taking their order, while almost half (47%) are open to it or have used it with little to no issue. The main concerns include AI not understanding them (37%) and not allowing order changes (24%).
Mood Media surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers for its QSR drive-thru report.
