FILE – This Thursday, July 19, 2012 file photo shows a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant in Atlanta. Earlier this month, Chick-fil-A set off a furor opposing same-sex unions. Other companies are brushing off fears that support for gay marriage could hurt their bottom line. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
Chick-fil-A is so good at serving people quickly and efficiently that it’s become a meme in and of itself. People are willing to get into what could be considered overly long lines for their drive-thru that spill out into intersections — I’ve seen it with my own eyes — not just because the food is good, but because they know that no matter the length of the line, they’ll be in and out fairly quickly.
However, WWBT-TV in Richmond, Virginia, posted the results of a study that measured drive-thru wait times, and their conclusion was that Chick-fil-A was the slowest of them all:
Of the 10 fast-food chains QSR visited, Chick-fil-A was the slowest with an average time of 322.98 seconds or about 5 minutes and 23 seconds. The lengthy waits come even as the company has started using iPads for taking orders and expanded to double drive-thrus.
“We are embracing technology to both provide a better experience for guests and to help take tasks off restaurant team members so they can devote more time to hospitality for our customers,” Khalilah Cooper, director of service and hospitality for Chick-fil-A, told QSR.
The fastest chain was Dunkin’, coming in at 216.75 seconds or about 3 minutes and 37 seconds.
QSR compiled its data on 10 chains from 1,503 visits across the country between June 1 and Aug. 1.
The study is pretty misleading with its claim. While it may take longer to get your food from a Chick-fil-A, the line is moving the absolute fastest. The only difference is that more people are at Chick-fil-A.
If the same kind of line was seen at a McDonald’s, you can bet you’d be waiting quite a bit before you got your food due to their slow delivery time. Chick-fil-A will have you in, out, and on with your life with speed and efficiency that many air traffic controllers would call a bit much.
This is common knowledge, and the internet was more than happy to get a tad defensive on Chick-fil-A’s behalf.
You misspelled busiest.
— Dwarfclone (@CloneDwarf) October 3, 2019
False. Their service is the fastest. Their lines are longer because it's worth it.
Use the correct words for things. It's not the "slowest" even if it takes "the longest."
It's the stellar service and great food that bring the people that are WHY the wait can be longer. https://t.co/UtndJRkswz
— Caleb Howe (@CalebHowe) October 2, 2019
https://twitter.com/prettylieb/status/1179531373020880896?s=20
Uh…only on Sundays#HereForTheRatio
— DeanLogic ♎ (@DeanLogic) October 3, 2019
BS. They are hands down the most efficient drive-thru around.
Last time I went, there were over 15 cars in line and it took way less than 10 minutes to get my order.
Last time I went to Taco Bell, there were 3 cars and it took 25 minutes.— Shashi Galore (@shashigette) October 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/kilomikealpha76/status/1179552224604643328?s=20
Clearly this person has NEVER been to a Chic-fil-A They handle the crowds like no other and they do it with a friendly smile!!!
— Denise Lynn (@roger25bravo) October 2, 2019
The ratio goes on for a while with everyone pretty much agreeing on one thing. Chick-fil-A is the fastest gun in the west…tern hemisphere.
It may seem silly for people to get this defensive about Chick-fil-A, but it’s a place that is constantly under attack for no solid reason other than the fact that it’s a Christian establishment with Christian values and Christian leadership. Misleading reports like this one, while perhaps not a purposeful attempt to make Chick-fil-A seem bad, sure do look like it when the verbiage used is this off.
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