Buckle up: The fast-food industry is going all in on drive-thrus

If you enjoy getting an ice-cold Coca-Cola and a large fry without leaving the comfort of your car, you’re probably American — but you’re also not alone. 

Some 43% of US fast-food orders are placed at drive-thrus, according to data from Circana, totaling ~$140B annually. 

Now, fast-food chains are chasing those billions by optimizing the humble drive-thru, per The Wall Street Journal:

• McDonald’s beverage-focused spinoff CosMc’s is built around multilane drive-thru service, with some locations offering no indoor dining at all. 
• Shake Shack, which started as a Madison Square Park hot dog cart and has since expanded to 300+ stores, has opened dozens of new drive-thrus with dedicated kitchens. 
• One in four Chipotle Mexican Grill locations have drive-thrus — AKA Chipotlanes (cute) — where customers can pick up their prepaid app orders at specific times, maximizing efficiency. Locations with Chipotlanes see 10%-15% higher sales than those without, per Barron’s. 

A pleasant drive-thru experience is especially important when considering it’s the main event for many: 27% of orders are consumed while still in the vehicle, per WSJ. 

The Chick-fil-A play

You know what’s really easy to eat with one hand on the wheel? A chicken sandwich. 

Chick-fil-A sure knows it: 60% of its sales took place at drive-thru windows in 2024. But the success hasn’t come without some trial and error:

• In 2012, Chick-fil-A shifted entirely to face-to-face ordering at its drive-thrus, with iPad-touting workers taking orders from car windows.
• In 2020, the chain launched a Film Studies unit that uses drones to capture aerial footage of its drive-thrus to study traffic flow and identify pain points.
• It’s also innovating in its urban restaurants, experimenting with locations that have little to no seating and dedicated areas for bike delivery workers. 

The recipe seems to be working: In 2023, Chick-fil-A made $21.6B in US sales, the highest per-restaurant total of all American fast-food chains — despite being closed on Sundays.