Fastest Fast Food

[Scott5114]

Some restaurants may choose to focus more on order accuracy than speed of service. Bad order accuracy usually causes more problems than bad SOS, so it's a logical sacrifice to make.

I'd rather have it right than super speedy (and sitting out on a shelf half the damn day).

Exactly most customers' point of view–forget to take pickles off a sandwich, and the person might call up and complain, and then you have to comp them a sandwich. Forget an entire sandwich, yeah, you're definitely going to hear back.

If the wait is six minutes the customer will probably forget by the time they make it to their driveway.

There are exceptions, of course. I have 30 minutes for lunch at work, and I've had to politely inform the manager that I'll either need my food immediately or my money back, because if it takes too much longer I won't have any time left to actually eat the food before I go back to work.

[SP Cook]

I find most fast food places to be, well, reasonably fast.  Among the slower places around here:

McDonald's, especially at breakfast.  McDonald's made a move on the hipster coffee Starbucks market and otherwise over-expanded its menu, which leads to long waits as complex coffee based drinks are made. 

KFC.  The KFC outlets around here seem to hire people with limitations that would prevent work elsewhere.  Slow and disorganized.

Captain D's.  The food has to be made to order by its nature, and you know that going in.

Bojangles.  Again similar to KFC.  Slow and disorganized.  Many limited employees. 

[abefroman329]

Popeye's is one of the faster fried chicken outlets...again, provided they're not out of chicken.

The slowest is Harold's Chicken Shack.  I think I once waited an hour for my order, although that was in the middle of the lunch rush at their Loop location.

[webny99]

There are exceptions, of course. I have 30 minutes for lunch at work, and I've had to politely inform the manager that I'll either need my food immediately or my money back, because if it takes too much longer I won't have any time left to actually eat the food before I go back to work.

I used to run into that problem, but fortunately, I get the option of taking an hour now, which I exploit when I decide to buy lunch.
Most people here with half an hour lunch will use all 30 minutes getting their food and then eat it on the job. But (from another post of yours) it doesn't sound like you have that option.

[kkt]

Fast: premade sandwich from the deli counter at Safeway.  Fast, but been sitting there for a long time.

[sparker]

Fastest around here is Jack in the Box; but about the only thing I order from them is a few orders of their (presently) $1.19/2 taco item (one of my guiltiest pleasures!).  Usually use the drive-through; even when I'm the only car in line, it takes usually less than 2 minutes waiting at the window (maybe 50 yards from the ordering location) before I've got a bag of tacos and a couple dozen packets of hot sauce (they pass them out by the fistful!).  Generally the process is 3-4 minutes total; a bit longer when there are cars in front of me. 

[Scott5114]

There are exceptions, of course. I have 30 minutes for lunch at work, and I've had to politely inform the manager that I'll either need my food immediately or my money back, because if it takes too much longer I won't have any time left to actually eat the food before I go back to work.

I used to run into that problem, but fortunately, I get the option of taking an hour now, which I exploit when I decide to buy lunch.
Most people here with half an hour lunch will use all 30 minutes getting their food and then eat it on the job. But (from another post of yours) it doesn't sound like you have that option.

Absolutely not–for a while there I wasn't allowed to have tape at my workstation, much less a cheeseburger!

It wouldn't be much of a good idea even if it were allowed, since my job is nothing but handling cash, so it wouldn't be sanitary to try to eat while working.

[Jardine]

Locally, Dairy Queen I would say is glacial, and that is for an ice cream order of some kind, I'd never have enough time for a burger or something.

Arbies is slow, even for a shake at 3 in the afternoon.  I know their fish sandwiches aren't cooked till you order one, and that's fine, I LOVE 'em and they're worth the wait.

I actually think going into Subway is worthwhile, not that much longer and always an excellent sub.

As for our local McDonalds (drive thru only, never go in) they're faster than Arbies, but for reasons I cannot fathom, are cursed with the inability to chuck out even an easy order with out a mistake of some kind.  Recently had a Rolo McFlurry sans the caramel sauce, time before paid with a 20, received change for a 10, time before vanilla shake cup was barely 1/2 full.  Have heard from friends their recent double order station drive thru frequently results in wrong car getting wrong order.  Hasn't happened to me yet.  Same franchisee owns another McDonalds outlet about 10 miles further away and any time I've been to that one they've been fast enough and haven't mangled the order.  No idea how that happens . . .

[english si]

McDonald's made a move on the hipster coffee Starbucks market and otherwise over-expanded its menu, which leads to long waits as complex coffee based drinks are made.

In the UK, it's ad campaigns are about it not being like that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kra1eWAiKvE

The again, they still have 8 options for hot coffee: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/menu/mccafe.html

[webny99]

Absolutely not–for a while there I wasn't allowed to have tape at my workstation, much less a cheeseburger!

It wouldn't be much of a good idea even if it were allowed, since my job is nothing but handling cash, so it wouldn't be sanitary to try to eat while working.

Funny, because we have to use tape 

Eating on the job may not be ideal no matter the specifics of your job... but sanitation isn't probably as high on the priority list for most people around here.

Arbies is slow, even for a shake at 3 in the afternoon.  I know their fish sandwiches aren't cooked till you order one, and that's fine, I LOVE 'em and they're worth the wait.

Totally agree... I actually like Arby's, but they're typically very slow even at the best of times.
Also, I enjoyed your hilarious spelling of it 

[AlexandriaVA]

The slowest place is definitely Five Guys, although you could argue they aren't fast food.

They aren't fast food, and I don't know of anyone around here who considers them to be fast food. I think the lack of table service gives people the illusion of fast food, but there's simply no comparison between Five Guys and a precooked Wendys/McDonalds/BK burger.

[adventurernumber1]

The slowest place is definitely Five Guys, although you could argue they aren't fast food.

They aren't fast food, and I don't know of anyone around here who considers them to be fast food. I think the lack of table service gives people the illusion of fast food, but there's simply no comparison between Five Guys and a precooked Wendys/McDonalds/BK burger.

That's true. I think similarly of places like Subway and Panera Bread (they aren't formal sit-down restaurants, but they don't have everything a typical fast food place has such as drive-thrus). These places fall somewhere in between formal sit-down restaurants and fast food restaurants, but I'm not sure of the terminology of what we call them. And actually (while off-topic), interestingly, in my town (Dalton, GA), the Five Guys and Panera Bread here share the same building (which is off of GA SR 52 a little ways from I-75's Exit 333).

[MNHighwayMan]

The slowest place is definitely Five Guys, although you could argue they aren't fast food.

They aren't fast food, and I don't know of anyone around here who considers them to be fast food. I think the lack of table service gives people the illusion of fast food, but there's simply no comparison between Five Guys and a precooked Wendys/McDonalds/BK burger.

That's true. I think similarly of places like Subway and Panera Bread (they aren't formal sit-down restaurants, but they don't have everything a typical fast food place has such as drive-thrus). These places fall somewhere in between formal sit-down restaurants and fast food restaurants, but I'm not sure of the terminology of what we call them. And actually (while off-topic), interestingly, in my town (Dalton, GA), the Five Guys and Panera Bread here share the same building (which is off of GA SR 52 a little ways from I-75's Exit 333).

Places like Five Guys, Chipotle, Panera, etc are considered "fast casual" restaurants.

[Jordanes]

Jimmy John's has your sandwich done before you finish ordering it. 

[Scott5114]

Absolutely not–for a while there I wasn't allowed to have tape at my workstation, much less a cheeseburger!

It wouldn't be much of a good idea even if it were allowed, since my job is nothing but handling cash, so it wouldn't be sanitary to try to eat while working.

Funny, because we have to use tape 

The implication was that we could tape $100 bills to ourselves and sneak them out.

Likewise, the reason why a cheeseburger would not be allowed would be because we could put a $100 bill under the bun and sneak it out.

Staples are not allowed, but for a much more boring reason–they annoy the accounting department.

[abefroman329]

Jimmy John's has your sandwich done before you finish ordering it. 

Unfortunately it's a bland, boring sandwich made by a company whose founder gets his jollies shooting rhinos.

[hbelkins]

Jimmy John's has your sandwich done before you finish ordering it. 

Unfortunately it's a bland, boring sandwich made by a company whose founder gets his jollies shooting rhinos.

And overpriced for what you get. I tried them several years ago and was unimpressed.

[jeffandnicole]

Jimmy John's has your sandwich done before you finish ordering it. 

Unfortunately it's a bland, boring sandwich made by a company whose founder gets his jollies shooting rhinos.

And overpriced for what you get. I tried them several years ago and was unimpressed.

Same here.  My biggest problem is they have one type of cheese: Provolone.  Why do they limit themselves to that? 

[jwolfer]

Fastest fast food consistently is chick-fil-a. And employees are usually very nice. I do get annoyed with the "my pleasure" required response to thank you.

Slowest is Krystal by far

Z981

[abefroman329]

Jimmy John's has your sandwich done before you finish ordering it. 

Unfortunately it's a bland, boring sandwich made by a company whose founder gets his jollies shooting rhinos.

And overpriced for what you get. I tried them several years ago and was unimpressed.

Same here.  My biggest problem is they have one type of cheese: Provolone.  Why do they limit themselves to that?

I'm almost positive that Subway only had white American* cheese when they first opened.  They're doing just fine.

*No need to tell me that American cheese is white in its natural state and they have to dye it yellow; therefore, it's improper to call it "white American cheese" and "American cheese" when it should be "American cheese" and "yellow American cheese."  I've already been told that.

[SP Cook]

OT:  I really dislike the preachy-ness of Subway and Panera.  Subway, like most any place, has a few "lighter" options, but the majority of its menu is filled with white bread, oils, cheese, and heavy dressings.  That is fine, but shut up with all the lose weight crap.  Panera, which plies the "natural means good" fraud tells me that is food is "clean" (despite the vastly greater likelihood that its food is contaminated over properly processed and treated food) and implies that other food is somehow "dirty".  All food has been regulated and thus, in the absence of a mistake, "clean" since the Roosevelt administration.  The Teddy Roosevelt administration. 

[jeffandnicole]

I'm almost positive that Subway only had white American* cheese when they first opened.  They're doing just fine.

Jimmie Johns didn't just open.

And for what it's worth, both chains exist and do well in areas where there's no great delis.  Both of them thrive in areas where there's no decent alternative.

[hbelkins]

Fastest fast food consistently is chick-fil-a. And employees are usually very nice. I do get annoyed with the "my pleasure" required response to thank you.

They may have done away with that. I had Chick-Fil-A Tuesday night, and there was no "my pleasure" to be heard. And I was waiting for  and expecting it.

I did hear it somewhere else recently. I think possibly at a Zaxby's.

[abefroman329]

Do I ever miss Zaxby's.  They opened a Raisin' Cane's in my neighborhood, but it's just not the same.

[adventurernumber1]

The slowest place is definitely Five Guys, although you could argue they aren't fast food.

They aren't fast food, and I don't know of anyone around here who considers them to be fast food. I think the lack of table service gives people the illusion of fast food, but there's simply no comparison between Five Guys and a precooked Wendys/McDonalds/BK burger.

That's true. I think similarly of places like Subway and Panera Bread (they aren't formal sit-down restaurants, but they don't have everything a typical fast food place has such as drive-thrus). These places fall somewhere in between formal sit-down restaurants and fast food restaurants, but I'm not sure of the terminology of what we call them. And actually (while off-topic), interestingly, in my town (Dalton, GA), the Five Guys and Panera Bread here share the same building (which is off of GA SR 52 a little ways from I-75's Exit 333).

Places like Five Guys, Chipotle, Panera, etc are considered "fast casual" restaurants.

Oh okay. I recognize that term now, but for some reason it had disappeared from my memory until you said that. 

Thanks for the information!