This Fast Food Chain Is Most Likely To Mess Up Your Order
This past year has seen many of us heading to our local fast food drive-thrus more than ever. Drive-thru' have always offered convenience, speed, and low costs, but now they also offer safety and comfort, since you can remain in your own vehicle. Both customers and employees are more protected this way. It's hard to find a downside to the arrangement, that is, until you consider that there's a decent chance you may drive off without what you actually ordered.
We all know that instant disappointment of looking into the bag and realizing either part or all of our order is wrong, and that disappointment escalates to full-on inconvenience if what you have received is not a fit for your dietary restrictions, or is missing food you ordered for other members of your family. Eat This, Not That! reported that, according to a QSR magazine study, there's only an 84.4% chance you will receive your correct order. That might seem pretty good, but it, of course, means there's a 15.6% chance of not getting the right meal and/or beverage.
Not all fast food chains weigh in equally, however. You have a better chance of an accurate order at some drive-thrus, and pretty cringe-worthy odds at others. Considering that all the efficiency, affordability, and deliciousness of a fast food location is not worth much if you do not get what you ordered, this can be a huge determining factor in where you go. With that in mind, it would be helpful to know the chain with the worst reputation. Keep scrolling to learn the answer!
KFC only has a 66.1% accuracy rate
QSR performed its drive-thru order accuracy study of some of the country's most popular fast food chains in 2019, realizing that after two years of improving numbers, the overall accuracy rate had fallen from 89.4% to 84.4% since 2018. The magazine reasons that contributing factors for this slip include more complex menus, busier lanes, and the increasing pressure employees feel to prioritize speed.
QSR broke the study into different categories, finding that Taco Bell had the greatest inaccuracy for beverages, specifically, with a 48% inaccuracy rate, but ranked well in entrée order accuracy, with only about a 15% inaccuracy rate there. Dinner was the time of day where customers could most likely expect an inaccuracy, and a dinner entrée was most likely to be inaccurate from McDonald's. One chain, however, ranked highest in overall inaccuracy, with a number far below the rest of the pack: KFC. Sorry, fried chicken fans. KFC only clocked in at a 66.1% order accuracy rate. The next lowest accuracy rate was 80.7%, from Hardee's.
Chick-fil-A earned the top accuracy spot with 94%, followed by Burger King at 90.3%. QSR attributes this to simpler, more straightforward menus like that of Chick-fil-A. When you think about all the different ways you can order chicken, a la carte or with meals, considering all those sides, plus pot pies, bowls, and more — whew. It might not be such a mystery that KFC has the lowest accuracy rate, after all. So, next time you hit the KFC drive-thru, remember to leave a little extra time for patience.