(3) Fast food turns out isn’t quite as fast as it used to be. A new study finds that MacDonald's posted its slowest drives through times since this survey was first conducted fifteen years ago. As MacDonald’s, customers were spent on average three minutes and nine seconds from the time they placed their orders until they received their food. That‘s about ten seconds more than the industry average and a lot slower than a decade ago, according to the study, which was commissioned by QSR, an industry trade publication. And MacDonalds wasn’t alone in slowing down. Other chains also saw their drive through performance slowing down. (4) Among the reasons for the slower service, today there are more choices on the menu, and the products themselves are more complex and take longer to prepare. Speed, of course, is essential to the drive-through experience, and drive throughs are hugely important to chains such as MacDonalds, Burger King and Tucle Bell. Usually, the drive through accounts for sixty to seventy percent of all business that goes through a fast-food restaurant, notes Sam Ochers, editor of QSR. Of course, consumers also want their orders prepared correctly and on that score, Ochers says accuracy is still really high.