A Taco Bell drive-thru in Vernon Hills, IL, USA - August 2024. (Getty Images)

Taco Bell is named the fastest drive-thru for a fifth year, but it may have lost a human touch with AI

Although Chick-fil-A was the slowest fast-food drive-thru, it was considered the friendliest, per the latest QSR report — at the Golden Arches, however, customers weren’t lovin’ the vibe.

Millie Giles

At first glance, it seems as though Yum! Brands’ AI drive-thrus, developed with Nvidia to deliver even faster fast-food, are paying off... bar the odd 18,000 water cups.

According to the QSR Drive-Thru Report for 2025, made in partnership with Intouch Insight and released Wednesday, the quickest drive-thrus — measured by the shortest time taken to complete the entire process, from ordering to receiving food — of all the chains surveyed were Taco Bell (4 minutes 16 seconds) and KFC (4 minutes 21 seconds), which are both Yum!-owned and have both launched AI-powered ordering systems at select locations earlier this year.

But these outlets were already pretty quick, even if at the expense of accuracy: 2025 marks the fifth consecutive year that Taco Bell has taken the top spot in the rankings. On closer inspection, the total wait time and order accuracy at Taco Bell was the same as in 2024, and KFC actually took 2 seconds longer than last year’s average — and got 10% more orders wrong.

Service with a smile

While the early rollout of AI drive-thru systems has yet to have a tangible effect on wait times and accuracy, one thing that the tech can’t replicate (try as it might) is real-life connection. The report detailed another factor at the drive-thru: friendliness, measured as the percentage of shoppers who said that the service was “friendly.”

Naturally, Chick-fil-A, renowned for its customer service and lengthy lines, was considered friendly by 93% of customers — and, even though its food took the longest (7 minutes and 6 seconds), the chicken chain was also joint first-place for overall satisfaction with rapidly growing coffee chain Dutch Bros.

Indeed, as well as being the second-most amiable outlet in the study (92% “friendliness”), the “broista”-branded beverage company delivered protein coffees and energy drinks in 6 minutes 22 seconds on average.

Happy meals?

Perhaps most surprising was just how much customers weren’t lovin’ it over at McDonald’s. Indeed, America’s biggest fast-food chain was found to be the least welcoming, scoring a paltry 65% for “friendliness.”

Still, even as fast-food customers look for more supersized pleasantries with their service, Taco Bell’s iconic offerings aren’t going anywhere — especially as they start to look more like fan favorite Chick-fil-A’s.

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Amazon doubles down on groceries with new private-label collection, sending grocery stocks lower

Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Grocery, a new private-label food brand that combines its Fresh and Happy Belly lines into one collection.

The label covers more than 1,000 staples, from milk and eggs to olive oil and fresh meat, with most items priced under $5. Shares of Amazon were little changed, but grocery-selling rivals Target, Walmart, and Kroger all slipped around 2% following the announcement. Costco also slipped about 1%.

The launch highlights Amazon’s growing push into both grocery and private-label essentials as more customers trade down to cut costs. In August, the e-commerce giant added perishable groceries to same-day delivery in 1,000 cities and towns across the country.

At the same time, Amazon said shoppers purchased 15% more private-brand products in 2024 compared to the previous year across Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon Fresh.

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Ford sales climb for 7th straight month as EVs hit a quarterly record on tax credit expiration

September marked another banner month for Ford’s electric vehicle business, with EV sales climbing 85% from the same month last year to more than 11,700 units.

For the third quarter as a whole, Ford’s electrified unit sales grew nearly 20%. That’s the division’s best Q3 on record, boosted by the looming end of the $7,500 federal tax credit on Tuesday. Ford, with rival GM, has found some ways to extend that credit in the hopes of keeping sales stable.

Overall, Ford sales rose 8.2% on the quarter, and September was the automaker’s seventh straight month of sales gains. Ford sales have been buoyed this year by panic buying: first from fears of tariff price hikes (and Ford’s strong incentives), and lately from the EV credit expiration.

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Have chicken strips become the fast-food panic button of 2025?

McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and now Wendy’s have all added variations on the theme this year.

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Some automakers are working accounting magic to extend the EV tax credit beyond today’s deadline

The $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire after today, September 30. Logically, electric vehicle sales are expected to fall off afterward.

But some automakers, including Ford, GM, and luxury EV maker Lucid, have found ways to effectively extend the credit for some customers.

According to reporting by Reuters, Ford and GM have initiated plans to dealers that would have the automakers themselves put down payments on EVs currently in inventory at dealerships. Those down payments would qualify for the expiring tax credit, and dealers would be able to extend the subsidy to future customers through discounted lease rates.

Reuters reports that the programs were launched following discussions between the automakers and the IRS.

In August, Lucid announced that the company would honor the $7,500 tax credit through the end of the year for lessees who order its Gravity SUV by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Exclusive: Ford, GM launch programs to extend use of $7,500 EV lease credit