A Taco Bell drive-thru in Vernon Hills, Illinois (Getty Images)

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

Though 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

10/2/25 11:13AM

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 owned by Yum! 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 last year, 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 (at 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 (with a 92% “friendliness” score), the “broista”-branded beverage company delivered protein coffees and energy drinks in 6 minutes and 22 seconds on average.

Happy meals?

Perhaps most surprising was just how much customers weren’t lovin’ it over at McDonald’s. 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.

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”