Whether it’s for a coffee on the way to work, a cheap burger and fries in the half-hour lunch break, a bucket of chicken for the family dinner, or a late-night taco run, drive thrus are an essential part of the American lifestyle across all dayparts. Here’s when consumers are choosing to head to the drive thru. (The below figures represent percentage of study respondents.)
| daypart | overall | genz | millennials | genx | boomers |
| Beverage only | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Snack | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Late night | 5 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Dinner | 41 | 43 | 36 | 42 | 44 |
| Lunch | 34 | 30 | 31 | 33 | 37 |
| Breakfast | 11 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
2020 QSR drive-thru performance study Methodology
The FoodserviceResults team conducted a comprehensive, nationally representative survey of drive-thru consumers in the U.S. using an online survey sample. Participants in the research were screened for frequency of use as well as numerous demographic characteristics in order to ensure that the respondent base was reflective of the U.S. drive-thru market.
Leveraging insights from numerous industry experts, the finalized survey was completed among 1,007 drive-thru consumers during fieldwork. To ensure a relevant respondent base was achieved, all participants were screened to include those who had at least one drive-thru occasion in the last 30 days. An extensive cross tabulation of the respondent sample data was conducted in order to identify major trends, demographic/behavioral themes, and other nuances in the data.
