Recently, a Chick-fil-A location in Rockford, Illinois, served one car every 13 seconds during peak hours|Wild Bill|CC BY-SA 3.0
Chick-fil-A is spearheading the fast food industry’s drive-through sales, setting up a drone-oriented film studies unit to analyze parking lot traffic and monitoring kitchens to serve customers faster.
Recently, a Chick-fil-A location in Rockford, Illinois, served one car every 13 seconds during peak hours.
It was made possible by franchisee Philip Everett and a corporate team, who spotted inefficiencies using drones and security footage. It led to process tweaks that boosted drive-through transactions by 50% in that location.
The restaurant chain, famous for its chicken sandwiches, topped US fast food sales in 2023, bringing in $21.6 billion, beating McDonald’s. The franchise achieved this despite being closed on all Sundays.
In 2024, around 60% of its sales came from drive-up window orders.
The chain ranks high in service and accuracy and moves more cars per hour than competitors, according to studies.
Looking ahead
Chick-fil-A is testing urban takeout-focused locations and doubling down on efficiency, even as the broader fast-food industry struggles with declining traffic.
Fast-food restaurant traffic in the US was 2.8% lower last year than in 2023, according to market research firm Black Box Intelligence.