They call it fast food for a reason: speed sells. How quickly you get your food after ordering is a critical element for restaurants like MacDonald’s, whose drive-throughs generate 65 per cent of its business. It is troubling news then that a recent survey from the fast food industry publication QSR Magazine found drive through wait times at McDonald’s are up 15 seconds this year compared to 2008. The average wait time for a drive-through order is now 174.22 seconds, up from 158.77 seconds last year. That put MacDonald’s ninth in the survey. The top ranked fast food joint? Chik-fil-A, which scored highly not only in speed, but in order accuracy and the clarity of the speakers used in its drive throughs.