I went through the drive-thrus at Popeyes and KFC to compare, and even though the former left me in
- I visited KFC and Popeyes drive-thrus to compare the head to head.
- Popeyes' drive-thru is slow and inefficient at filling even basic orders.
- It also has excellent fast food that's worth the wait.
I went to a Popeyes in Rochester, New York to begin my comparison with KFC.
Signs and posters around the restaurant exterior advertised mac and cheese and chicken sandwiches.
I went through the drive-thru, which most customers also opted to do on the snowy day.
The parking lot was relatively full too, despite the bad weather.
The drive-thru itself was standard, with no modern frills or updates.
It only has one lane, and a static menu board.
It was easy enough to make a mobile order, though, which I did ahead of time. I just gave the cashier my name at the speaker.
Service at the Popeyes drive-thru always seems to have some sort of hiccups, in my experience, and this visit was no exception.
At the payment window, the Popeyes worker told me to pull ahead out of the drive-thru lane and someone would bring out our food.
This seems to happen every time I go to Popeyes. It usually means the food will take a bit longer, and they don't want to hold up other customers in the drive-thru.
This time was the slowest service I've ever had. After about 20 minutes I went inside and asked about my order. After about five more minutes of waiting inside, I finally had my order.
My experience was in line with typical Popeyes service. In Food Service Results 2020 drive-thru study, Popeyes ranked last in speed of service out of 17 fast food chains.
Source: QSR Magazine
After about five more minutes of waiting inside, I finally had my order.
I was absolutely starving by the time I got home with my food, a half-hour later than I'd anticipated.
The inconvenience of getting my food didn't take away from my enjoyment, though.
Service might disappoint, but the spicy chicken sandwich never does.
The sauce, the pickles, the breading on the sandwich — it's my vote for the winner of the chicken sandwich wars.
Popeyes also has some of the best fries in the fast-food game in my opinion.
I also got some nuggets to round out my test, which came in this cute little box.
My biscuit was placed inside with the eight-piece nuggets.
I never leave Popeyes without ordering a biscuit on the side.
They're perfectly light and fluffy.
The nuggets are small but crispy, with just the right level of seasoning.
I also got a free side of mashed potatoes, thanks to the Popeyes app.
I ended up paying $16 for an eight-piece nugget, a medium drink, biscuit, and spicy chicken sandwich combo meal.
Next, I went to KFC on an equally snowy day.
The parking lot was a bit less busy than at Popeyes, but there were still some lunch customers.
Signs on windows around the restaurant advertised chicken sandwich and new Beyond Fried Chicken nuggets.
Source: Insider
The KFC drive-thru was the same basic design as Popeyes, with a single lane and static menu board.
KFC isn't known for a particularly fast drive-thru, but it ranked just ahead of Popeyes in the 2020 study, and in the middle of the pack in 2021.
Source: QSR
While drive-thrus have grown recently, KFC has also pushed customers to try out its quick pick-up order method to ease some of the pressure of long car lines.
Source: Restaurant Business
The wait was by far the biggest difference. I was in and out of the drive-thru in about five minutes.
I made a very similar order at KFC to closely compare the two chicken chains.
KFC's crispy chicken sandwich is delicious, as I've written before.
Source: Insider
The sandwich is huge, with a substantial chicken breast in each serving.
Somehow, KFC manages to keep the sandwich both crispy and juicy despite the large size.
The chicken tenders came in a box much like the one from Popeyes.
The chicken tenders, which I ordered as part of a combo meal, were crispy and delicious.
The combo meal included fries, a biscuit, and a drink.
They were good enough to eat on their own, but even better smothered in honey mustard sauce.
The biscuit, while not bad, was denser than Popeyes and not quite as good.
I felt the same way about the fries. They're perfectly fine but can't live up to Popeyes' seasoning.
The mac and cheese, however, is creamy and decadent and can stand up to any competitor.
My KFC meal totaled about $20 for a box with a sandwich, three sides, and a drink, plus a chicken tenders combo meal.
Prices between the chains are nearly exactly equal because I had a slightly bigger order at KFC.
There's no question that KFC had a faster, more efficient drive-thru.
Even so, Popeyes is better in my eyes.
Popeyes parent company, Restaurant Brands International, said it plans to roll out updated drive-thrus with more modern technology across the US by the middle of 2022.
Source: CNN
The brand has moved more slowly than competitors in updating drive-thrus, possibly because it can continue to rely on the viral success of its spicy chicken sandwich and lean on celebrity endorsements like Megan Thee Stallion.
Source: Insider
I would and have returned to KFC, but Popeyes sandwiches and fries are unmatched in the rest of the fast-food landscape, even if they leave you waiting in your car.
Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.
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