I went through the drive-thrus at Popeyes and KFC to compare, and even though the former left me in my car for 20 minutes I still prefer the experience (2024)

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

The drive-thru itself was standard, with no modern frills or updates.

It only has one lane, and a static menu board.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

The inconvenience of getting my food didn't take away from my enjoyment, though.

Service might disappoint, but the spicy chicken sandwich never does.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

I never leave Popeyes without ordering a biscuit on the side.

They're perfectly light and fluffy.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

I ended up paying $16 for an eight-piece nugget, a medium drink, biscuit, and spicy chicken sandwichcombo meal.

Next, I went to KFC on an equally snowy day.

Advertisem*nt

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

Advertisem*nt

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

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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.

Advertisem*nt

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

Advertisem*nt

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 endorsem*nts 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 atmmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.