---
title: "New survey explores fast-food preferences"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b35d5e52-8c3d-4e15-9294-85b65ae3a8bc
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/new_survey_explores_fastfood_preferences.html
author: "M. Scott Morris"
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2023-11-20T09:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T20:02:51.950Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/8108_plate.jpg
---

# New survey explores fast-food preferences

**TL;DR:** A Creative Realities survey of 600 US adults found that 57% of QSR guests order the same items and 52% use drive-thrus. The survey also showed that brand loyalty and social media influence play a significant role in ordering habits.

*By M. Scott Morris, originally published in Franchising.com on 2023-11-20. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/new_survey_explores_fastfood_preferences.html).*

## Story

QSR guests are creatures of habit, and most prefer to get their fast food from a drive-thru, according to new research. Creative Realities surveyed 600 U.S.

adults about their ordering habits and tallied the results. **Old habits die hard:** 57% of those surveyed said they have a few different go-to items they order each time they go to specific restaurants, and 30% order the same thing every time. Only 13% go to a QSR without an idea of what to order.

**Drive-thrus continue to dominate:** 52% of respondents said they most frequently order through the drive-thru. Ordering via app follows with 18%, 15% order inside at a counter, 3% order inside but at a kiosk, and 11% said where they place their order varies. **Special imagery and exclusives inspire order changes:** 51% say that great imagery will cause them to linger a little longer on the menu, and 86% said a limited-time offer or promotion could affect their order.

Additionally, more than 90% said a seasonal special will get them to consider revisiting a restaurant. **Brand loyalty matters:** 66% said they either have a favorite restaurant they stick with or will occasionally try others. In addition, 35% found their favorite restaurant more than 5 years ago, and 30% have had the same favorite restaurant since childhood.

**Opinions also matter:** Across all age groups, a full quarter of respondents said that hearing about a new menu item through word of mouth is enough to get them to try it.

- Ages 18–24: 24%
- Ages 25–34: 20%
- Ages 35–44: 25%
- Ages 45–54: 27%
- Ages 54+: 28% **Social media influences:** 37% of respondents 18 to 24 said social media is most influential in getting them to try something new on a menu. Millennials also showed a taste for social media, with a quarter responding that they prefer it over other means of influence, such as in-store signage or word of mouth. For more stats and insights, click here for the full report. Published: November 20th, 2023

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- QSR (sector)
- M. Scott Morris (person)
- brand loyalty (topic)
- qsr trends (topic)
- QSR (publication)
- social media influence (topic)
- drive-thru ordering (topic)
- Creative Realities (company)

---
Originally reported by M. Scott Morris, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/new_survey_explores_fastfood_preferences.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b35d5e52-8c3d-4e15-9294-85b65ae3a8bc).