The most popular fast food chain in every state, according to research data

What drive-thru line does everyone around you frequent?

Dotdash Meredith/Janet Maples

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There’s nothing wrong with grabbing a table and chairs to sit and relax over a juicy burger and a batch of crispy fries at a fast food joint. However, nowadays, time is precious and limited because people are busy and often don’t have time to sit down and enjoy a meal.

So, anything that offers convenience and ease is a no-brainer, and that’s where fast food drive-throughs come in, for their affordability, speed, diverse menu selection, and accessibility, which has made them made incredibly popular with fast food lovers and just plain busy people.

And the popularity of fast food chain drive-thru has also grown significantly over time. Recent data from 2023 revealed a noticeable shift in regional preferences for fast-food drive-thru versus traditional table-service restaurant chains.

In fact, the International Drivers Association has conducted Internet research across the United States on precisely this topic. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on the “best” fast food drive-thru to go. Interestingly enough, the research found a big difference in interest across states when looking at Google searches for the year 2023 to determine the most popular and frequently searched drive-thru services.

By performing a state-by-state overview and selecting the most searched drive-through fast food services, the team found that there were several distinctions, in addition to the general increase in searches as a whole, across UNITED STATES. Looking at the search terms and strings, we assume that these are also likely the most searched and most frequently visited.

By analyzing Google search data (and using “Ahrefs”) from 2022 to 2023, it was easy to draw comparisons and distinctions over the year in popularity and choice of drive-thru in each State. So, are you okay with your state for your choice of fast food?

Most popular fast food drive-thru, broken down by state

Here’s a breakdown of the most searched drive-thru restaurants, by state.

• Alabama: Church’s Chicken (1.4 million searches)

• Alaska: Sonic Drive-In (800,000 searches)

• Arizona: In-N-Out Burger (2.2 million searches)

• Arkansas: Chick-fil-A (1 million searches)

• California: Taco Bell (7 million searches)

• Colorado: Culver’s (1.5 million searches)

• Connecticut: Five Guys (1.3 million searches)

• Delaware: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (600,000 searches)

• Florida: McDonald’s (8 million searches)

• Georgia: Waffle House (2.5 million searches)

• Hawaii: Jollibee (900,000 searches)

• Idaho: Jack in the Box (850,000 searches)

• Illinois: Portillo’s (3 million searches)

• Indiana: Steak ‘n Shake (1.7 million searches)

• Iowa: Pizza Ranch (1.2 million searches)

• Kansas: Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (1 million searches)

• Kentucky: KFC (2.3 million searches)

• Louisiana: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (2.1 million searches)

• Maine: Dunkin’ Donuts (700,000 searches)

• Maryland: Chick-fil-A (1.6 million searches)

• Massachusetts: Dunkin’ Donuts (3.2 million searches)

• Michigan: Petits Césars (2.4 million searches)

• Minnesota: Dairy Queen (2 million searches)

• Mississippi: Zaxby’s (900,000 searches)

• Missouri: Panera Bread (1.8 million searches)

• Montana: Wendy’s (750,000 searches)

• Nebraska: Runza (800,000 searches)

• Nevada: In-N-Out Burger (1.7 million searches)

• New Hampshire: Dunkin’ Donuts (600,000 searches)

• New Jersey: White Castle (2.1 million searches)

• New Mexico: Blake’s Lotaburger (700,000 searches)

• new York: Shake Shack (6.5 million searches)

• North Carolina: Bojangles’ (2.3 million searches)

• North Dakota: Taco John’s (400,000 searches)

• Ohio: Skyline Chile (2 million searches)

• Oklahoma: Braum’s (1.5 million searches)

• Oregon: Dutch Bros. Coffee (1.6 million searches)

• Pennsylvania: Wawa (4 million searches)

• Rhode Island: Dunkin’ Donuts (600,000 searches)

• Caroline from the south: Bojangles’ (1.4 million searches)

• South Dakota: Culver’s (500,000 searches)

• Tennessee: Krystal (1.6 million searches)

• Texas: Whataburger (7 million searches)

• Utah: Café Rio (1 million searches)

• Vermont: Ben & Jerry’s (400,000 searches)

• Virginia: Chick-fil-A (2.1 million searches)

• Washington: Starbucks (3 million searches)

• West Virginia: Krispy Kreme (1.2 million searches)

• Wisconsin: Culver’s (2.5 million searches)

• Wyoming: Arby’s (450,000 searches)

In summary, the highest search volume came from Florida with 8 million searches for McDonald’s, followed by California and Texas with 7 million searches for Taco Bell and Whataburger respectively. There are definitely some regional favorites out there, and we’ve got a new excuse to scour the country to see what all the fuss is about.

Read the original article on All Recipes.