80% of Consumers Say Tech Drives QSR Choice in 2025

As quick-service restaurant brands ramp up their tech investments and roll out everything from kiosks to enhanced loyalty programs, a new report from monitoring and management software company Canopy shows what is resonating the most for consumers.

Fast-Food Friction: The 2025 Restaurant Tech Report, based on a national survey of Americans who eat at quick-service restaurants, finds that technology influences where four out of five consumers eat.

Here is how they use that technology:

Self-service kiosks

Self-service kiosks are used at least occasionally by more than 60% of customers and frequently by 26% of customers. Those guests cite faster ordering (51%), easier customization (34%), more time to browse (36%), and greater accuracy (28%). That said, 80% have experienced issues with kiosks, most commonly receipt printers malfunctions, frozen screens, or machines that are out of order.

Canopy finds that those who visit QSRs three or more times a week are the most frequent kiosk users. Further, customers ordering for more than just themselves — such as parents ordering for their children — are more likely to choose kiosks for customization and accuracy.

AI drive-thrus

Just 15% of QSR customers have experienced an AI drive-thru so far. Of those, 66% said the experience was good or better than ordering from restaurant staff. However, AI-assisted voice ordering still needs work, with 75% of customers experiencing a misunderstanding of their order, and 25% noting that the experience took too long.

Accuracy is also a challenge, with nearly 30% of orders including a wrong item, while more than 20% of customers didn’t have their questions resolved by AI or their order mistakes fixed. Consumers also said they were frustrated with AI-induced upselling, which made their interaction feel “robotic and inefficient.”

Payment technology

Canopy’s report finds several grievances related to payment technology, as 76% of customers have run into issues and fewer than one in four say it always works. The most common complaints are that such transactions require multiple attempts (42%), tap devices are unresponsive (33%), chip readers fail (27%), and payment processing is too slow (23%).

Many consumers now prefer to use their digital wallets for payment, noting that they always work and they’re faster.

Which brands are winning?

While it’s early days for the adoption of most of these technologies, there are three QSR brands that consumers prefer for their experiences, according to the report.

McDonald’s is the top choice for consumers, with 34%. The chain introduced its MyMcDonald’s Rewards program nationwide in 2021 and has since added several features such as local deals and Ready on Arrival mobile ordering, which reduces wait times by 50% or more.
Chick-fil-A is No. 2 with 18%. The chicken chain’s popular loyalty program offers weekly food rewards, digital games, and more.
Taco Bell is No. 3 with 8%. The chain has rolled out Voice AI at more than 600 domestic restaurants, while its mobile app includes features such as the “name your own price tool “ and Tuesday Drops.

These experiences are becoming more important for consumers. Indeed, 43% of consumers said good technology is “extremely important” when choosing a QSR, while 37% said it’s “very important.” Just 1% said it’s “not at all important.”

“People go to quick-service restaurants because they know what they’re going to get. They want a predictable, easy experience. So, when restaurants use technology that adds friction, customers notice,” Canopy chief executive officer Steve Latham said in a statement. “If a kiosk loses an order, a drive-thru AI misunderstands, (or) even something as simple as a payment transaction times out, that customer remembers. Technology needs to work like it’s supposed to every time or QSRs are looking at measurable losses.”