The Most Popular Fast Food Chain in Each State, According to Search Data
Which drive-thru line is everyone around you hitting up?
Dotdash Meredith/Janet Maples
There’s nothing wrong with grabbing a table and chairs to sit down and relax over a juicy burger and crispy batch of fries at a fast food restaurant. However, in today’s day and age, time is precious and limited, as people are busy and don’t often have the time to sit and enjoy a meal.
Thus, anything that offers convenience and ease is a no-brainer, and that’s where fast food drive-thrus come in, for their affordability, speed, diverse menu selection, and accessibility, which has made them incredibly popular with both fast food lovers and simply busy people, alike.
And, the popularity of fast-food chain drive-thrus has dramatically risen and increased over time, too. Recent 2023 data found a notable shift in regional preferences for fast-food drive-thrus over regular sit-down restaurant chains.
In fact, the International Drivers Association conducted research on internet searches across the United States on just this very topic. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on the "best" fast-food drive-thru joint to go to. Interestingly enough, the research found a vast difference in interest among the states when looking at Google searches for the year 2023 to determine the most popular and frequently searched drive-thrus.
By conducting a state-by-state overview and selecting the most searched fast-food drive-thru, the team found there to be several distinctions, in addition to general increases in searches as a whole, across the United States. By examining the search terms and chains, we're assuming those are likely the most desired and frequently visited, too.
In analyzing Google Search data (and using "Ahrefs") from 2022-2023, it was easy to mark comparisons and distinctions within the year in terms of drive-thru popularity and choice within each state. So are you in line with your state for your fast food pick?
The Most Popular Fast-food Drive-Thru, Broken Down By State
Here’s the breakdown of the most searched fast-food drive-thru restaurants, according to 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: Little Caesars (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 Chili (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)
South Carolina: Bojangles' (1.4 million searches)
South Dakota: Culver's (500,000 searches)
Tennessee: Krystal (1.6 million searches)
Texas: Whataburger (7 million searches)
Utah: Cafe 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 out of Florida with 8 million searches for McDonald's, followed by California and Texas with 7 million searches each for Taco Bell and Whataburger respectively. There are definitely some regional favorites, and we have a new excuse to travel the country to see what they are all about.
Read the original article on All Recipes.
