Hidden Insights: The Blind Spots in QSR Mobile Order Pickups

Let’s be real. QSR Mobile ordering isn’t the future. It’s already the now. Guests expect it. Operators rely on it. And for some brands, it’s the MVP of their entire operation.

Restaurants with online ordering systems can boost takeout profits by 30%, partly because customers spend 20% more when ordering through tech. But now that nearly every QSR has an app and a pickup promise, one question is louder than ever:

How good is the experience, really?

Our 2025 Emerging Experiences Study  set out to find out. We mystery shopped 120 restaurants across three major brands using mobile pickup models for in-store and drive-thru. We timed the handoffs. We tracked the greetings. We watched for the wins and flagged the fumbles.

Let’s unpack it all. 

The Setup Behind the Stats

Our mystery shoppers ordered like real guests. They parked, used the mobile app, and picked up their food. We then compared that journey to two key benchmarks: the 2024 Drive Thru Study and the 2025 On Premise Benchmark Study. Same orders, same customizations, just a different channel. The goal? Understand how mobile pickup stacks up against the formats your guests still rely on every day.

We studied more emerging experiences like drive-thru voice AI and kiosk ordering.
Read our blog on the Emerging Restaurant Trends for the whole breakdown.

Where Mobile Order Pickups Impressed

Across Dutch Bros, Chipotle, and Wingstop, mobile ordering turned up the heat on traditional formats. Guests skipped lines, breezed through the handoff, and gave some of the highest satisfaction scores of the study.

Here’s the breakdown:

Crushing the Clock
Mobile orders through the drive-thru shaved nearly 2 minutes off total time compared to our 2024 Drive-Thru benchmark. In-store mobile pickup was even faster, clocking in at 3 minutes and 31 seconds quicker than ordering at the counter. One brand alone pulled the average way down by cutting the time the customer spent in the drive-thru by 2 minutes and 48 seconds. That’s flipping the switch on what fast food means. Want to see who the real time-breakers were? Download the full study. 

Friendliness Got a Boost
At one brand, shoppers picking up in-store with mobile orders were greeted 14 percentage points more often than traditional counter customers. They were also more likely to receive a “thank you” or a “have a nice day” on the way out. Turns out, when the tech handles the transaction, it gives staff more time to focus on the human moments.

Shopper Insights:
“The employee was very friendly and professional. I received my order quickly and efficiently.”

Customizations Worked Like a Charm
A strong 95% of mobile pickup guests successfully customized their orders in the app. But the real test is whether those tweaks showed up accurately in the bag. Two out of three brands delivered, beating their drive-thru accuracy benchmarks. One brand did come in seven percentage points lower, but overall, the numbers show that when digital meets great execution, personalization becomes a real loyalty builder. 

Satisfaction Served on Schedule
Both mobile orders for pickup in the drive-thru and in-store hit a strong 94% in overall satisfaction, matching traditional service benchmarks. Food temperature and taste held steady too, proving that faster service doesn’t mean cutting corners. And with at least 88% of mystery shoppers saying they were satisfied with the speed, it’s clear this channel is hitting its stride where it matters most.

Mobile ordering is ticking a lot of boxes. But even great mobile ordering experiences have room to grow. 
If you're curious which brands are doing it best and how small tweaks are unlocking big results, download the study now!

Blind Spots We Couldn’t Ignore

Before you crown mobile as king, hold up. As usage climbs, so do expectations. Our mystery shoppers surfaced a few places where the experience didn’t always match the promise.

No Confirmation, No Confidence
Just 58% of drive-thru mobile orders were confirmed at the speaker or pickup window. That leaves nearly half of shoppers without reassurance that their order is correct before it’s handed over. And here’s where it matters. Shoppers reported glitches in the ordering process, too. When tech hiccups happen, customers are left wondering—did the order go through, or not?  A quick confirmation can be the difference between confidence and second-guessing. 

Shopper Insights:
"The only part that was a slight inconvenience was filling out what drink you wanted through the app, but [the employee] asked again what [my] selection was. This could be tricky if you are picking up an order for a friend or a group of people.”

Too Fast to Feel Friendly
Mobile pickup is designed to be fast, but speed can sometimes leave the human touch behind. At one brand, only 63% of shoppers described the experience as friendly, landing 16 percentage points below the drive-thru study benchmark. It’s possible the lower friendliness score ties back to a simple gap in communication. That same brand confirmed orders just 40% of the time. Without a quick check-in or eye contact, the handoff risks feeling like a transaction instead of a guest interaction.

Find out about the impact of friendliness from pickup orders made through renowned pizzerias, all according to our latest Pizza Trends Study!

Upsell Blindspot
Only 57% of mobile order pickup shoppers received a suggestive sell. Compared to 64% in the drive-thru and 75% at on-premises formats, there’s clear room for improvement in the mobile app UX. Dutch Bros, for instance, came in last for upselling, with just 23% of shoppers saying they got a prompt—well below the 64% drive-thru study benchmark. The takeaway? If upsells are buried in the app or easy to skip, brands are missing out on low-effort revenue.

Lost at the Last Step
Most drive-thru mobile guests had it easy, with 91% saying the pickup process was clear. But in-store? Not so much. At those locations, 22% of shoppers said they weren’t sure where to go. Some stood around. Others wandered. And without helpful signs or staff to guide them, a simple pickup turned into confusion, which isn’t fun when you’re hungry.

We dug into the blind spots of the mobile order pickup and uncovered some compelling insights. From quick fixes to deeper gaps, it’s all in the Emerging Experience Study. Grab it now and get the full story.

Measuring Success: No Process is Too Perfect for a Second Opinion

Mystery Shopping: Secret Shopping for the Secret Sauce

Your mobile order pickup flow may seem smooth, but what does it feel like in real life? That’s where mystery shopping comes in, giving you an insight into full experience through the guest’s eyes.

With targeted mobile order mystery shops, you can:

• Identify process slowdowns that extend wait times.
• Spot whether pickup instructions are clear, helpful, or hard to find.
• Capture opportunities to enhance friendliness across locations and formats.
• Ensure customizations actually get fulfilled at the final step.
• See if the handoff feels like it creates friction or a lasting impression. 

Mystery shopping gives you the story behind the metrics. It’s how you turn missed moments into better execution. Want to know how your mobile order pickup experience really performs? We’ve got you covered—Mystery Shopping Programs.

Explore ways on how mystery shopping can help you evaluate your QSR innovations. 

Customer Feedback Surveys: Small Fixes Start with Big Listening

Here’s the truth. Your guests already know what’s working and what’s not. All you have to do is ask.

Feedback surveys are your quickest way to capture real opinions, straight from the people who just used your mobile order pickup. It’s raw, honest, and ready to turn into action.

Use surveys to:

• Find out if guests knew where to go to pick up their meal.
• Check how they felt about the speed, friendliness, and accuracy.
• Spot if tech hiccups made them second-guess their order.
• Catch those little moments of friction before they turn into churn.

Many brands are already using guest feedback to tighten the pickup process. Do you need a fresh perspective as well? A smart Survey Tool keeps you in the loop, close to the moment, and ahead of the next missed opportunity.

Mobile Ordering for Pickup Is Winning. Is Yours?

It’s fast. It’s familiar. It’s fueling your bottom line. But even the best mobile pickup programs have blind spots.

Our mystery shoppers caught the moments that slip through—missed confirmations, unclear signage, low-effort upsells, and handoffs that don’t feel like QSR service should.

The bright side? Some brands get it. They measure what matters, move fast, and turn tech into experience wins.

The 2025 Emerging Experiences Study brings these restaurant industry trends into focus. See which brands are setting the pace, where the biggest gaps hide, and what it really takes to make mobile your smoothest channel.

Ready to pick up the full story?