Which McDonald's Drive-Thrus Have the Biggest Queues?

While McDonald's might not quite offer Michelin-star food, you can't deny that it satisfies the stomach 🤤 And who doesn't get excited about pulling up to a drive-thru McDonald's after a long day on the road? But where are the busiest McDonald's drive-thrus in the UK? That's what we're here to find out. 

If you're anything like us, then each day is spent waiting for McDonald's to bring back the McRib. McDonald's, please, bring it back 🙏 While we wait, we'll just have to settle for one of the other options on their menu. More important than the food, though, is where you get it from.

Because if it's not a drive-thru, are you even having a proper McDonald's experience? Fortunately, there are more than 1,000 drive-thru McDonald's in the UK. So you can roll up in your whip, order a McFlurry and enjoy it while listening to your Spotify playlist. Just don't get caught in a queue. 

McDonald's drive-thrus with the biggest queues

Robroyston, Glasgow

Covid had us all cooped up indoors. So when things started reopening, it's safe to say that we got a bit carried away. Months without McDonald's obviously upset the residents of Robroyston in Glasgow. The queues were long, people wanted their food, and the police were even called to manage the lines and unprecedented waits. And you thought only new Apple product launches caused chaos. 

Edinburgh

They really do love a Maccy-d's in Scotland. One of the Edinburgh drive-thrus became so busy that staff had to temporarily close it down as they couldn't keep up with demand. We feel sorry for anyone who missed out on the 20 McNuggets megadeal. 

Bolton, Greater Manchester

People were clearly dreaming of Big Macs and Quarter Pounders during the lockdown in Bolton. Queue lasted for up to an hour-and-a-half when one chain reopened, with diners having to be that little bit extra patient before getting their hands on McChicken Sandwich. 

North London

With two drive-thru branches, you would think North London avoids any queues when it comes to ordering from McDonald's. Well, you thought wrong. It's one of the busiest areas for McDonald's drive-thrus, with numbers getting as high as 225k on the weekend. That's just under 75k per store.

Dorchester, Dorset

The golden arches go down a storm in Dorchester, and people love heading to the drive-thru option. If you're planning on hitting up this McDonald's spot, just make sure you try and avoid doing it at the weekend. Numbers surpass 120k. That's a lot of Big Macs. 

Hereford, Herefordshire

Head to Hereford, but think twice if you're going to a drive-thru McDonald's. At its peak, the branch can see more than 100k visitors at the weekend, which is a heck of a lot of people ordering McDonald's.

West London

There are two drive-thrus in West London, yet that hasn't stopped people from flocking to each other in an effort to satisfy their McShake cravings. The number of people visiting over the weekend can get as high as 138k, which is roughly 69k per branch. 

Guildford, Surrey

Who would have thought that one of busiest McDonald's drive-thrus would be in the affluent town of Guildford? Not us. But there you have it – posh people also love a Quarter Pounder and Double Bacon Cheeseburger. There are a whopping six drive-thrus in Guildford, with an impressive 509k people passing through. That's just under 85k per branch. 

Slough, Berkshire

Slough has the highest ratio of visitors per McDonald's drive-thru, with its three branches seeing more than 318k people passing through with a hankering for a Big Mac. That works out at roughly 106k per branch, so if you're in Slough on the lookout for a Maccy-D's, approach with caution. 

Get in line

There is some good news if you're planning on visiting one of the McDonald's drive-thrus: the numbers relate to peak popularity after lockdowns were lifted. So while you can still expect some busy periods, you might not need to queue for an hour or two just to get your Malteasers McFlurry fix.