It's annoying, but my local McDonald's now has a third window for waiting, as well as 3 pull-in spaces for waiting for drive-through orders during peak busy times. The reality is that it just takes different amounts of time to cook your food depending on both the que & what you ordered. Like, I know I'll have to wait if I order a box of cookies from McDonald's because they have to cook that many fresh.
Part of the reason is because they have a massive array of data analytics going on for the corporate overlords, which lets them yell at the store & employees & withhold perks due to designed "low performance", which is super scummy. The drive-through has sensors that time how quickly people get through the line. Sometimes the employees do a manual reset to help fudge the times:
If you create an unrealistic set of parameters, then you can always keep the local franchises in a negative light for bonuses & performance & whatnot:
No matter how much you use the drive-thru, you probably don't know all the drive-thru hacks, how they trick us, or what it's like to work at those windows.
www.mashed.com

There are plenty of drive-through detection systems available. The newer ones have cameras with AI-style features:
The systems are both good & bad. The good is that they help do things like identify bottlenecks, alert staff for forgotten customers who are waiting for their food, etc. The bad is that everyone is aiming for the best bottom line, so they understaff stores in order to make more money & they put these digital punishment systems in, which is stupid. The only place around where I live that does a good job is Chick-Fil-A. At my particular location:
1. They have a functional dual-lane system
2. They have people waiting outside with tablets to take your order (typically at least 2 people, one per lane, and sometime 3 or 4 on busy days). This means that no matter how long the line is, the order-taking process is improved because they can walk all the way down the line & get your order started in the restaurant so that it's actually ready when you get there, which sounds obvious, but is amazing!
3. They take your name to ensure that you are getting the correct order, rather than by doing it based on who shows up next, which can get confusing in a dual-lane system when people skip ahead.
4. They have a tent mid-point with a worker in it to take the money, which they confirm with your name & order items, and also saves time because you don't have to pay at the window, which is similar to a dual-window drive-through, except the worker in the tent can walk up & down the line to collect payment while everyone is waiting.
5. At the window, they confirm with your name & order items and then hand you the food, so their ONLY job is to make sure they have the right order & then hand it to you, which means you can leave as soon as the food is ready
As of a few years ago, the average Chick-fil-a franchise owner (called "operators") make $200k a year, so it's not a bad gig!
Opening a Chick-fil-A franchise has a very good income. Although it is not easy to get. Read to know how much a Chick-fil-A franchise owner makes.
techycompany.com
Plenty of drive-through metrics are available now:
They're already using AI for order-taking:
Fast food chains have quietly been installing and upgrading new technology-driven systems at drive-thrus, from AI to license plate recognition.
thetakeout.com
Most chains are being VERY careful about facial recognition, but they also know consumers will give up privacy for convenience, hence the coupon-generator for AI Hangover Face Detector at BK haha:
Burger King and others are getting more comfortable in your personal space.
thetakeout.com
You can pay with your face & get personalized orders at different places now:
McDonald's has even experimented with license-plate detection for expediting recurring orders, auto-triggering mobile orders, etc:
By Rachel Metz, CNN Business (CNN) -- At a McDonald's drive-thru in a Chicago suburb, customers may notice something different about the voice that takes their orders for Big Macs and fries."We
www.cbs58.com
Anyway, you're not wrong to be upset, especially because it can take so long & sometimes the workers forget about you. There have been times when I've had to either call the store, walk into the store to get my order, or go through the drive-through again to get my food. However:
1. Staying in line when asked to move is holding up other people from getting their food, which is ready, when your order has not finished cooking yet, so now their hot food is getting cold & their cold food is melting
2. The workers & the store are the ones who end up getting punished because of the timing detection systems, which again, is scummy, but is also the reality that they have to live with