The fast-food drive-thru isn’t as fast these days, thanks in part to demands for healthier menus that are taking a little longer to prepare, according to an annual study of how much time it’s taking you to get in and out.

QSR magazine’s Drive-Thru Performance Study found that on average it's taking about 3 minutes for you to place your order, pay for it and drive off, about 8 seconds more than last year. Wendy's has the quickest time at 2.2 minutes, while Krystal has the slowest at 3.6 minutes.

But when it comes to the accuracy of your order, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A comes out on top. Chick-fil-A filled drive-thru orders correctly 91.6 percent of the time, according to the study, although the chain had the second-slowest time for filling orders at nearly 3.4 minutes. Krystal had the lowest accuracy rate in filling orders.

“We knew going into this year’s study that speed-of-service times seemed to have plateaued over the last few years, but we did not really expect to see the nearly across-the-board increases in service times that were apparent,”  Brian Baker, president of Insula Research,  told QSR. Insula conducted the research for the magazine.  “One explanation for longer service times could be a more complex menu for operators to deal with, as many restaurants have introduced more healthy options that in some cases could take longer to prepare.”

To improve their times, some restaurants are trying to improve order accuracy - which also declined overall - and customer service, and upgrade technology. Chick-fil-A, for example, said it was investing more in dual-lane drive-thrus. Chicck-fil-A also led in the category of "very friendly" customer service.

According to a USA Today report, some chains get 60 percent to 70 percent of their revenue from the drive-thru, making the service highly competitive in the $299 billion fast-food industry.

Most valuable brands: Coke falls to No. 3

For 13 years, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola was considered the world’s most valuable brand, but that changed this year with Apple taking over the No. 1 spot, followed by Google at No. 2, according to Interbrands, the global consultancy. Interbrand’s latest list reflects the growing clout the technology industry has in influencing consumer tastes and driving demand. Tech companies dominate the top 10 brands overall. Rounding out group, starting with No. 4, are IBM, Microsoft, GE, McDonald’s, Samsung, Intel and Toyota.

Paperless: Delta pilots getting Microsoft tablets

Eleven thousand Delta Air Lines pilots will be equipped with Microsoft Surface 2 tablets so they won’t have to flip through pounds of paper navigational charts and manuals. Delta is joining rivals that are going paperless. Southwest, American, United, JetBlue and Alaska airlines reportedly are either using or trying out Apple iPads or other devices. Delta said its Microsoft tablets will place critical flight data at the fingertips of pilots more quickly, rid the cockpit of clutter and even save on fuel by reducing overall fleet weight. Steve Dickson, senior vice president for flight operations, said pilots of Boeing 757s and 767s will begin receiving the tablets later this year and all pilots will have them by the end of 2014, pending Federal Aviation Administration approval.

Nominate your workplace for top honors

For those of you who think you work for a great company, why not nominate it for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s fourth annual Top Workplaces recognition. Nominations are open to all businesses, including nonprofits, with at least 50 employees in a 15-county metro region. The counties are: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Coweta, Hall, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale and Walton. To nominate your company, go to: ajc.com/go/topworkplaces or call 404-671-9425. Deadline for nominations is Oct. 25. A special section will be published in the AJC in March.