Fast Food in St. Johns, FL: How to Get It Fresh and Quick
Short answer: Fast food in St. Johns, FL comes in two styles. Chain counters often cook ahead and hold food warm, while local kitchens cook each order after you place it. If you want speed and freshness, order a made-to-order meal for pickup before you leave. The kitchen cooks while you drive.
Ordering ahead means placing your order before you set out, so the kitchen starts cooking while you are still on the way.
Key takeaways
- A daily habit: About 1 in 3 U.S. adults eats fast food on any given day.
- The drive-thru is not instant: the average total drive-thru time in a 2025 study was 5 minutes 35 seconds.
- Order ahead: an online pickup order lets a made-to-order kitchen cook while you are on the road.
- Keep it simple: one protein and one side, or a combo, is the quickest fresh meal to pick up and eat.
How often do Americans eat fast food?
Often. About one in three adults eats fast food on any given day.
A CDC data brief found that 32.0% of adults age 20 and older ate fast food on a given day, and fast food made up 11.7% of their daily calories (Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics). The share was highest for adults 20 to 39, at 15.2%, and lowest for adults 60 and older, at 7.6%.
Eating out is now the bigger half of the food budget. Americans spent $1.41 trillion on food away from home in 2025, out of $2.51 trillion in total food spending (Source: USDA Economic Research Service).
So the real question is not whether you will grab something quick. It is how to make the quick meal a fresh one. For the full case on taste and quality, read why fresh, made-to-order food beats fast food. If your quick meal is a workday break, our guide to lunch near Durbin Park has more ideas.
How long does a fast-food drive-thru actually take?
Longer than it feels. The average visit runs about five and a half minutes, from joining the line to leaving with your food.
The 25th annual Intouch Insight Drive-Thru Study sent mystery shoppers on 165 visits per brand to 13 chains in 2025. The average total time was 5 minutes 35 seconds, timed from entering the drive-thru to exiting with the food (Source: Intouch Insight).
Five minutes in a line is time spent waiting for food that may already be cooked. When a made-to-order kitchen gets your order before you leave, its cooking overlaps your drive instead.
What are the quickest fresh orders to grab?
Handhelds and baskets with one protein and one side are the easiest made-to-order meals to grab and eat on the go. Burgers, tenders, wraps and tacos all fit.
Simple, clear orders are faster everywhere. In the same drive-thru study, customers who did not need to repeat their order saved an average of 1 minute 25 seconds. Orders were accurate 87% of the time when checked against the entrée, side, drink and any special requests (Source: Intouch Insight). Every extra request is one more thing to get right.
Here is how the quick-grab orders on the Quig’s menu compare.
| Order | What comes with it | Fries and a drink? | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quig’s Classic burger | 100% Angus beef patty; can be a lettuce wrap | Add with Make it a Combo | A full lunch |
| Chicken Tenders | 5, 7 or 10 pieces | Add with Make it a Combo | Kids and the back seat |
| Boneless Wings | 8 or 16 pieces, with a choice of nine sauces | Add with Make it a Combo | Sharing on the way home |
| Chicken Wrap | Fried, grilled or blackened chicken | Not part of Make it a Combo | One-hand eating |
| Shrimp or Fish Tacos | 2 tacos, fried, grilled or blackened | 1 side included | A lighter meal |
| Q Dawg | Footlong all-beef Sabrett hot dog with chili, cheese, mustard and onion | Fries and a drink included | One order, nothing to add |
The pattern is worth knowing. Make it a Combo covers burgers, tenders and wings only. The tacos already come with a side, and the Q Dawg already includes fries and a drink. If wings are riding home with you, extra sauce on the side keeps the choice in your hands. For more on the chicken side of the menu, see our guide to fried chicken in St. Johns.
How do you get fast food in St. Johns, FL without the wait?
Order before you leave, say every change once, and give the kitchen a head start. Those three habits do most of the work.
- Order from home or work, not the parking lot. At Quig’s, you can order online for pickup, or call 904-784-7844 to place your order.
- Put every change in the order itself. A lettuce wrap, sauce on the side or grilled instead of fried is easiest to get right when it is written down once.
- Beat the crowd at mealtimes. If your lunch break starts at noon, place the order a little before you leave, not after you arrive.
Ordering ahead is how big chains now run too. The 2025 drive-thru study calls the modern drive-thru a digital fulfillment hub, where transactions often involve mobile orders, app payments and customizations (Source: Intouch Insight). A local kitchen that cooks to order gets the same head start when you order early, with food cooked for you rather than for the line.
For fast food in St. Johns, FL that is cooked to order, Quig’s Meats & Eats is on County Road 210 in St. Johns. Our guide to restaurants on CR 210 in St. Johns covers the rest of the corridor, and our post on how family-owned restaurants stand out explains why independent kitchens work this way.
Feeding a whole group instead? Our guide to how much food you need for a party works out the tray math for you.
How Quig’s helps when you want food fast
At Quig’s, speed comes from ordering ahead, not from cooking ahead. The family-owned kitchen has served St. Johns since 2023, and it starts each order when the ticket arrives instead of parking food under a heat lamp.
That makes it a practical pick when you want fast food in St. Johns, FL without the warming tray.
- Ways to order: Dine in, order online for pickup, or get delivery through a third-party platform. You can also call 904-784-7844 to place your order.
- Every day, 11am to 9pm: lunch, dinner and the hours in between.
- Burgers your way: Every burger uses 100% Angus beef, and any burger can be a lettuce wrap.
- Wings with options: Choose from nine sauces, from Q-Sauce to Burnout XXXX. Our guide to the best wings near Durbin Park has more.
- Seafood, too: Fried shrimp, fish tacos and a fish sandwich are on the menu. See seafood in St. Johns.
Browse the full Quig’s menu before you order. Planning ahead for a group? Request a quote on the We Cater page, with at least 48 hours’ notice. For a sit-down night, read our ideas for a family dinner in St. Johns.
Frequently asked questions
What is the quickest way to get a fresh meal for pickup in St. Johns?
The quickest way is to order before you leave, then head straight to the kitchen. At Quig’s Meats & Eats, you can order online for pickup, or call 904-784-7844 to place your order. Pick it up at 100 Gateway Circle, Saint Johns, FL 32259. The kitchen is open every day from 11am to 9pm. Keep the order simple, with one protein and one side or a combo, and put any changes in the order itself. That way the cooking happens while you are on the road, not while you stand at the counter.
What should I order if I am eating in the car?
Pick something you can hold in one hand and eat without a table. A Chicken Wrap, a burger or an order of tenders all work well, and any burger can be made as a lettuce wrap if you want it lighter. Make it a Combo adds fries and a drink to burgers, tenders and wings. The Q Dawg already includes fries and a drink. If you order wings, ask for the sauce on the side so the car stays cleaner and you control how much goes on. Save the loaded fries for when you are at a table.
Can I get a lighter fast meal in St. Johns?
Yes. A lighter quick meal is easy to build at a made-to-order kitchen, because nothing is cooked until you choose. At Quig’s, any burger can be made as a lettuce wrap instead of a bun. Chicken wraps and tacos come fried, grilled or blackened, so you can pick grilled or blackened for a lighter take. Salads include the Mixed Green, Caesar and Tropical Salad, with chicken or shrimp on some of them. A Veggie Wrap and a Veggie Burger are on the menu too, and Grilled Veggie is one of the sides.
Fast food does not have to mean food that has been waiting. Order ahead, keep it simple, and let a fresh kitchen cook while you drive. Start with the Quig’s menu, find more local guides on the Quig’s blog, or visit the Quig’s homepage.
Sources
Hungry yet?
Order online for pickup, dine in, or call 904-784-7844. Open 7 days a week, 11am to 9pm.