Reuters

A few years back, after a reporting trip to Mississippi, my then-editor called me into his office. He was looking at my expense report, and his brow was furrowed.

I asked if there was a problem. “Yes,” he said, shaking his head. “On a three-day trip, you ate at Olive Garden twice!”

It wasn’t the cost he was lamenting; it was my apparent lack of culinary adventure. What can I say? I got up early, returned from reporting late, and the restaurant was on the way back to my hotel. I would have preferred to eat at local barbecue joints for a more authentic experience, but I just didn’t have time to hunt them down.

Which is why I wasn’t really surprised that a list of the most expensed restaurants in 2012 was dominated by fast-food outlets. Clearly, many business travelers are in even more of a hurry than I was. McDonald’s came in second on the list (with 12,419 transactions averaging $6.73), and the top restaurant was Starbucks (more than 20,000 transactions, at an average of $7.54)

The data comes from Certify, a maker of cloud-based expense-management software, which crunched six million expense filings and receipts from its clients, from January through November. Certify says its software is used by tens of thousands of employees at small to large businesses, including Pitney Bowes, Subway Sandwiches, Little Caesars Pizza and Dr. Martens shoes.

My business trips are less frequent these days, but a look at this list doesn’t make me pine for the open road. I’ve been known to eat an Egg McMuffin from time to time. But at least at Olive Garden, you can get cloth napkins and a glass of wine with your dinner.

Bob Neveu, Certify’s chief executive, said there had not been any significant decrease in meal allowances at his company’s clients. The restaurant choices, he said, appeared to reflect speed and convenience — hungry travelers grabbing something while running for their plane or hunting for a Wi-Fi connection. “The dollar amounts are more indicative of business traveler grabbing something on the go,” he said. “They’re not taking clients there. It’s an individual running between planes, grabbing something quick.”

Starbucks I can understand. All business travelers seek caffeine to fuel their grueling pace. And because the stores carry breakfast fare and sandwiches, they can be handy for a quick bite.

Next on the hit parade after the coffee giant and McDonald’s was Subway (8,627 transactions averaging $11.88), Panera Bread (5,156 transactions averaging $19.12) and Burger King (4,091 transactions averaging $8.45).

(Subway is a Certify client, but the other four restaurants are not, Mr. Neveu said.)

Where do you eat when you’re on the road?