For the seventh year in a row, Chick-fil-A was chosen tops in customer satisfaction for fast-food restaurants.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant Study, Chick-fil-A came in on top of all fast-food restaurants with a score of 83 out of 100 possible points.
The restaurant chain also beat every full-service restaurant included in the survey. The top full-service restaurant was LongHorn Steakhouse. LongHorn scored an 80.
As restaurants begin to reopen for full service following the COVID-19 pandemic, people are returning to in-restaurant dining but are also becoming more used to having food delivered from their favorite sit-down restaurants, David VanAmburg, Managing Director at the ACSI, said.
“People are slowly starting to enjoy sitting down at restaurants again, but don’t discount the value of convenience,” VanAmburg said. “During the pandemic, folks got a taste for what it’s like to have food from their favorite restaurants delivered right to their door.
“And now that they’ve gotten used to this service, there’s no going back.
“Restaurants need to continue to give customers all the options they’ve become accustomed to over the last year and a half. If not, they might grab a bite somewhere else,” VanAmberg said.
The ACSI Restaurant Study 2020-2021 is based on interviews with 19,423 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between April 1, 2020, and March 29, 2021.
Here is where fast-food and full-service restaurants landed on the list:
Fast-food:
1. Chick-fil-A: 83
2. Domino’s: 80
3. KFC: 79
4. Starbucks: 79
5. Five Guys: 78
6. Pizza Hut: 78
7. Arby’s: 77
8. Chipotle Mexican Grill: 77
9. Dunkin’: 77
10. Papa John’s: 77
11. Burger King: 76
12. Little Caesars: 76
13. Panda Express: 76
14. Subway: 75
15. Dairy Queen: 74
16. Taco Bell: 74
The bottom five for fast-food chains are:
1. Jack in the Box: 73
2. Popeyes: 73
3. Sonic: 73
4. Wendy’s: 73
5. McDonald’s: 70
For full-service restaurants:
1. LongHorn Steakhouse: 80
2. Olive Garden: 80
3. Texas Roadhouse: 80
4. Cracker Barrel: 78
5. Outback: 78
6. Red Robin: 78
7. The Cheesecake Factory: 77
8. Applebee’s: 77
9. Chili’s: 77
10. Red Lobster: 77
11. TGI Fridays: 77
12. Buffalo Wild Wings: 76
13. Denny’s: 76
14. IHOP: 74