Chick-fil-A is America’s favorite fast-food restaurant chain for the eighth year in a row, according to the latest results this week by the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
The ACSI data, which measures things like order accuracy, food quality, facility cleanliness, mobile ordering and staff helpfulness, awarded the Atlanta-based restaurant chain an 83% customer satisfaction rating.
Even though Chick-fil-A’s rating stayed the same, other top-rated chains saw decreases, including Dunkin’, Starbucks, Five Guys, Taco Bell, Popeyes and McDonald’s, which all fell at least 3%, according to ACSI.
Some in the past have criticized the Cathy family, who owns Chick-fil-A, for its stance on traditional marriage and went as far as to call its fare “Jesus Chicken.” Many protested the chain restaurant, but it didn’t seem to do much good as the public still flocks to Chick-fil-A.
“The large group of smaller full-service restaurants experiences substantial deterioration in mobile app quality, contributing to a steep decline for the industry overall, which tumbles 8 percent to 78,” says Forrest Morgeson, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI.
“Amid the pandemic, restaurants needed to quickly up their game in the mobile arena,” he added. “With fewer resources, smaller chains and independent restaurants are offering apps that aren’t making the grade per customers. In contrast, positive shifts in both mobile app quality and reliability for several larger chains appear to reflect major app updates for these bigger industry players.”
The study’s authors said many of the changes made during the pandemic, which changed the way Americans eat out, are likely here to stay.
“We are honored by the results of this survey and we are grateful to our customers for choosing Chick-fil-A—it’s truly our pleasure to serve them,” a rep for Chick-fil-A told Fox News Digital.
“More than 170,000 people represent Chick-fil-A in 2,700 restaurants,” the spokesperson said. “This recognition is acknowledgment of the care they put into serving great food with gracious hospitality. Every day, our restaurant Team Members go above and beyond each day to create a friendly, welcoming place to visit.”
Lastly, the index found that customers prefer full-service over fast-food restaurants. Customer satisfaction with full-service restaurants received a score of 80 (on a scale of 0 to 100), while the fast-food industry drops 2.6% to 76.
