The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has released the rankings of America’s favorite fast-food chains for 2023. This ranking system developed by the ACSI is unique, focusing on customer experience and satisfaction. The index gathers data from around 500,000 customers interviewed each year and inputs it through a model developed at the University of Michigan, according to USA Today.
This year’s restaurant study, in particular, based its findings on interviews with 16,250 customers who were contacted randomly over the course of a year, from April 2022 to March 2023.
From this research, the organization identified key factors that customers care most about. These include the accuracy of food orders, quality and reliability of mobile apps, courtesy and helpfulness of staff, beverage quality, food quality, restaurant layout and cleanliness, and speed of checkout or delivery, among other elements.
Top 5 Fast-Food Chains for Customer Satisfaction
According to the ACSI, the top five fast-food chains for customer satisfaction in 2023 were:
- Chick-fil-A, with a satisfaction score of 85, up 2% from last year.
- Jimmy John’s, boasting a customer satisfaction score of 84, marking an increase of 6%.
- KFC, with a satisfaction score of 81, showing a 4% increase from the previous year.
- Papa John’s, with a satisfaction score of 80, up 5% from a year before.
- Domino’s, holding steady with a satisfaction score of 78.
The restaurants not specifically named scored an 82 collectively in an “All Others” category, occupying the third spot in the ranking.
Bottom 5 Fast-Food Chains for Customer Satisfaction
The least favorite fast-food chains in regards to customer satisfaction were:
- Wendy’s, weighing in at 74, up 1% from 2022.
- Jack in the Box, going from 72 to 73 and seeing a 1% increase in satisfaction.
- Sonic, decreasing from 74 to 72, marking a 3% decline.
- Taco Bell, dropping from 72 to 71, a 1% decrease in satisfaction.
- McDonald’s, bottoming out the list at 69, up 1% from last year.
While some fast-food giants have seen minor increases in customer satisfaction, others are facing a dip.
