Advertisement

Chick-fil-A named America’s favorite restaurant chain ... Again.

It’s the fourth year in a row the chain has claimed the top spot on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
 
Chick-fil-A is regularly at the top of the fast food industry in revenue and customer satisfaction. [Associated Press]
Chick-fil-A is regularly at the top of the fast food industry in revenue and customer satisfaction. [Associated Press]
Published June 26, 2019

Chick-fil-A was once again named the top limited-service restaurant chain in the country on Tuesday, claiming the top spot on the American Customer Satisfaction Index for the fourth year in a row.

Is anybody surprised at this point?

The Atlanta-based chain has become known for its customer service as much as it is for its signature chicken sandwich.

In 2016, employees at Chick-fil-A were the most likely chain to say “please” and “thank you,” and to smile at drive-thru customers, a report at the time said. Chick-fil-A workers were also as the second most likely to have a “pleasant demeanor," according to the report, being beaten out only by PDQ.

The good service pays, too, apparently.

According to the National Restaurant News, Chick-fil-A generated more than $10.4 billion in sales in 2018, jumping Taco Bell and Subway for the No. 3 spot in the industry. All while being open just six days a week.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index based its 2019 ratings on over 23,000 reviews from customers that were chosen at random and contacted via email between June 5, 2018 and May 27 of this year. Their responses were then broken down into a 100-point scale to make scoring simpler.

2019's limited service restaurant rankings. [American Customer Satisfaction Index]

In this year’s index, Chick-fil-A scored an 86 (a one-point drop from 2018), while the next highest score was 82 for “all other restaurants.”

The index rated Panera Bread at 81, while four chains – Arby’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut – tied at 80.

While Chick-fil-A scored the highest among all restaurants, Texas Roadhouse retained the top spot among full-service restaurants with a score 83. After falling 4% last year, Cracker Barrel turned things around this year, moving up 1% to second place at 82.

The report's full-service restaurant rankings. [American Customer Satisfaction Index]

You can read the full report here.