Chick-fil-A Beats Out Chipotle in Customer Satisfaction A new reports reveals that, as a whole, customers' appreciation for fast food is dwindling.
By Kate Taylor
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Chick-fil-A is on top of the fast-food world right now.
In a new report released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the chicken chain is the No. 1 restaurant in the fast-food industry for customer satisfaction with a score of 86 out of 100. Fast-casual favorite Chipotle came in second place, with a score of 83.
ACSI's data is based on 5,023 surveys of fast-food customers, collected in the first quarter of 2015.
"The fast casual segment of quick service restaurants is nicely situated for the confluence of changing consumer tastes and a rebounding economy," ACSI director David VanAmburg said in a statement. "Consumers have a bit more money in their pockets, but are still pressed for time. Fast casual outlets offer higher-quality ingredients, freshness and fast service – all at a reasonable price."
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Chipotle is one of the most well-known names in fast casual, while Chick-fil-A has emphasized more fast-casual aspects of its brand while expanding in recent years. Panera Bread, another fast-casual brand, came in at No. 3 in ACSI's rankings.
Other brands that reportedly satisfied customers include Dunkin' Donuts (No. 4) and Pizza Hut (No. 5).
Meanwhile, customers had less love for established fast-food chains, reporting lower satisfaction levels than in years past. McDonald's came in last place of the brands examined by ACSI for customer satisfaction, falling 6 percentage points from the previous year. Burger King, KFC and Wendy's also dropped percentage points and ranked low in customer satisfaction.
Satisfaction with fast food as a whole is also dwindling. Customer satisfaction with the fast-food industry fell 3.8 percent from last year, the lowest score the ACSI has charted in the last five years.
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Here's the top ten from ACSI's report:
Chick-fil-A
Chipotle
Panera
Dunkin' Donuts
Pizza Hut
Papa John's
Subway
Domino's
Little Caesar's
Starbucks
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