Customers Hate This Fast Food Restaurant

Should you tip fast food employees? It’s no secret that the United States has a serious tipping culture. But this long-standing practice, previously reserved for personal services and sit-down restaurants, is now creeping into new territories. Even fast food restaurants are now asking for tips. The question of whether you should be tipping when picking up your meal is sparking heated debates across our country. Some people believe that tipping fast food workers can help provide necessary support and closer to a living wage. Others view it as an unwelcome expansion of tipping, which many already view as problematic. Whichever side you’re on, it’s clear that the fast food industry is reaching a tipping point (see what we did there?!) and consumers are beginning to get frustrated by the extra costs involved.

Still, some fast food chain restaurants are doing better than others. Here, 24/7 Wall St. explored which fast food restaurants customers are most and least satisfied with. To do so, we reviewed the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2024. We added ownership of the 23 major chains in the report using different sources. Restaurants are ordered by their ACSI score, from best to worst, with the annual change in score used to break some ties. ACSI scores are based on rankings from U.S. consumers. The industry average score is 79, but many restaurants on this list fall far below that.

Why We’re Sharing

In the past, fast food was accessible for many consumers given its low price and quick service. But inflation has changed the behavior of many consumers who previously relied on fast food for their meals. Prices at many major chains rose so significantly that many low-income customers were priced out. Households earning less than $75,000 a year are visiting chains less than ever before. With this in mind, it’s interesting to see which chains have managed to provide better customer satisfaction and which are leaving consumers unsatisfied. (The McDonald’s $5 value meal is in trouble.)

1. Chick-fil-A

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 83 out of 100 (-2% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 85 out of 100 (the best of 22 restaurants)
• Chick-fil-A owner: Cathy family

2. KFC

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 81 out of 100 (0% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 81 out of 100 (2nd best of 22 restaurants)
• KFC owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

3. Panera Bread

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100 (+5% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 76 out of 100 (11th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Panera Bread owner: JAB Holding Co. (Reimann family)

4. Arby’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100 (+4% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 77 out of 100 (8th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Arby’s owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

5. Starbucks

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100 (+3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 78 out of 100 (4th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Starbucks owner: Public (NASDAQ: SBUX)

6. Culver’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100 (+NA from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: NM out of 100 (N/A)
• Culver’s owner: Culver family (minority: Roark Capital)

7 (tied). Domino’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 79 out of 100 (+1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 78 out of 100 (4th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Domino’s owner: Public (NYSE: DPZ)

7 (tied). Pizza Hut

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 79 out of 100 (+1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 78 out of 100 (4th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Pizza Hut owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

9. Papa John’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 79 out of 100 (-1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 80 out of 100 (3rd best of 22 restaurants)
• Papa Johns owner: Public (NASDAQ: PZZA)

10. Five Guys

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 78 out of 100 (0% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 78 out of 100 (4th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Five Guys owner: Murrell family

11. Chipotle

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100 (+3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 75 out of 100 (13th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Chipotle owner: Public (NYSE: CMG)

12. Burger King

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100 (+1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 76 out of 100 (11th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Burger King owner: RBI (NYSE: QSR)

13 (tied). Dunkin’ Donuts

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100 (0% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 77 out of 100 (8th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Dunkin’ owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

13 (tied). Panda Express

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100 (0% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 77 out of 100 (8th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Panda Express owner: Panda Restaurant Group (Cherng family)

15. Sonic

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 76 out of 100 (+6% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 72 out of 100 (20th best of 22 restaurants)
• Sonic owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

16. Wendy’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 76 out of 100 (+3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 74 out of 100 (16th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Wendy’s owner: The Wendy’s Company (NYSE: WEN)

17. Little Caesars

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 75 out of 100 (+1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 74 out of 100 (16th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Little Caesars owner: Ilitch Holdings (Marian Ilitch)

18 (tied). Dairy Queen

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 74 out of 100 (-1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 75 out of 100 (13th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Dairy Queen owner: Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B)

18 (tied). Subway

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 74 out of 100 (-1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 75 out of 100 (13th best (tied) of 22 restaurants)
• Subway owner: Private equity Roark Capital

20. Taco Bell

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 73 out of 100 (+3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 71 out of 100 (21th best of 22 restaurants)
• Taco Bell owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

21. Jack in the Box

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 72 out of 100 (-1% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 73 out of 100 (19th best of 22 restaurants)
• Jack in the Box owner: Public (NASDAQ: JACK)

22. Popeyes

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 72 out of 100 (-3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 74 out of 100 (16th best of 22 restaurants)
• Popeyes owner: RBI (NYSE: QSR)

23. McDonald’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 71 out of 100 (+3% chg from 2023)
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2023: 69 out of 100 (22nd best (the worst) of 22 restaurants)
• McDonald’s owner: Public (NYSE: MCD)

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