Where Do Americans Like To Eat? Chick-Fil-A Tops Fast-Food Rankings

The Chicken Sandwich wars may have heated things up over the years as several fast-food chains compete for superiority and consumers’ wallets and tastebuds. However, it appears one chain still comes out on top above the rest overall, even if it isn’t the actual winner of the wars.

According to a new survey by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), Chick-Fil-A, which has caused controversy in the past over its anti-gay views, is America’s favorite restaurant for the 8th year in a row, even though it is a fast-food establishment and more consumers prefer full-service restaurants.

The New York Post reports that despite a 2.6% decrease in satisfaction with fast-food restaurants since the year prior, the chain known for its chicken sandwiches and special “Chick-Fil-A" sauce still maintained a score of 83 for customer satisfaction, which was the highest overall in the entire restaurant survey. It finished far above several other chains it has competed against when it comes to superiority with chicken sandwiches.

KFC scored a 78 on the survey, while Burger King scored a 75 and Wendy’s scored a 72. Popeyes scored 71 points, and the lowest score among all fast-food chains (and those participating in the chicken sandwich wars) was McDonald’s, with an overall satisfaction score of 68.

Other ranked chains included Jimmy John’s (score of 79), Domino’s (78), Chipotle (77), Panera (77), Pizza Hut (77), Starbucks (77), Arby’s (76), Five Guys (76), Papa Johns (76), Little Caesars (76), Panda Express (75), Subway (75), Dairy Queen (74), Dunkin’ Donuts (74), Sonic (74), jack in the Box (72) and Taco Bell (72).

Despite McDonald’s ranking the lowest, the biggest drop in satisfaction went to Dunkin’, which dropped 4% from 2021.