Dive Brief:
- Chick-fil-A is the most loved restaurant by customers, scoring number one in Chatmeter’s 2024 QSR Reputation Ranking. Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s was second and Arby’s was third in the rankings, which were based on customer reviews of food quality, service quality and value.
- Chick-fil-A was top ranked for food and service quality but third in pricing and value, according to the report. Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s topped the charts for pricing and value followed by Arby’s in second.
- Chatmeter’s report also highlighted an increase in reviews mentioning high prices, declines in customer service and increases in wait times across the fast food industry.
Dive Insight:
Chick-fil-A’s positive reputation aligns with the chain topping the ranks of fast food restaurants in the American Customers Satisfaction Index for the 10th consecutive year in addition to receiving a 99% customer satisfaction rating from Intouch Insight’s 2024 drive-thru study.
Customers consistently list food quality as a strength for Chick-fil-A, highlighting the taste and freshness of the menu. The company is also known for friendly, attentive staff with only a handful of reviews mentioning inaccurate orders and unhelpful staff, according to Chatmeter.
Among the top complaints for Chick-fil-A, however, have been menu prices. High menu prices were of top concern across fast food customers. The number of pricing-related reviews calling restaurants “overpriced” increased 43.2% year over year, while the number calling restaurants “cheap” dropped 10.8%. Customers mentioned that many QSRs did not live up to their value promise.
“Many reviews, for example, reported discrepancies between advertised prices and what was charged at checkout,” Chatmeter said in its report. “Customers felt blindsided and deceived, especially when in-store menus had not been updated to reflect higher pricing and staff did not proactively communicate it before processing an order.”
Others complained about Chick-fil-A’s long wait times for delivery, according to Chatmeter. But that is likely due to a high volume of customers. Chick-fil-A has historically had some of the industry’s longest wait times at its drive-thru. This year’s average wait time was around 181 seconds, according to Intouch Insight, However, the brand has the fastest time by car compared to other brands.
Across the industry, customers’ mentions of wait times increased 8.5% with the percentage of reviews mentioning they waited for a “long time” up 34.7% year over year, per Chatmeter. One of the biggest sticking points was mobile and pre-ordered meals not being ready on time. Reviews mentioning mobile or online ordering made up less than 1% of reviews overall, but most of these reviews “skewed negative, indicating a growing threat to QSRs’ reputations and more consumers adopt mobile ordering,” Chatmeter said.
Customers also noted that service has been declining. Reviews mentioning negative staff attitudes, such as confusion, inattentiveness, an unprofessional manner and inaccurate orders, were up 21.8%, which is likely why chains like Chick-fil-A continue to outshine the competition in customer service.
Chatmeter uses its artificial intelligence to analyze Google Reviews across 100 locations from the top 25 QSR restaurants in the U.S. to inform its rankings.
