Chick-fil-A Beats Out Chipotle in Customer Satisfaction

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.”

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.

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