Chick-fil-A is No. 1 Fast Food Restaurant in America

By Tim Darnell (Patch Staff)

Brookfield, CT – Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is America's favorite fast food restaurant, according to a new American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report released on Tuesday.

The private, family-owned company came in at No. 1 with 87 points out of a possible 100. Papa John's came in second at No. 2.

Chick-fil-A currently has more than 2,000 locations in 43 states. In 2015, the company raked in more than $6 billion in sales. It opened a new restaurant in East Atlanta last week and also broke ground at its first stand-alone location in Nevada.

The ACSI report is based on 4,786 customer surveys collected in March.

"Americans are now spending more money dining out than shopping for groceries," says Claes Fornell, ACSI chairman and founder. "Fast food restaurants appear to be capitalizing on this trend more than full-service restaurants, maintaining the lower prices and speedy service that has long defined the industry, while also appealing to health-conscious consumers via more diverse offerings and higher-quality ingredients."

Nearly all fast food restaurants achieved higher customer satisfaction than last year, with a notable exception being Chipotle Mexican Grill, which debuted near the top of the industry last year. Chipotle dropped 6 percent to 78 after suffering from a spate of food-related illnesses.

"Higher quality drives the improving scores for the industry, but quality issues relating to food-borne illnesses knock down Chipotle," says ACSI Managing Director David VanAmburg. "Just as Netflix's stock took a dive after the singular event of its pricing and Qwikster branding misstep in 2011, Chipotle's stock also has fallen after its food-quality crisis. Netflix rebounded rather quickly, but it can take more time for a restaurant to recover from quality issues."

Chick-fil-A, already the top-rated restaurant in the ACSI, shows that product focus has its benefits, as the chicken sandwich specialist pulled farther ahead with a 1 percent increase to 87. Before Chick-fil-A entered the ACSI, Papa John's often held the top spot in the industry. The pizza chain climbed 5 percent to second place at 82. Little Caesars surged 9 percent to 81, tied with fast casual chain Panera Bread.

Customers are more satisfied at Dunkin' Donuts than at Starbucks. Arby's tied with Subway, and both beat the burger chains. Burger King and Wendy's are up 6 percent and 4 percent, respectively, to 76. McDonald's is still in last place among fast food chains, but its all-day breakfast is proving popular as customer satisfaction jumped 3 percent to 69 percent.

Image: Chick-fil-A Brookfield