With prices continuing to rise, Americans are increasingly looking for value at restaurants, but which ones are delivering?
The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2024, grades restaurants on several customer experience benchmarks including the variety of food offered, beverage quality, restaurant layout and cleanliness.
For Customer Service, How Does Your Favorite Restaurant Rank?
The study, which grades companies on a 100-point scale, categorizes eateries into two groups – full-service restaurants and fast-food restaurants – and we will consider both.
Here are some key findings from the report, which scores restaurants on a 100-point scale:
- Among fast-food restaurants, KFC come in at the #2 spot with an 81, which is the same score it had last year.
- Toward the bottom of the list but resilient, Sonic makes the biggest leap in the industry, surging 6% to an ACSI score of 76.
- Customer satisfaction with full-service restaurants overall earned a score of 84, a 4% gain over the previous survey. Fast-food restaurants scored a 79 overall, rising 1% compared to the previous study.
And the #1 Full-Service Restaurant in America Is …
Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse tie with a score of 85 with both climbing 4% in the rankings compared to last year.
The report says that Longhorn’s portions have resisted the “Shrinkflation” trend so common among other restaurants, which has appealed to customers’ palates and wallets. Meanwhile, Texas Roadhouse has won over customers with investments in staffing and its commitment to low prices.
And the #1 Fast-Food Restaurant in America Is …
Despite dropping 2% with a score of 83, Chick-fil-A retains its perch at the top of fast-food rankings for the 10th straight year.
When he wants a quick bite, money expert Clark Howard saves money by using fast food apps, which send deals straight to his phone.
“I have the Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, Del Taco, In-and-Out, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, and Shake Shack apps on my phone,” he says. “The Chick-fil-A app is one of my favorite food apps because I can choose to pick up my order and skip the lines.”
Here is the rundown for the top full-service restaurants, according to the ACSI rankings.
Best Full-Service Restaurants in America
| Company | 2024 Score | % Gain/Loss Compared To Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| LongHorn Steakhouse (Darden) | 85 | 4 |
| Texas Roadhouse | 85 | 4 |
| All Others | 84 | 4 |
| Olive Garden (Darden) | 83 | 4 |
| Cracker Barrel | 82 | 0 |
| Chili’s | 80 | 4 |
| Outback Steakhouse | 80 | 4 |
| Applebee’s (Dine Brands) | 79 | 0 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings (Inspire Brands) | 79 | 0 |
| IHOP (Dine Brands) | 78 | 8 |
| Red Lobster | 78 | -1 |
| The Cheesecake Factory | 78 | 0 |
| Denny's | 76 | -1 |
| Red Robin | 76 | -1 |
| Average of All Full-Service Restaurants in Survey | 84 | 4 |
“Both full-service and fast food restaurant customers are skewing a bit more toward higher income levels and college graduates,” Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI, says in a news release. “Customers are being forced to make decisions between groceries and restaurants, with full-service restaurant inflation about two times that of groceries in the past year and fast food and fast casual restaurants prices up three times the rate of groceries. With customers seemingly viewing dining out a luxury, restaurants that can differentiate themselves in terms of quality and value will have a competitive advantage.”
Here is the rundown for the top fast-food restaurants, according to the ACSI rankings.
Best Fast Food Restaurants in America
| Company | 2024 Score | % Gain/Loss Compared To Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-A | 83 | -2 |
| KFC (Yum! Brands) | 81 | 0 |
| Arby’s (Inspire Brands) | 80 | 4 |
| Culver's | 80 | NA |
| Panera Bread | 80 | 5 |
| Starbucks | 80 | 3 |
| Domino's | 79 | 1 |
| Papa Johns | 79 | -1 |
| Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands) | 79 | 1 |
| Five Guys | 78 | 0 |
| Burger King (RBI) | 77 | 1 |
| Chipotle | 77 | 3 |
| Dunkin’ (Inspire Brands) | 77 | 0 |
| Panda Express | 77 | 0 |
| Sonic (Inspire Brands) | 76 | 6 |
| Wendy's | 76 | 3 |
| Little Caesars | 75 | 1 |
| Dairy Queen | 74 | -1 |
| Subway | 74 | -1 |
| Taco Bell (Yum! Brands) | 73 | 3 |
| Jack in the Box | 72 | -1 |
| McDonald’s | 71 | 3 |
| McDonalds | 69 | 1 |
| Average of All Fast-Food Restaurants in Survey | 79 | 1 |
The recently released report was compiled from interviews with 14,604 customers between April 2023 and March 2024.
Read up on Clark’s best restaurant apps for fast food deals.
