If you’re planning on spending your hard-earned money in a restaurant sometime soon, it may be valuable for you to know which ones rank the highest when it comes to customer satisfaction.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has released its Restaurant Study 2021-2022, which grades restaurants on several customer experience benchmarks including the variety of food offered, beverage quality, restaurant layout and cleanliness.
And the #1 Restaurant in America Is …
Chick-fil-A retains its perch at the top, according to the latest ACSI restaurant rankings. Not only did the Georgia-based chain have the highest score (83) among all restaurants in the report, but this is the eighth consecutive year that Chick-fil-A has led ACSI’s list of fast-food restaurants.
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 are some key findings from the report, which scores restaurants on a 100-point scale:
- Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse tie for first place with an 80 in the category of full-service restaurants.
- Customer satisfaction with full-service restaurants overall earned a score of 80, the same score as the previous survey.
- Fast-food restaurants scored a 76 overall, dipping 2.6 points compared to the previous study.
Here is the rundown for the top full-service restaurants, according to the ACSI rankings.
Best Full-Service Restaurants in America
| Company | 2022 Score | Gain/Loss Compared To Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| LongHorn Steakhouse (Darden) | 80 | 0 |
| Texas Roadhouse | 80 | 0 |
| Cracker Barrel | 78 | 0 |
| Fridays | 78 | 1 |
| Olive Garden (Darden) | 77 | -4 |
| Outback Steakhouse | 77 | -1 |
| Red Robin | 77 | -1 |
| Chili’s | 76 | -1 |
| The Cheesecake Factory | 76 | -1 |
| Denny’s | 75 | -1 |
| Red Lobster | 75 | -3 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings (Inspire Brands) | 74 | -3 |
| Applebee’s (Dine Brands) | 73 | -5 |
| IHOP (Dine Brands) | 73 | -1 |
| Average of All Full-Service Restaurants in Survey | 80 | 0 |
Here is the rundown for the top fast-food restaurants, according to the ACSI rankings.
Best Fast Food Restaurants in America
| Company | 2022 | Gain/Loss Compared To Last Year |
|---|---|---|
| Chick-fil-A | 83 | 0 |
| Jimmy John's (Inspire Brands) | 79 | N/A (new to the survey) |
| Domino’s | 78 | -3 |
| KFC (Yum! Brands) | 78 | -1 |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 77 | 0 |
| Panera Bread | 77 | -1 |
| Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands) | 77 | -1 |
| Starbucks | 77 | -3 |
| Arby’s (Inspire Brands) | 76 | -1 |
| Five Guys | 76 | -3 |
| Papa Johns | 76 | -1 |
| Burger King (RBI) | 75 | -1 |
| Little Caesars | 75 | -1 |
| Subway | 75 | 0 |
| Dairy Queen | 74 | 0 |
| Dunkin' (Inspire Brands) | 74 | -4 |
| Sonic (Inspire Brands) | 74 | 1 |
| Wendy's | 73 | 0 |
| Jack in the Box | 72 | -1 |
| Taco Bell (Yum! Brands) | 72 | -3 |
| Popeyes (RBI) | 71 | -3 |
| McDonalds | 68 | -3 |
| Average of All Fast-Food Restaurants in Survey | 76 | -2.6 |
The study’s results were compiled from interviews with 20,143 customers contacted via email between April 2021 and March 2022
Here are the best restaurant apps for fast food deals.
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