America’s favorite fast food chain is Chick-fil-A once again while McDonald’s continues to sit at the bottom of the pile
- Despite its controversial politics, the Southern-born, Christian-run sandwich chain ranked no. 1 in the ACSI Restaurant Report 2019
- This year, 23,000 people gave their opinions about various consumer products
- Chick-fil-a scored 86, the highest of any fast food or full service chain
- McDonald’s remained at the bottom of the list scoring just 69 out of 100
Its politics may be controversial but when it comes to food, Chick-fil-A is America’s favorite fast food chain.
The annual American Consumer Satisfaction index polled 23,000 people for their opinions on various consumer offerings, including fast food and it is clear that people are continuing to ‘Eat Mor Chikin.’
It’s the fourth year in a row the Southern-born, Christian-run sandwich chain has come top of the list while fast food giant McDonald’s remained at the bottom.
Top choice: Chick-fil-a stood out both because it blew away its fast food competition and because it beat out every full service chain in the index
Chick-fil-A is king: The annual American Consumer Satisfaction index polled 23,000 people for their opinions on fast food. The Southern-born, Christian-run sandwich chain came top
Panera Bread came next scoring a respectable 81, while there was a tie for third place with Arby’s, Pizza Hut, Chipotle and Papa Johns scoring 80 out of 100 on the index.
Chick-fil-a stood out both because it blew away its fast food competition and because it beat out every full service chain in this year’s survey.
Forrest Morgeson, director of research at ACSI, attributes the appeal to one thing to the chain’s ‘laser focus’ on a particular product.
‘It focuses on one thing and does it exceptionally well…and that is chicken sandwiches.’ he told CNN.
Chick-fil-A’s sales are also soaring even though its stores are open only six days a week.
The company generated more than $10.5 billion in sales in its most recent fiscal year securing third place in the industry behind McDonald’s and Starbucks.
At the other end of the scale were the burger chains including Jack in the Box, Burger King, Sonic and McDonald’s.
Unhappy meal: McDonald’s staleness in the minds of consumers landed the chain along with Jack in the Box, Taco Bell and Burger King at the bottom of the fast food survey
‘All those companies down at bottom have been around for a very long time, they just aren’t as fresh any more in the mind of the consumer, just not exciting,’ said Morgeson.
Owned by a devout Baptist family and with a policy of being closed on Sundays, Chick-fil-A has garnered controversy for its leadership’s religious opposition to same-sex marriage and ties to conservative Christian groups.
There have been several instances of local governments or college campuses opting to ban the chicken sandwich chain over their conservative views.
The announcement was also met with some backlash with some on social media calling attention to some of the headline-making controversies, particularly concerning its reported donations to anti-LGBTQ+ groups.