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 |
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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 |
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The study’s results were compiled from interviews with 20,143 customers contacted via email between April 2021 and March 2022
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