Top 100 social media brands in 2012 1Q

As social media strategies, tactics and tools continue to change for restaurants looking to leverage the marketing medium, the ranking of top social media restaurant brands also changed in this latest ranking, reflecting limited-time programs, special promotions and increased brand awareness of what customers are looking for from social mediums.

According to the latest results from the Restaurant Social Media Index Top 100, developed by DigitalCoco and presented exclusively by Nation’s Restaurant News, brands like Starbucks, Wendy's and McDonald’s stayed in the top five, while some, like Red Mango and Buffalo Wild Wings, rose significantly from their previous ranks.

Meet the new top 100-ranked restaurant brands, based on activity in the March-ended first quarter of 2012. 

Learn more on the RSMI homepage, including a breakdown of what's behind the numbers, the index methodology and a video presenting the latest insights in social media brand building. Check out the previous quarter's Top 100.

Company Name	RSMI Score	Company Name	RSMI Score
1. Starbucks	237.1   —	51. Wolfgang Puck	153.4
2. Wendy's	210.6  1	52. Boudin Sourdough Bakery & Cafe	153.0
3. Red Mango	207.6  18	53. Auntie Anne's	152.3
4. McDonald's	196.9  2	54. Freshii	152.2
5. Chick-fil-A	195.6  —	55. Carl's Jr.	151.7
6. Chipotle Mexican Grill	190.1  2	56. Hooters	151.3
7. Panera Bread	184.5  4	57. Checkers	151.2
8. Buffalo Wild Wings	179.9  9	58. Cinnabon	150.8
9. Peet's Coffee & Tea	179.8  1	59. Buca di Beppo	150.7
10. Arby's	178.4  4	60. Chop't Creative Salad Company	150.1
11. Outback Steakhouse	177.6  1	61. Le Pain Quotidien	149.6
12. Dunkin' Donuts	177.1	62. Morton's The Steakhouse	149.5
13. The Cheesecake Factory	176.5	63. Jason's Deli	149.4
14. Jimmy John's	176.0	64. Raising Cane's	149.0
15. Firehouse Subs	175.9	65. Little Caesars Pizza	148.2
16. Pizza Hut	173.5	66. Zoës Kitchen	148.0
17. Taco Bell	172.1	67. California Tortilla	146.9
18. Bonefish Grill	170.8	68. Wow Bao	146.8
19. Smashburger	169.9	69. Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza	146.2
20. Sweetgreen	169.5	70. Krispy Kreme	146.2
21. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf	169.3	71. Yard House	146.2
22. Which Wich	169.1	72. Boloco	146.1
23. Tasti D-Lite	168.7	73. Quiznos	136.4
24. Hard Rock Cafe	168.5	74. Genghis Grill	145.0
25. AJ Bombers	167.1	75. Tokyo Joe's	144.7
26. Papa John's	165.3	76. Alamo Drafthouse	144.6
27. Subway	165.3	77. Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill	144.3
28. Shake Shack	165.2	78. California Pizza Kitchen	144.0
29. Applebee's	162.8	79. Texas Roadhouse	143.9
30. Corner Bakery Cafe	162.6	80. Moe's Southwest Grill	143.8
31. P.F. Chang's China Bistro	162.3	81. Jersey Mike's Subs	143.7
32. IHOP	161.8	82. Original Joe's	143.5
33. KFC	161.4  24	83. Fatburger	142.7
34. Pinkberry	161.1  27	84. Ruby Tuesday	142.6
35. Domino's Pizza	160.5	85. Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes	142.2
36. Noodles & Company	160.1	86. Wingstop	142.0
37. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers	159.8	87. Go Roma	141.8
38. Red Lobster	159.0	88. Potbelly Sandwich Shop	141.7
39. In-N-Out Burger	158.9	89. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	141.5
40. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store	158.5	90. Wahoo's Fish Taco	141.3
41. Veggie Grill	158.3	91. Naked Pizza	141.3
42. Pizza Fusion	158.2	92. Mooyah Burgers & Fries	140.7
43. Whataburger	158.1	93. Tijuana Flats	140.3
44. Burger King	157.9	94. Brio Tuscan Grille	140.2
45. Five Guys Burgers and Fries	157.7	95. Olive Garden	140.1
46. Jack in the Box	157.6	96. Dairy Queen	139.8
47. Chili's Grill & Bar	156.7	97. Lime Fresh Mexican Grill	139.7
48. Jamba Juice	156.5	98. Taco Cabana	139.7
49. Sonic	155.4	99. Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill	139.4
50. Maggiano's Little Italy	154.7	100. Qdoba Mexican Grill	139.1

Legend: Restaurant brands that were ranked in the top 10 of both the fourth and third quarter RSMI results are shown with former rankings and arrows highlighting an increase or decrease of rank.

Source: All data provided by DigitalCoCo