Social media is the great equalizer, allowing smaller brands to battle the largest players in the restaurant industry for the attention — and hopefully the dining out dollars — of consumers. In the latest results from the Restaurant Social Media Index, brands from McDonald's to Mooyah Burgers & Fries and Starbucks to Peet's Coffee & Tea each sit in the top 20.
Meet the new top 100-ranked restaurant brands, based on activity in the December-ended fourth quarter of 2011.
Learn more on the RSMI homepage, including a breakdown of what's behind the numbers, the index methodology and a video presenting the lastest insights in social media brand building.
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| Company Name | RSMI Score | Company Name | RSMI Score |
| 1. Starbucks | 238.3 — | 51. Chili's Grill & Bar | 143.5 |
| 2. McDonald's |
204.2  2 |
52. Red Lobster | 143.5 |
| 3. Wendy's |
202.9  1 |
53. Bonefish Grill | 143.2 |
| 4. Chipotle Mexican Grill |
188.2 5 |
54. Tasti D-Lite | 142.8 |
| 5. Chick-fil-A |
188.1 2 |
55. Del Taco | 142.4 |
| 6. Arby's |
187.7 45 |
56. Wahoo's Fish Taco | 141.9 |
| 7. Pinkberry |
185.0 3 |
57. Checkers | 141.4 |
| 8. Peet's Coffee & Tea |
177.3 46 |
58. Pei Wei Asian Diner | 141.2 |
| 9. KFC |
173.7 17 |
59. Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill | 140.9 |
| 10. Outback Steakhouse |
173.6 5 |
60. Boston Market | 140.9 |
| 11. Panera Bread | 173.3 | 61. In-N-Out Burger | 140.4 |
| 12. Papa John's | 171.1 | 62. Quiznos | 139.9 |
| 13. Which Wich | 171.1 | 63. Tokyo Joe's | 139.9 |
| 14. Mooyah Burgers & Fries | 170.5 | 64. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | 139.5 |
| 15.Pizza Hut | 169.6 | 65. Baja Fresh | 138.8 |
| 16. Firehouse Subs | 168.4 | 66. Brueggers | 138.1 |
| 17. Buffalo Wild Wings | 167.0 | 67. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers | 137.8 |
| 18. P.F. Chang's China Bistro |
166.4 11 |
68. Sonic | 137.7 |
| 19. Jimmy John's |
165.2 13 |
69. Hooters | 137.5 |
| 20. Domino's Pizza | 164.5 | 70. Krispy Kreme | 137.2 |
| 21. Red Mango | 163.8 | 71. McAlister's Deli | 136.7 |
| 22. Pizza Fusion | 163.0 | 72. Baskin-Robbins | 136.4 |
| 23. The Cheesecake Factory | 162.3 | 73. Jack in the Box | 136.4 |
| 24. Jamba Juice | 161.3 | 74. Carlson Restaurants/T.G.I. Friday's | 136.2 |
| 25. Hard Rock Cafe | 160.8 | 75. Cosi | 135.0 |
| 26. Carl's Jr. | 159.2 | 76.Wingstop | 134.9 |
| 27. Noodles & company | 156.4 | 77. Cold Stone Creamery | 134.7 |
| 28. Potbelly Sandwich Shop | 155.3 | 78. Shake Shack | 134.1 |
| 29. Raising Cane's | 155.2 | 79. The Squeeze Inn | 133.1 |
| 30. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf | 154.6 | 80. Lime Fresh Mexican Grill | 132.6 |
| 31. Dunkin' Donuts | 153.8 | 81. California Pizza Kitchen | 132.4 |
| 32. Wolfgang Puck | 153.6 | 82. Yard House | 132.3 |
| 33. Taco Bell | 153.5 | 83. Famous Dave's | 132.2 |
| 34. Applebee's |
153.2 26 |
84. Paradise Bakery | 132.1 |
| 35. Five Guys Burgers and Fries | 153.1 | 85. Phillips Seafood | 132.1 |
| 36. Le Pain Quotidien | 153.1 | 86. Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes | 131.1 |
| 37. Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza | 152.7 | 87. Olive Garden | 130.6 |
| 38. Veggie Grill | 152.2 | 88. La Madeleine Country French Cafe | 130.5 |
| 39. AJ Bombers | 152.1 | 89. Alamo Drafthouse | 130.4 |
| 40. Qdoba Mexican Grill | 150.8 | 90. Burger Lounge | 130.3 |
| 41. Smashburger | 148.5 | 91. Genghis Grill | 129.4 |
| 42. Burger King | 148.4 | 92. Au Bon Pain | 129.1 |
| 43. Tijuana Flats | 148.2 | 93. Tender Greens | 129.0 |
| 44. El Pollo Loco | 145.6 | 94. Bolocco | 128.9 |
| 45. Little Caesar's Pizza | 145.6 | 95. Freebirds World Burrito | 128.7 |
| 46. Subway | 145.5 | 96. Pita Pit USA | 128.3 |
| 47. California Tortilla | 145.3 | 97. Corner Bakery Cafe | 128.2 |
| 48. Freshii | 145.2 | 98. Cousins Subs | 128.1 |
| 49. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | 144.5 | 99. Go Roma | 127.5 |
| 50. Morton's The Steakhouse | 143.9 | 100. Maggiano's Little Italy | 127.3 |
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