NRN presents Consumer Picks, a data-driven report on customer preference and restaurant brand strength. Data for this report is provided by market research firm Datassential. Find out more about the data here and read more about the methodology here.
To get high marks for taste this year, it helped to do one thing and do it really well. The menus of the top 10 finishers for craveability ran the gamut from sweet to savory and from entrées to quick snacks, but the brands were almost universally marked by one or two memorable signature items. Two brands tied for No. 1: Krispy Kreme, known for its warm, sugar-glazed doughnuts, and Freebirds World Burrito, whose queso and Tex-Mex burritos have garnered a strong regional following. Other brands with iconic menu items were Cinnabon, In-N-Out and White Castle.
