There are plenty of metrics to be mindful of to ensure your brand is moving in the right direction, including sales, traffic, and profitability. But don’t count out purchasing consideration to understand consumer appeal and awareness. Several restaurant brands are among the top 20 fastest growing brands this year for this measure, as ranked by Morning Consult.
The intelligence company determined its rankings based on the growth of share of consumers who said they would consider purchasing from a brand throughout the course of the year. Morning Consult tracks consumer perceptions of thousands of brands daily, and “growth” was determined by taking the share of consumers who said they were considering purchasing from the brand in the third quarter and subtracting the share who said the same in the first quarter of 2024. The restaurant brands that experienced the biggest rise in purchasing consideration this year include:
No. 2: Ben & Jerry’s
Sure, the iconic ice cream brand is known more for its retail presence, but it still counts more than 150 scoop shops in the U.S., according to Technomic data. Those shops generated about $92.5 million in sales in 2023. What may have provided a purchasing consideration tailwind in the second half of the year is the company’s first ad campaign launch in years, called “Make Some Motherchunkin’ Change,” challenging consumers to bring about positive change in their communities. In September, the company also launched an exclusive flavor collaboration with Noah Kahan, a Grammy-nominated Vermont musician who burst on the scene in 2023 with his song “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever).”
Ben & Jerry’s brand awareness score was 43.76% in Q1 and 47.5% in Q3 for 3.74% growth.
No. 9: Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut has experienced several consecutive quarters of negative same-store sales comparisons but there has been sequential improvement from the brand and that has corresponded with the chain’s increase in purchasing consideration. Pizza Hut has named several new executives this year, including Carl Loredo, who was named president in May. Loredo previously led marketing for Wendy’s and has plenty of experience gaining top-of-mind awareness. Pizza Hut also launched a Cheeseburger Melt, Chicago-Style Tavern Style Pizza, and a My Hut Box Deal to ensure its presence amid an intensifying value environment.
Pizza Hut’s awareness score improved from 46.22% to 49.41%, or 3.19% throughout the year.
No. 11: Wendy’s
Wendy’s hired Kirk Tanner as chief executive officer earlier this year and put Abigail Pringle and E.J. Wunsch into place as its presidents of U.S. and international, respectively. In May, the chain continued to fill out its leadership team, naming Lindsay Radkoski as chief marketing officer to replace Loredo. Wendy’s innovation wheel has spun quickly this year, with product launches like Saucy Nuggs, Triple Berry Frosty, and SpongeBob SquarePants Krabby Patty Kollab. Its Biggie Bag promotion also helped the brand stand out amid a busy value environment.
The chain went form 51.28% earlier this year to 54.22% for a 2.94% increase throughout the year.
No. 16: Haagen-Dazs
Like its ice cream peer Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Dazs has a much bigger retail presence, but the California-based company also counted more than 200 brick-and-mortar locations at the end of 2023. In February, the chain brought back its Real Smoothies, while its Frozen Lemonade returned in June and its fall menu returned in August. Also in August, Haagen-Dazs recreated its signature Pistachio ice cream recipe to “deliver a more premium ice cream experience,” according to marketing director Rachel Jaiven. The promotion was supported by a giveaway at its shops.
The brand started the year at 41.38% purchase consideration, growing to 44.15% or by 2.77%
No. 18: Popeyes
Popeyes’ performance has come back down to earth after its meteoric chicken sandwich launch in 2019, but the chain certainly hasn’t remained stagnant. Indeed, there have been several menu innovations introduced this year, including Honey Lemon Pepper Wings, a boneless wings platform, a Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich, a fall beverage platform, and new desserts. It is also testing new products like Chicken Dippers.
The chain has also expanded its footprint in several international markets. Throughout the year, Popeyes’ purchase intent percentage grew from 40.83% to 43.53%, or by 2.7%
Demographic breakdown
Morning Consult also broke down purchase intent growth for specific demographics, including gender and age, which introduces additional restaurant brands.
For women, Pizza Hut was ranked No. 10, while Taco Bell entered the conversation at No. 17 (2.93% increase), and Ben & Jerry’s was No. 20
For men, Haagen-Dazs was No. 2, Ben & Jerry’s was No. 6, and Wendy’s was No. 17.
For Gen Z consumers, Popeyes was No. 2, while Pizza Hut was No. 7, McDonald’s was No. 14 (4.51% increase), and Dairy Queen was No. 16 (4.45%).
Millennials pushed Little Caesars to No. 9 (4.85%) and that was the only restaurant brand represented in the top 20 for the demographic. Gen X also had Little Caesars in its top 10, at No. 8, while Haagen-Dazs was No. 10, and Wendy’s was No. 15. Baby Boomers are thinking about Ben & Jerry’s more, as the brand was No. 13 for this demographic.
Ben & Jerry’s (No. 3) and Little Caesars (No. 14) made the top-of-mind list for consumers making less than $50,000 annually. Pizza Hut (No. 5), Haagen-Dazs (No. 8), Denny’s (No. 9), and Burger King (No. 15) made the list for those making $50,000 to $100,000.
Ben & Jerry’s (No. 13) and Wendy’s (No. 18) were the only restaurant brands on the list for those making $100,000 and above, while Ben & Jerry’s is alone (No. 3) for “financial elites.”
Finally, for parents, Ben & Jerry’s is the brick-and-mortar foodservice brand listed in the top 20, at No. 15.
For additional context, the top 20 fastest-growing brands for all U.S. adults is:
- WNBA
- Ben & Jerry’s
- Brisk Iced Tea
- Experian
- Microsoft Copilot
- YouTube Shorts
- Disney+
- SmartWater
- Pizza Hut
- Coach
- Gatorade
- Wendy’s
- Gold Peak Tea
- Gatorlyte
- Samsung Electronics
- Haagen-Dazs
- Ritz Crackers
- Gemini
- Popeyes
- Sour Patch Kids
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
