Quick-service Subway and casual-dining Olive Garden topped the midyear rankings in their restaurant categories in a survey released by market research firm YouGov BrandIndex on Monday.
Subway was the only restaurant operator to make BrandIndex’s Top 10 list, which was led by online retailer Amazon. Subway also ranked highest in the 2013 and 2014 surveys.
To calculate its proprietary “buzz score” of consumer perceptions, New York-based BrandIndex interviewed thousands of consumers each weekday about hundreds of brands and asked them whether they had heard anything positive or negative about a brand in recent weeks. BrandIndex subtracted negative scores from positive scores and produced a moving average between negative 100 and positive 100, with a zero score denoting neutral brand perceptions.
Other changes to quick-service restaurant brand rankings in the 2015 midyear survey included Wendy's moving up to the No. 2 spot from No. 3 in last year’s Top Five, and Chick-fil-A debuting at No. 3.
Sonic Drive-In was also new to the chart, at No. 5, replacing IHOP, a division of DineEquity Inc.
BrandIndex moved fast-casual Panera Bread from quick service to its casual-dining rankings in this year’s survey, a spokesman said.
The quick-service buzz rankings found Chipotle Mexican Grill, In-N-Out and Qdoba were the biggest perception gainers since first half 2014, but in “barely significant” jumps.
“QSR chains made bigger movements in the first half of 2014 compared to the first half of 2015,” BrandIndex said, adding that “the overall perception of quick-service restaurants has trended downward as a category.”
In BrandIndex’s rankings of casual-dining brands, Olive Garden, the largest Darden Restaurants Inc. concept, remained at No. 1, where it stood in the first half of 2014.
“The chain that offered never ending pasta for seven weeks is focused on its rebranding,” BrandIndex noted. “New logo, new menu, new restaurant design, new lunch offerings, a whole new image takes time to resonate with consumers and it seems Olive Garden will have to wait a little while longer to see if its strategy is a hit.”
New brands in the casual-dining Top 5 were Panera Bread at No. 2 and Outback Steakhouse at No. 3, followed by Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar at No. 4 and Red Lobster at No. 5.
“This year Panera Bread is removing 150 additives from its menus and Outback Steakhouse launched the new ‘Bold at Steak’ campaign, centered on the bold flavors, sights and sounds,” the survey noted.
BrandIndex said Chili’s Grill & Bar and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Sprits slipped out of its Top Five casual-dining buzz rankings.
The midyear rankings are derived from YouGov BrandIndex's daily data tracking of more than 1,400 U.S. consumer brands across more than 35 general industry sectors. The surveys included adults 18 and older and produced a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percent. About 600,000 consumers were interviewed for first half 2015 and 600,000 for first half 2014, the research firm said.
For the rankings, YouGov BrandIndex uses its “buzz score,” which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
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