A new 2022 study from Market Force Information shows that consumers really, really like their Chick-fil-A.
According to the study, based on a survey of over 5,000 quick-service and fast casual consumers, Chick-fil-A ranks as America’s top brand for food quality, restaurant atmosphere, speed of service, staff friendliness and overall value. Chick-fil-A scored an 84% on Market Force’s composite loyalty index, which measures all of those factors.
“Leadership is built by high customer satisfaction and trust. We see this in the data and analytics we share with our clients and Chick-fil-A’s performance is a clear example,” Phil Doriot, Market Force VP of customer success and analytics, said in a statement.
Notably, the Atlanta-based chicken brand was also recently named the top chain on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, leading the industry for the 8th straight year on that list. And, in October, a Piper Sandler survey had Chick-fil-A as teenager consumers' favorite brand as well. It’s perhaps not a stretch, then, to derive a strong correlation between customer satisfaction and sales. Chick-fil-A has industry-leading average volume units and generated $12.1 billion in sales in 2021 despite being closed on Sunday.
Following Chick-fil-A on the Market Force survey is In-N-Out Burger, with a score of 82%. After that, there’s a bit of a drop off. Jersey Mike’s led the sandwich category with 74%, while Papa Murphy’s scored a 72% to lead the pizza category. Rounding out the top 10 for CLI scores are Raising Cane’s, Dutch Bros. Coffee, Culver’s, Cava, Marco’s Pizza and Firehouse Subs.
Categorically, Chick-fil-A’s share of wallet in the chicken segment is at 58%. That said, Bojangles scored the highest with the least amount of problem experiences, with just 6% (Chick-fil-A was second).
Dutch Bros. had the highest CLI score in the coffee/breakfast/bakery category, ahead of No. 2 Krispy Kreme. However, Dunkin’ scored the highest share of wallet, at 50%, while Panera has the least amount of problem experiences, at 5%.
Baskin-Robbins reigns atop the dessert/snacks category with 62% CLI and 52% share of wallet. Auntie Anne’s, however, reports an impressive 0% problem experiences. For Pizza, Papa Murphy’s has a 72% CLI score while Marco’s is No. 2 at 68%. Domino’s has the highest share of wallet, with 52%. Papa Murphy’s also reports 0% problem experiences.
In the Mexican category, Taco John’s 61% CLI score outpaces No. 2 El Pollo Loco’s 60%, while Taco Bell generates the largest share of wallet at 49%. Taco John’s reports 6% problem experiences – the least in the category. Finally, in the sandwich segment, Jersey Mike’s turned in a CLI score of 74%, followed by No. 2 Firehouse Subs with 65%. McAlister’s Deli makes up the highest share of wallet at 49%, while Jersey Mike’s reports the least amount of problem experiences, at 3%.
According to Market Force, there are clear winners in the fight over share of stomach in their respective categories, including Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, Taco Bell, Dunkin’, McAlister’s Deli, Domino’s Pizza and Baskin-Robbins. The brands with the highest share of wallet – namely Chick-fil-A, Firehouse Subs and In-N-Out Burger – tend to generate the highest levels of trust among consumers, according to the report.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
