The 10 restaurant brands to which consumers were most loyal before the COVID-19 pandemicThe 10 restaurant brands to which consumers were most loyal before the COVID-19 pandemic

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.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, restaurant consumers were asked by Datassential, “On your very last visit, did you do so because you were truly loyal or convenience driven?”

This gallery reflects the restaurant chains ranked most highly for that true loyalty, or the percentage of consumers who said they were truly loyal. Not surprisingly, we see many of the same brands here as we have in past Consumer Picks reports – including Cafe Rio, Culver’s and Red Lobster.

In June, after the pandemic-related shutdowns, consumers were asked about their brand devotion again, in a different way, resulting in a different group of restaurants with the most loyal followings.

Click through to see which restaurant brands had the most truly loyal customers before the pandemic.

See last year's winners.