When it comes to making U.S. fast food
customers happy, there’s a clear winner in the ongoing QSR chicken wars.
According to the recently published American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) 2025 Restaurant and Food Delivery
Study, Chick-fil-A again came in at number one for the 11th year. The chicken chain actually beat out all QSRs (not just chicken-focused) with a customer satisfaction score of 83, despite
experiencing the “slowest growth in 20 years after U.S. sales only grow 5.4% in 2024.”
For comparison, KFC fell 5% in customer satisfaction to 77 YOY, and Popeyes was up 4%
to 75.
Overall QSR customer satisfaction remained the same as last year, around 81, led by food order accuracy and quality, which came in at 85. U.S. chain sales grew 3.1% in 2024.
Panda Express came in second in satisfaction this year after Chick-fil-A, up 4% to 80, which tied the Chinese food chain with Starbucks, which remained in the same spot as last year. Little
Caesars, up 3% to 77, came in next, which the index accredits to improvements in “food and service quality since introducing Crazy Puffs,” continuing “its strong performance for
value.”
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Both Five Guys and Sonic fell 4% to scores of 75 and 73, and McDonald’s also fell 1% to 70, although the report indicated that “the chain’s new efforts to speed
up R&D to drive faster technology and menu changes may reverse this trend.”
“Restaurants can’t simply rely on their traditional playbooks anymore,” says Forrest
Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI. “Smaller, popular brands like Raising Cane’s and Wingstop are
proving that creative marketing, digital engagement, and focusing on core strengths can challenge even the most established chains. The brands that succeed will be the ones that adapt quickly to
shifting tastes without compromising consistency or experience.”
The ACSI Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025 is based on survey results from 16,381 consumers chosen at random
between April 2024 and March 2025.