• by Teresa Buyikian , Yesterday

McDonald’s comes out as the top considered QSR across all age groups, except for those customers over the age of 65, according to a new restaurant study.  

The U.S. Restaurant Brand Rankings report from YouGov found that, overall, McDonald’s outpaced all other QSRs, with almost 37% of those surveyed reporting that the chain was their top consideration for their next food or drink purchase.

The report gathered info from March 2025 through February 2026, drawing on data from consumer trends and brand preferences for 52 brands tracked within the QSR category.

McDonald’s top ranking was followed by Chick-fil-A at a close second with 35.5%, and Wendy’s with 33.2%. Some variation did exist for younger diners, with consumers 18-29 ranking McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell as their top considerations, respectively. Consumers aged 30-44 favored McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A in that order.

Conversely, older consumers (65+) ranked Wendy’s as their top choice, followed by McDonald’s and Subway.

In terms of burger chains, Five Guys came out on top, followed by Burger King and In-N-Out. Subway bested Jersey Mike’s and Firehouse subs in the deli sandwich category, while Taco Bell came out on top for taco chains, followed by Chipotle and Moe’s Southwest Grill.

For the chicken chains, Chick-fil-A was the top pick, with KFC and Popeye’s coming in second and third, respectively.  Pizza Hut won the pizza category, followed by Domino’s and Papa John’s.

The report also looked at how often consumers actually eat fast food, with only 14% saying “more than once a week,” and 16% reporting “once per week.” The largest group, 28%, said they eat fast food “a few times a month,” with 14% reporting “once a month.” The next largest group was the 24% who ate at QSRs “less than once a month,” with only 4% claiming to “never” eat fast food.

The study also asked respondents, “What features would make you more likely to visit a fast food restaurant?”  Value/discount menu topped the list of responses for 66% of respondents, followed by a clean dining area (53%), daily specials/promotions (51%), ability to easily customize menu items (38%), healthy menu options (31%), all-day breakfast (30%), open 24 hours (29%), self-service drink station (26%), coffee (18%) and “more options that meet my dietary restrictions” (14%).