America has spoken, and it looks like nothing beats a good old fashioned chicken sandwich.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) has just listed Chick-fil-A at the top spot of its Annual Restaurant Report on the top ten limited-service restaurants. Chick-fil-A had an amazing ACSI score of 86, which, according to the report, is "the highest level of customer satisfaction ever recorded by a fast food restaurant."
The report also points out that freshness, higher-quality ingredients and better decor helped Chipotle nab the second place spot with an ACSI score of 83. Panera Bread's bakery-style service took third place with an 80 ASCI score.
However, the Annual Restaurant Report also pointed out that customer satisfaction has gone down.
"As unemployment dips and wages rise, albeit slowly, customers of limited-service restaurants are proving harder to satisfy," the report read.
"During economic slumps, consumers prioritize price over quality. But as the economy recovers, quality becomes more salient. Customer satisfaction with fast food restaurants falls 3.8% to an ACSI score of 77 and the gap to full-service restaurants widens to its largest in five years."
ACSI also proved that "affordable" doesn't necessarily mean "satisfying" for the American consumer. The report said, "As the economy improves, consumers with more disposable income-but squeezed for time-want higher-quality ingredients, freshness, and better service at a reasonable price. They also are willing to pay a bit more."
Here are ACSI's top ten "limited-service" restaurants of 2015.
1. Chick-fil-A
2. Chipotle Mexican Grill
3. Panera Bread
4. Papa John's
5. Pizza Hut
6. Dunkin' Donuts
7. Subway
8. Domino's
9. Little Caesar
10. Starbucks
Chick-fil-A was recently in the news for announcing plans to serve chicken that have been raised without antibiotics. The announcement was made in 2014, and Chick-fil-A intends to serve the antibiotic-free chicken within five years.
