ATLANTA—The best chicken experience at a quick-serve restaurant goes to Chick-fil-A, according to Market Force Information’s 2022 QSR/Fast Casual Study.

Last summer, Market Force asked 5,173 consumers to rate their most recent restaurant experience on a variety of factors. The survey results measure which of America’s 53 top brands are consumer favorites compared with competitors within the same cuisine category and why they win customer favor.

Chick-fil-A had an overall score of 84%. In terms quality, service and cleanliness, Chick-fil-A dominated all three, scoring 84% for food quality, 88% for staff friendliness and 91% for cleanliness.

Market Force Information’s Customer Loyalty Index measures customer’s satisfaction combined with the likelihood of recommending the brand to others. Both measures are ranked on a 1-5 scale. Chick-fil-A not only maintained its lead in the chicken category but leads all brands across categories with a Customer Loyalty Index of 4.77.

Market Force defines Share of Wallet as an expression of transactional loyalty between brand and consumer, reflecting how often a customer will return to a brand in the near future, as opposed to visiting its competitors. Chick-fil-A scored the highest at 58%.

"Chick-fil-A is the clear leader with a standout performance as the consumer favorite across all brands in the study and also winning in the chicken category,” said Phil Doriot, vice president of customer success and analytics for Market Force. “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.”

Coming in second and third overall for best chicken experience was Raising Cane’s and El Pollo Loco at 73% and 63%, respectively. Raising Cane’s won in the “speed with accuracy” category at 79% by demonstrating prowess both for in-restaurant and drive-thru customers. It also received a score of 4.60 on the Customer Loyalty Index.

Here’s how one Chick-fil-A implemented a three-day workweek for its employees that’s winning positive feedback.

For advice on how to stop leaking c-store customer trips to fast-feeders, read “Competing With QSRs” in the May issue of NACS Magazine.