Consumer Trends

Favorite chains by menu type

americas favorite chains

Chains ranking highest in their competitive set deliver more than just good food. They’re winning in all aspects of the dining experience, from service to convenience.

Many chains’ overall scores were bolstered by one area: Service/Hospitality. Not a single favorite chain scored under 60 percent in that category, showing that consumers take notice when they feel appreciated and taken care of.

About the research

RB partnered with Technomic, a Winsight market research firm, for this report. 

Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics program is an ongoing study that tracks the performance of leading chains by measuring the consumer experience. This report includes the top 100 restaurant chains in the U.S. in terms of sales, plus additional chains to round out categories or capture regional data. The data represents responses from nearly 100,000 consumers, collected between Oct. 1, 2014 and Sept. 30, 2015. Scores represent the percentage of respondents who strongly agree with the statements, ranked on a scale of 1 to 5. 

panera bread

Top Bakery Cafe Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Panera Bread54.7%44.6%53.2%50.7%59.4%65.5%
Einstein Bros. Bagels49.7%40.1%46.6%44.1%57.0%60.7%
Bruegger's Bagels48.9%37.1%45.2%42.8%57.2%62.3%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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pinkberry frozen yogurt

Top Beverage/Snack Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Pinkberry55.0%47.9%53.8%52.8%58.5%62.3%
Krispy Kreme54.6%45.9%53.4%49.5%60.7%63.3%
Ben & Jerry's54.3%46.2%53.7%51.0%56.6%63.8%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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in n out double burger combo

Top Burger Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
In-N-Out Burger57.9%54.1%51.0%52.3%60.5%71.4%
Culver's Frozen Custard56.6%45.4%54.1%54.4%61.3%68.0%
The Habit Burger Grill56.2%49.4%50.9%53.1%58.1%69.4%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
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chick fil a nuggets

Top Chicken Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Chick-fil-A63.4%53.3%59.7%60.0%67.5%76.7%
Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers54.7%45.7%47.3%51.3%63.7%65.6%
Zaxby's54.7%42.8%52.4%52.2%61.8%64.1%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
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cracker barrel meatloaf dinner

Top Family Style Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store57.8%52.6%56.1%58.2%56.0%66.1%
Shoney's52.8%47.7%51.1%48.8%54.9%61.3%
Bob Evans52.1%45.2%50.7%49.2%55.5%60.1%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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carrabbas italian grill chicken bryan

Top Italian Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Carrabba's Italian Grill57.6%48.0%54.2%57.9%57.7%50.4%
Maggiano's Little Italy57.2%49.9%55.1%57.4%56.6%66.8%
Brio Tuscan Grille54.6%47.1%52.6%58.3%53.5%61.3%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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moes southwest grill steak nachos

Top Mexican Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConveniece/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Moe's Southwest Grill55.6%46.3%54.2%49.3%62.5%65.8%
Rubio's55.3%47.6%53.3%51.3%58.2%65.8%
Qdoba Mexican Grill50.2%41.1%47.7%42.9%58.7%60.7%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
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papa murphys take n bake pizza

Top Pizza Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza58.6%54.6%53.6%43.0%70.9%70.9%
Godfather's Pizza51.6%46.8%50.0%44.3%56.6%60.1%
Marco's Pizza50.6%43.6%46.5%43.3%59.5%60.1%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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firehouse subs cheddar brisket sandwich

Top Sandwich Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Firehouse Subs60.8%51.1%58.0%57.4%65.0%72.6%
McAlister's Deli58.0%48.3%57.2%54.5%59.5%70.4%
Jersey Mike's Subs56.2%44.9%51.5%50.4%64.0%70.0%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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bonefish grill shrimp skewer

Top Seafood Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Bonefish Grill56.5%46.5%56.3%55.2%54.6%69.8%
Joe's Crab Shack53.0%43.8%55.2%53.4%49.8%62.7%
Captain D's Seafood Kitchen51.4%45.8%49.9%44.1%56.4%60.5%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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capital grille steak

Top Steak Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConveniece/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
The Capital Grill56.5%47.4%55.0%58.0%52.8%69.4%
LongHorn Steakhouse55.1%47.0%53.0%53.4%55.3%67.0%
Texas Roadhouse53.7%47.0%51.7%51.0%53.1%65.6%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


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seasons 52 turkey skewer

Top Varied Menu Chains

 Overall ScoreValueFood/ BeverageAppearance/ AmbianceConvenience/ TakeoutService/ Hospitality
Seasons 5258.0%47.8%57.6%60.2%55.0%69.2%
Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen55.1%51.8%54.8%54.9%51.0%62.8%
The Cheesecake Factory54.5%44.0%58.0%55.1%52.2%63.2%

 

Top Beverage/Snack Chains
Top Burger Chains
Top Chicken Chains
Top Family Style Chains
Top Italian Chains
Top Mexican Chains
Top Pizza Chains
Top Sandwich Chains
Top Seafood Chains
Top Steak Chains
Top Varied Menu Chains


VIEW THE FULL CONSUMER PACKAGE

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