Jersey Mikes Tops QSR Customer Satisfaction Rankings

Jersey Mike's Dethrones Chick-fil-A After an 11-Year Reign at the Top

Jersey Mike's has claimed the title of America's most satisfying major fast food brand, ending Chick-fil-A's remarkable 11-consecutive-year run at the top of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The sandwich chain achieved a satisfaction score of 84 on the ACSI's 0-to-100 scale, edging out Chick-fil-A's unchanged score of 83 to claim the number one position in the 2026 report- the first ACSI study to include Jersey Mike's as a tracked brand. The result reflects the sandwich chain's dramatic growth over recent years and its increasingly prominent position in the American fast food landscape, where it is also reportedly eyeing a public market debut. For an industry navigating significant macroeconomic headwinds, Jersey Mike's ascent to the top of the satisfaction rankings is a landmark moment.

Overall Industry Satisfaction Holds Steady Despite Economic Pressure

Beyond the headline change at the top, the 2026 ACSI report paints a picture of remarkable stability across the broader quick-service restaurant sector. The average satisfaction score among major QSR brands held at 79- identical to the prior year- despite persistent consumer price sensitivity and a challenging economic environment. That consistency is notable given the pressure restaurants have faced from inflation, rising labour costs, and shifting consumer behaviour. Industrywide performance indicators were largely unchanged year-over-year, with scores for staff helpfulness, food quality, and app reliability all holding flat. Order accuracy saw a modest improvement, rising from 85 to 87 points, and speed of checkout edged up from 83 to 84. The only meaningful decline across major industry KPIs was mobile app quality, which slipped one point from 85 to 84.

Chick-fil-A Holds Second Place and Leads the Chicken Category

Despite losing the overall top spot for the first time in over a decade, Chick-fil-A remains a dominant force in the ACSI rankings. The brand held its score of 83 unchanged from 2025 and retained its position as the segment leader within QSR chicken. Behind it, KFC posted a score of 80- a 4% year-over-year increase that tied with Subway for the second-largest satisfaction gain in the study. That KFC improvement is a direct reflection of Yum Brands' sustained effort to apply successful strategies from its Taco Bell playbook to the chicken chain, a multi-year initiative that appears to be gaining measurable traction with consumers. Raising Cane's followed with 79 points, Wingstop with 77, and Popeyes with 73- the latter representing a three-point drop that made it the biggest loser in the chicken segment.

Popeyes Stumbles as Burger King Climbs the Rankings

Popeyes' three-point decline is the most pointed story of deterioration in this year's report, reflecting several quarters of sales difficulties that have pushed its parent company Restaurant Brands International to refocus the brand on operational reliability, core menu execution, and consistency under new president Peter Purdue. Satisfaction scores of this kind tend to lag operational changes by several quarters, meaning the full impact of that strategic reset is unlikely to show up in national data for some time. Elsewhere in the burger segment, another RBI brand tells a very different story. Burger King, which has been executing its Reclaim the Flame turnaround campaign for several years, has climbed steadily through the satisfaction rankings and now shares the top spot in burger QSR satisfaction with Culver's- both posting scores of 78. The turnaround has helped Burger King return to sales growth, revive underperforming locations, and meaningfully improve its core product offering.

What the Scores Reveal About Consumer Priorities in a Difficult Economy

The persistence of stable satisfaction scores across the industry- even as restaurant sales growth slowed to its weakest pace outside the pandemic since the Great Recession- reveals something important about what consumers are actually evaluating when they visit a fast food restaurant. Growth in the sector is now being driven primarily by menu price increases rather than increased customer traffic, leaving real demand under pressure. Yet satisfaction scores have not declined in tandem, suggesting that consumers are looking beyond price when forming their overall impression of a brand. The data points to a quality-of-experience calculus that goes well beyond the receipt. "Consistency across the full experience is what separates the leaders right now, and that's showing up clearly in the data," said Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI.

The Challenge Ahead - Sustaining Satisfaction as Costs Rise and Competition Grows

The 2026 ACSI results offer a moment of industry-wide reassurance, but they also carry a clear warning. Maintaining satisfaction scores under current conditions is one thing- sustaining them as costs continue to rise and competition intensifies from outside the traditional restaurant space is another challenge entirely. Delivery platforms, grocery prepared foods, and emerging food concepts are all competing for the same consumer dollars that QSR brands have historically captured. Morgeson was direct about the road ahead. "The challenge going forward is sustaining that as costs continue to rise and competition intensifies from outside the traditional restaurant space." For Jersey Mike's, the satisfaction crown brings both recognition and responsibility- the same consistency that earned it the top ranking will need to be maintained and deepened if the brand intends to hold that position when the 2027 report arrives.

Jersey Mike's Dethrones Chick-fil-A After an 11-Year Reign at the Top

Overall Industry Satisfaction Holds Steady Despite Economic Pressure

Chick-fil-A Holds Second Place and Leads the Chicken Category

Popeyes Stumbles as Burger King Climbs the Rankings

What the Scores Reveal About Consumer Priorities in a Difficult Economy

The Challenge Ahead - Sustaining Satisfaction as Costs Rise and Competition Grows

Jersey Mikes Tops QSR Customer Satisfaction Rankings

Jersey Mike's Dethrones Chick-fil-A After an 11-Year Reign at the Top

Overall Industry Satisfaction Holds Steady Despite Economic Pressure

Chick-fil-A Holds Second Place and Leads the Chicken Category

Popeyes Stumbles as Burger King Climbs the Rankings

What the Scores Reveal About Consumer Priorities in a Difficult Economy

The Challenge Ahead - Sustaining Satisfaction as Costs Rise and Competition Grows

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Jersey Mikes Tops QSR Customer Satisfaction Rankings

Jersey Mike's Dethrones Chick-fil-A After an 11-Year Reign at the Top

Overall Industry Satisfaction Holds Steady Despite Economic Pressure

Chick-fil-A Holds Second Place and Leads the Chicken Category

Popeyes Stumbles as Burger King Climbs the Rankings

What the Scores Reveal About Consumer Priorities in a Difficult Economy

The Challenge Ahead - Sustaining Satisfaction as Costs Rise and Competition Grows