Operations

QSR customer satisfaction: Dunkin' outdoes Starbucks, Domino's dominates Papa John's

In the fine art of keeping happy customers, there were a few upheavals and a newcomer or two.

Photo: iStock

June 30, 2020

Dunkin' dunked over Starbucks tp tale the top coffee spot, while Domino's pushed Papa John's down to second in the pizza race, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index report for 2019-2020. But amidst all the competitive place-trading, was also the dismal news that overall in the U.S. from March to May of this year, restaurants bled $120 billion in sales as pandemic-related social distancing and mandatory lockdowns upended the industry.

Whether some of that decline is due to ebbing customer satisfaction is unclear. However, ACSI reported that even before the pandemic in the U.S., customer satisfaction in all restaurant categories was falling. According to surveys conducted from April 2019 to the start of the pandemic in the U.S. in March 2020, customer satisfaction for the Accommodation and Food Services sector had fallen 1.3% overall to a score of 77.9 (out of 100). That's the lowest level in five years, the company said.

"Even before COVID-19, delivery was fast becoming the name of the game with consumers increasingly looking for alternative delivery options," David VanAmburg, ACSI managing director said in the release. "Millennials drove the ship, and the rise of third-party delivery services like Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates, and Uber Eats offered consumers more choices and convenience.

"But the pandemic has since hammered the point home: Tech innovation remains a key to success for both fast food and full-service chains, and engaging with customers digitally, especially through reliable mobile apps, is critical."

Chick-fil-A's game to lose ... but it doesn't

Among the 18 brands measured a year ago, 11 experienced slides in customer satisfaction this year, though most of these declines were less than 2%. Nonetheless, the fast-food segment remains positioned to fare better than dine-in brands in a COVID-19-impacted market, thanks to their business model which already includes low-contact drive-thru lanes and delivery.

As far as the winner in the QSR happy customer game, there were no surprises: Again, Chick-fil-A was the leader, with an 84 out of 100 score. This is the sixth straight year Chick-fil-A has been tops in customer satisfaction and that's across all restaurant segments.

Chipotle — actually a fast casual brand — came in second, while Panera Bread (down 2%), Arby's (down 1%), Domino's (unchanged), Subway (unchanged), Dunkin' (up 1%) and KFC (up 1%) all came in third with 79 points on
Coffee specialists stayed close but swapped places, as Dunkin' moved just ahead of Starbucks, which fell 1% to 78%. Taco Bell fell a percentage point to 74 while ACSI newcomer, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen premiered with a score of 74, placing it in the bottom five for customer satisfaction.that 100-scale.

Among burger chains, Wendy's dropped 1% to tie with a stable Burger King at 76. Sonic Drive-In lost ground, fading 3% to 74. Jack in the Box scored worse, declining 3% to 73, but not as bad as McDonald's at 70%, which is actually a 1% increase for the brand.

Pizza: Domino's 'slices' in

For the first time in 10 years, Domino's beat Papa John's to become the pizza segment customer satisfaction leader, after Papa John's score fell 3% to 77. Two other major pizza competitors lost ground this year, including Pizza Hut, which dropped 4% to 77 and Little Caesars that fell another 1% to last place among pizza chains at 76.

The ACSI Restaurant Report 2019-2020 is based on interviews with 23,312 customers. ACSI has been a national economic indicator for 25 years, measuring and analyzing customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in 46 industries and 10 economic sectors.