Customer Satisfaction Rankings of Fast-Food Chains

The latest rankings are out from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, and McDonald's is at the very bottom of the US fast-food restaurant industry for 2014. According to the ACSI, McDonald's has improved its US satisfaction rating since 1995--but it still is at the bottom for 2014.

Worldwide, McDonald's has more than 35,000 restaurants, so keeping every customer happy in every outlet, every day, is a challenge--especially in a chain so heavily dependent on franchised operations. As the McDonald's director of media relations says: "We are always listening to our 27 million customers every day and appreciate hearing feedback from them and other sources as it helps us improve and evolve." The McDonald's annual report notes that the company is focused on improving service and satisfaction at each "moment of truth"--each interaction or touchpoint between the company and its customer.

Interestingly, the ACSI shows that smaller US restaurant chains such as Panera and Chipotle have higher satisfaction ratings.

In 2014, the top five US fast-food chains, ranked by customer satisfaction, are:

• Pizza Hut
• Papa John's
• Little Caesar
• Domino's Pizza
• Wendy's

In the UK, the customer satisfaction index for 2013 (most recent year available) covers a slightly different group of restaurant competitors. McDonald's is next to last in the UK, just above Burger King.

The top five UK restaurant chains, ranked by customer satisfaction, were:

• Gregg's
• Subway
• Costa Coffee
• Starbucks
• Yum! Brands (KFC and Pizza Hut)