The limited-service restaurant category saw an overall improvement of 1.3% in its score for customer satisfaction, while the full-service restaurant category saw its total score increase by 3.8%. In the limited-service group, Chick-fil-A had the highest score of 87, which remained unchanged from 2017, while Panera Bread came in at second place with a score of 81, which dropped 1% from last year.
Yum! Brands’ (YUM) Pizza Hut saw the highest improvement of 5% with a score of 80. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) saw no change from last year at 79. Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) and Starbucks (SBUX) both saw an improvement of 1% from last year. McDonald’s (MCD) ended up at the bottom with a score of 69 that remained unchanged from the previous year.
In the full-service restaurant group, Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) came in first with a score of 83, reflecting a 1% improvement from last year. Cracker Barrel (CBRL) and Darden Restaurants’ (DRI) LongHorn Steakhouse both tied for second place with a score of 81.
Red Robin saw the highest improvement from last year of 8% while LongHorn Steakhouse saw a 5% increase. Ruby Tuesday (RT) and Denny’s (DENN) were at the bottom of this list with scores of 78 and 77 respectively. A shift to healthy food options helped full-service restaurants improve their performance in terms of food quality.