Slow Food, Worse Service: The Decline of the Fast Food Customer Experience
Add bookmark
When it comes to a seamless customer dining experience, “Fast Food” often comes in first place. The entire model is about quick, quality food whenever you want, wherever you are. Among the Fast-Food brands, though, it is unclear if there are any true victors.
One of the simplest ways to measure customer satisfaction is with the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a verified recommendation service that performs annual research to measure the success of customer service at establishments across the United States. For Fast Food restaurants, the 0 to 100 rating encompasses everything from restaurant cleanliness, website ease-of-use, and the willingness to assist with customer complaints.
We’ve often compared brands to each other but, this time, it may be more interesting to compare them to themselves. Last year, in 2021, the national average score for fast food restaurants was 78. This year it dropped 2.6% to 76. If the three percent drop were due to an outlier, it would not be cause for alarm— it would just mean one restaurant missed the mark when it came to their customers’ experience. The drop, however, comes from nearly every restaurant dropping in customer satisfaction.
Let’s look at the stats:
| Restaurant Chain | 2021 Score | 2022 Score | Percent Difference |
| Chick-fil-A | 83 | 83 | 0% |
| All Others | 80 | 79 | -1% |
| Domino's | 80 | 78 | -3% |
| KFC (Yum! Brands) | 79 | 78 | -1% |
| Chipotle | 77 | 77 | 0% |
| Panera Bread | 79 | 77 | -1% |
| Pizza Hut (Yum! Brands) | 78 | 77 | -1% |
| Starbucks | 79 | 77 | -3% |
| Arby's (Inspire Brands) | 77 | 76 | -1% |
| Five Guys | 78 | 76 | -3% |
| Papa Johns | 77 | 76 | -1% |
| Burger King (RBI) | 76 | 75 | -1% |
| Little Caesars | 76 | 75 | -1% |
| Panda Express | 76 | 75 | -1% |
| Subway | 75 | 75 | 0% |
| Dairy Queen | 74 | 74 | 0% |
| Dunkin' (Inspire Brands) | 77 | 74 | -4% |
| Sonic (Inspire Brands) | 73 | 74 | 1% |
| Wendy's | 73 | 73 | 0% |
| Jack in the Box | 73 | 72 | -1% |
| Taco Bell (Yum! Brands) | 74 | 72 | -3% |
| Popeyes (RBI) | 73 | 71 | -3% |
| McDonald's | 70 | 68 | -3% |
The only brand that saw positive growth in their customers’ satisfaction with their restaurant was Sonic, and even that chain only had a 1% increase. While some of the dissatisfaction could be stemming from the worker shortage or post-pandemic stress, it seems there is more to it than that. Customers are different than they once were. Before the pandemic, brands got away with mobile applications that did not offer stellar in-store, pick-up, and delivery experiences. Now? All franchises need to use apps and use them well, ensuring that the customer information is saved, user experiences are tailored and convenient, and orders are always prepared correctly. Within minutes of submitting an order, users expect to be eating their meal exactly how they want—whether it’s 2AM on a Saturday in Manhattan or 4PM on a Tuesday in Minnesota.
Despite the customers’ heightened expectations, many brands are still relying on “Covid Sympathy” to excuse long wait times and poor service. As Brooke Lynch, CMP Analyst, writes, “It seems as though service is currently on a decline — which goes against everything companies are working toward.” The pandemic seemed to be spurring innovation and growth for these large businesses in late 2020. Now, however, the opposite trend is emerging.
Customers are fatigued from the abundance of Fast-Food brands seeking sympathy for their struggles during the pandemic. Instead, they now hope to see the resilience that presented itself at the beginning of 2020. The world is not the same as it once was, but it is still possible for Fast Food chains to use this new reality to their advantage—not as an excuse for their downfall.
Photo by Ashley Green on Unsplash
