Americans want food their way, and a new survey shows that "their way" calls for a higher quality, more varied meal than they're getting at the top burger, burrito, sandwich and chicken chains.
Consumer Reports asked subscribers to answer one straightforward question: "On a scale of 1 to 10, from least delicious to most delicious you’ve ever eaten, how would you rate the taste?"
96,208 meals and 65 chains later, some trends emerged: readers expressed an increased interest in the quality of the food, and less of a focus on convenience than they had in the group's 2011 report. One industry expert, Darren Tristano of Technomic, a food-service research and consulting firm, told Consumer Reports that he believes the shift has a lot to do with the increasing role food plays in millennials' social lives.
He also noted that chains like Chipotle and Panera emphasize the origin and quality of their ingredients, unlike major chains like McDonald's, which serves flash-frozen patties touted as "free from preservatives, fillers, extenders, and so-called pink slime.”
"More and more, food quality ― not just low price ― is emerging as a deciding-factor for many Americans when choosing where to spend their dining dollars," said Tod Marks, senior projects editor for Consumer Reports in a press release about the survey.
He continued, “Strong regional players and slightly more upscale fast-casual chains like Chipotle are giving the heavy-hitters in the fast-food business a wake-up call. And our survey clearly shows the big guys need to respond.”
But let's serve up the data:
In the burger business, The Habit Burger Grill took top honors, earning an 8.1 out of 10 points from readers, followed closely by cult favorite In-N-Out Burger with an 8.0 rating. Five Guys Burgers and Fries tied with Smashburger at 7.9 and Fuddrucker's finished out the top five at 7.8.
McDonald's fared worst of all by a pretty beefy margin, earning a 5.8 rating. Burger King, Krystal and Jack In the Box shared the second-to-the-bottom berth with a score of 6.6.
In the chicken category, Chick-fil-A ruled the roost. The headline-grabbing chain earned an 8.1, just above second-place finisher El Pollo Loco, which earned a 7.7 satisfaction score. KFC fowl-ed out with a last-place 7.1.
Wiener chain Portillo's Hot Dogs was the big winner in the sandwiches and subs group, earning an 8.5 from fans, making it the top-ranked chain of the whole survey. The world's largest restaurant chain, Subway - which has recently sought to revamp its image after consumers lobbied for "yoga mat" chemical azodicarbonamide to be removed from its bread, and reports of worker underpayment emerged - finished second to last with a 7.2, just two-tenths of a point above Au Bon Pain.
And the burrito category was a wrap for "farm-to-face" favorite Chipotle. The chain edged out second place finisher Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, 7.8 to 7.7. Taco Bell bottomed out the rankings with a 6.3.
The survey also revealed that most fast-food diners aren’t concerned about their diets when they dine out. Only one-fifth worry about the availability of healthier menu options when they're deciding where to eat. Once they're in the restaurant, only 19% opt to order them.
The full report is available to subscribers at ConsumerReports.org and in the August issue of the magazine.
Previously:
Top 10 burgers in the U.S.
Top 10 non-traditional burgers in America
America's Best Cheeseburger (according to Food Network)
World's Best Bacon Cheeseburger (according to the London Observer)
