Regional limited-service brands such as Capriotti's, Panera Bread and Penn Station, continue to capture the highest customer satisfaction ratings, according to research from Sandelman & Associates. In all, 69 percent of 140 restaurant chains monitored had a higher overall "excellent" rating in 2009 than in 2008.
In-N-Out Burger, the privately owned hamburger chain in a few Western states, received top honors in Sandelman & Associates' 2009 Quick-Track Awards of Excellence, repeating its top-ranking from 2008. Impressively, 62 percent of recent customers rated their last visit "excellent" overall. Las Vegas-based fast casual Capriotti's virtually tied In-N-Out for top overall rating.
A couple of sizable national chains performed well. Panera Bread garnered a fifth place finish, notable since it operates 1,300-plus units. While Pei Wei Asian Diner and Penn Station finished sixth and tenth, respectively. In all, 140 chains were monitored by Sandelman & Associates in 2009.
The Top 10 chains rated "excellent" overall in Sandelman & Associates' Quick-Track study are:
1. In-N-Out Burger2. Capriotti's3. Chick-fil-A4. Raising Cane's5. Panera Bread6. Pei Wei7. Giordano's Pizza8. Cafe Rio9. Idaho Pizza Company10. Penn Station
Awards of Excellence are given for overall satisfaction and for different aspects of the dining experience, such as taste of the food, speed of service and value for the money. Southern California's In-N-Out Burger maintains its following partly because of its food: the chain has the No. 2 "excellent" rating on taste of the food. Again it earns top-rated scores for quality of the ingredients, friendliness of the staff, accuracy in filling orders and being "a place for someone like me." In all, In-N-Out finished in the Top 3 on eight of 15 attributes monitored.
Among large chains, Subway, with the most U.S. units, is highest rated for healthy and nutritious food. Sales leader McDonald's is best when it comes to appeal to kids. Little Caesars garners the top spot for value and affordability. When it comes to speed of service, Jimmy John's "freaky fast" positioning is paying off: It is No. 1 on that measure.
Growing chain Raising Cane's shines when it comes to service and operations, garnering Top 3 "excellent" ratings on temperature of the food, accuracy in filling orders, cleanliness and appeal to kids. Penn Station finishes in the Top 3 on three characteristics: taste or flavor of the food, quality of the ingredients and temperature of the food.
The awards are based on the quarterly syndicated Quick-Track research program conducted by Sandelman & Associates that tracks attitudes, awareness and usage for the restaurant industry. The Quick-Track Awards of Excellence are based on ratings provided by the study's respondents on limited-service chains they visited in the past three months. In all, Quick-Track surveyed more than 90,900 limited-service restaurant users in 78 U.S. markets during 2009.
