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This fast food restaurant is No. 1 for 7th year in a row – and it’s not McDonald’s

Four Hamburgers with French Fries

(WJW) — Chick-fil-A rated the country’s favorite fast food restaurant in 2021, making it seven years in a row.

That’s according to a study by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which found that although the chicken purveyor continued its streak in the top spot, the restaurant’s lead may be slipping a bit.


The study is based on interviews with 19,423 customers chosen at random and interviewed via email between April 1, 2020, and March 20, 2021.

Chick-fil-A scored an 83 in the limited-service restaurants category. At the bottom of the category was McDonald’s, with a score of 70.

The top 10 fast food restaurants are as follows:

1.) Chick-fil-A
2.) Domino’s
3.) KFC
4.) Starbucks
5.) Five Guys
6.) Panera Bread
7.) Pizza Hut
8.) Arby’s
9.) Chipotle Mexican Grill
10.) Dunkin’

Chick-fil-A’s approval rating fell by 1% in 2021, but they weren’t the only fast food restaurant getting a little less love during the pandemic.

Arby’s (-3%), Subway (-5%), Chipotle (-4%), Dunkin’ (-3%) and Papa John’s (-1%) all saw their ratings diminished.

The study found that customers preferred a full-service experience of fast food across nearly all of the survey benchmarks, which include restaurant layout, food quality, food variety, staff courtesy and helpfulness.