Burger King appears to shade viral McDonald’s taste test
After McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski went viral for his Big Arch taste test, other fast food presidents decided to join in on the fun.
The king of fast food has officially been dethroned.
For the first time in more than a decade, Chick-fil-A is no longer the top-rated quick-service restaurant, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which rates eateries based on thousands of customer surveys reflecting on recent experiences with major chains.
After an 11-year run, results from 16,464 respondents knocked the chicken chain from its coveted spot in favor of sandwich shop Jersey Mike’s, which was commended for its freshness, food variety and value. Securing an ACSI score of 84 out of 100, Jersey Mike’s edged Chick-fil-A out by one point after adding 238 net new locations in 2025 and clearing $4.2 billion in sales.
“The U.S. restaurant industry faced difficulties in 2025, with total sales struggling to keep pace with inflation,” said the report published Tuesday, June 16. “In a market defined by trade-offs, customers are placing greater emphasis on consistency, reliability, and perceived value as opposed to just price. Brands that deliver a consistently enjoyable experience are gaining ground.”
Wondering where your favorites ranked in 2026? Read more below.
See the top 15 quick-service restaurant chains
Quick-service restaurant2026 ACSIJersey Mike’s84Chick-fil-A83Jimmy John’s81Panda Express81KFC80Papa Johns80Pizza Hut80Domino’s80Raising Cane’s79Starbucks79Subway79Burger King78Culver’s78Dunkin’78Little Caesars78
Chick-fil-A still on top of the chicken game, no McDonald’s in sight for burgers
Breaking quick-service or fast-food restaurants down a little further by category puts Chick-fil-A back on top, at least for chicken.
Jersey Mike’s maintained its crowning spot in the sandwich category, while Papa Johns and Pizza Hut tied for pizza, Starbucks led the coffee pack and Burger King and Culver’s were the winners in burgers. Perhaps surprising to some, fast food heavy-hitter McDonald’s ranked seventh on the list for burgers with a score of 72, not even breaking the top five.
There were only three that made the coffee list, and numbers two and three may also send some for a loop, as Dunkin’ is tied with Panera Bread at 78 points for coffee/bakery/cafe chains.
Top 5 chicken spots
- Chick-fil-A
- KFC
- Raising Cane’s
- Wingstop
- Popeyes
Top 4 sandwich spots
- Jersey Mike’s
- Jimmy John’s
- Subway
- Arby’s
Top 4 pizza spots
- Papa Johns
- Pizza Hut
- Domino’s
- Little Ceasers
Top 5 burger spots
- Burger King
- Culver’s
- Sonic
- Wendy’s
- Five Guys
Steakhouses take top spots for full-service eateries
Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse tied for the top sit-down spots with ACSI scores of 82, despite those scores representing a 1% to 2% point decrease for both.
Olive Garden followed closely behind at 81 before scores dropped into the high 70s for eateries like Applebee’s, Chili’s and Cracker Barrel.
“This year’s brand results show a compressed top tier while continuing to demonstrate America’s love of steak even as beef prices rise sharply,” said the report.
Accuracy of food orders, food and beverage quality, and courtesy and helpfulness of waitstaff remained the top factors for satisfaction, and all improved year-over-year, while quality of the mobile app and website satisfaction remained at the bottom but also improved.
The reliability of mobile apps (minimal downtime, crashes, lags), saw significant gains. In 2026, customer satisfaction with mobile apps went up 12% from 78 to 87, while website and mobile app quality satisfaction both went up by 4%.
“These improvements align with a broader industry push to reduce friction in carryout and digital ordering, an area where customers often ‘feel’ service failures most acutely when they may be paying more for delivery,” said the report.
See the top 15 full-service restaurant chains
Full-service restaurant2026 ACSILongHorn Steakhouse82Texas Roadhouse82Olive Garden81Applebee’s79Chili’s79Cracker Barrel79Golden Corral79Outback Steakhouse79The Cheesecake Factory79Buffalo Wild Wings78Red Lobster78Red Robin78Denny’s77IHOP76First Watch72
