In-N-Out Burger has topped the competition for best burger experience in a Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) according to Market Force Information’s new 2022 QSR / Fast Casual Study.
Market Force surveyed 5,173 consumers about their most recent restaurant experience to understand how 53 of America’s top brands performed when it comes to customer satisfaction and why.
The study ranks restaurants on a variety of factors and then compares brands across categories of cuisines.
“This year, In-N-Out Burger ranked supreme in the burger category,” says Phil Doriot, Market Force’s VP of Customer Success and Analytics. “They beat the competition on almost every factor.”
Satisfaction Guaranteed
When it comes to satisfaction, consumers ranked food quality, atmosphere, speed of service, value received for money spent, and friendliness of staff as the factors that mattered most at a burger joint.
In-N-Out Burger out-performed its competition for overall satisfaction with a score of 80 percent: two times higher than McDonald’s and Burger King, at 41 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Jack in the Box rank lowest with a score of 28 percent.
In-N-Out dominated QSC (Quality, Service and Cleanliness) scoring 82 percent for food quality, 88 percent for staff friendliness, and 85 percent for cleanliness. In these categories, they ranked about 10 percent higher than the next highest-scoring restaurants, Culver’s and Five Guys, and about twice as high as Burger King, McDonald’s, Checkers and Rally’s, and Jack in the Box. Legacy fast-food brands with the largest footprint in the burger category struggled most with QSC: Wendy’s, for example, had the lowest score for order accuracy.
Five Guys was the leader in speed of service with a score of 65 percent.
Satisfaction Drives Results
“The secret to success lies in the data,” says Doriot. “In-N-Out Burger ranked top in satisfaction, and as a result, they’re also leading brand loyalty.”
The Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) measures customer satisfaction and how likely customers are to recommend the brand. In-N-Out came in first with a CLI score of 4.75 (out of 5).
Share of wallet represents how much a consumer regularly spends on a specific brand as opposed to its competitors. Five Guys scored highest at 47 percent. In-N-Out took second place with a score of 44 percent.
The Full Study
The full study ranks winners in technology, showcases successful brand differentiation, examines how brands can be more competitive, and models what metrics are most linked to wallet share growth.
The results have been tabulated and a summary of the findings can be accessed at:
https://www.marketforce.com/qsr-research-2022-download
Brands and analysts interested in a full walkthrough of results can schedule a briefing at:
https://www.marketforce.com/qsr-research-2022-connect
The burger brands featured in the study include: Arby’s, Burger King, Checkers and Rally’s, Culver’s, Five Guys, Hardee’s / Carl’s Jr., In-N-Out Burger, Jack In The Box, McDonald’s, Sonic Drive-In, Wendy’s, and Whataburger.
The full list of 53 brands includes: Arby’s, Auntie Anne’s, Baskin-Robbins, Bojangles, Boston Market, Burger King, Captain D’s, Cava, Checkers and Rally’s, Chick-Fil-A, Chipotle, Church’s Chicken, Culver’s, Dairy Queen, Del Taco, Domino’s, Dunkin’, Dutch Bros Coffee, El Pollo Loco, Firehouse Subs, Five Guys, Hardee’s / Carl’s Jr., In-N-Out Burger, Jack In The Box, Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy John’s, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Little Caesars, Long John Silver’s, Marco’s Pizza, McAlister’s Deli, McDonald’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Noodles & Company, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Papa John’s, Papa Murphy’s, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Qdoba, Raising Cane’s, Sonic Drive-In, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell, Taco John’s, Tim Hortons, Wendy’s, Whataburger, Wingstop, Zaxby’s.
Market Force Information provides a robust framework for measuring and improving employee experience, operational performance, customer experience, and financial KPIs. Market Force delivers solutions for restaurants, big box and specialty retail, grocery, petro-convenience, hospitality, travel, telecom, technology, energy, education, health and wellness, movie studios and theatres, fitness, financial services, gaming, CPG, alcohol and tobacco, pharma, government agencies and more.
