The coronavirus pandemic has done little — if anything — to change how customers view Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A. The fast-food chain, which opened in Greenbriar shopping center in 1967, has long topped the list of customer satisfaction among drive-thrus, and this year is no exception.
USA Today reported on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, where customers evaluated on a scale from zero to 100 their recent experiences with the largest limited-service restaurants in terms of market share.
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The results show Chick-fil-A had a score of 84. That’s a 2% drop from 2019 when the “Home of the Original Chicken Sandwich” received an 86, but still good enough to take the title.
This is the sixth year in a row Chick-fil-A has come out on top. The eatery beat Chipotle, Domino’s, Dunkin’ and Arby’s, which is owned by Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, in this year’s survey. McDonald’s had a ranking of 70 and came in last place, which the ACSI report said is “consistent with its track record of last place customer satisfaction.”
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“American diners crave convenience. They want their order quickly, and COVID has only exacerbated demand for takeout and delivery options,” David VanAmburg, managing director at ACSI, told USA Today in a statement.
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“Creating fast, efficient, and accurate processes not only keep businesses operational, but done right, they make customers happier. It’s an opportunity the ACSI has found can be majorly improved upon,” he added.
Chick-fil-A, like many other fast-food restaurants, began sharing updates with customers about what it's doing for employees and customers amid the coronavirus outbreak in March. That included increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures and temporarily closing dining rooms. While the Chick-fil-A One app was introduced in 2016 to allow customers to order their meals for carry-out or drive-thru, the restaurant has begun encouraging guests to use the app to limit person-to-person contact.
