Zagat Announces 2012 Fast-Food Survey Results
Five Guys Has Best Burger; Starbucks Takes Top Coffee; McDonald's Wins Best Fries, Breakfast and Value; Wendy's and Subway Take Top Spots in Mega Chain Category; In-N-Out Burger and Fazoli's Win Large Chain Category
Zagat announced the results of its annual Fast-Food Survey of 274 national restaurant chains. More than 10,500 diners voted on everything from Salads and Sandwiches to Pasta and Pizza. These avid consumers – who report eating at a chain restaurant 9.4 times a month – separately rated the chains on Food, Decor and Service on Zagat's signature 30-point scale, and selected their favorites in a number of sub-categories.
The survey divided restaurants into four categories: Mega Chains (more than 5,000 U.S. locations), Large Chains (up to 5,000 U.S. locations) and Quick-Refreshment (beverages, ice cream, etc.). The survey also covered 117 Full-Service chains – those with table service. Below are this year's Most Popular and top-rated chains:
In the Full-Service category, Cheesecake Factory wins for Most Popular while neighborhood restaurant Cheddar's sweeps Top Food, Top Decor and Top Overall. When it comes to Top Service, O'Charley's rises to the top.
Zagat surveyors also shared their opinions on the best fast-food items in a variety of categories:
MOST POPULAR Mega Chains 1. Subway 2. Wendy's 3. McDonald's 4. Taco Bell 5. Burger King | Large Chains 1. In-N-Out Burger 2. Panera Bread 3. Chipotle 4. Five Guys 5. Chick-fil-A | Quick-Refreshment 1. Starbucks 2. Dunkin' Donuts 3. Ben & Jerry's 4. Peet's Coffee/Tea 5. Auntie Anne's Pretzels |
TOP FOOD Mega Chains 1. Wendy's 2. Subway 3. Pizza Hut 4. Taco Bell 5. Burger King | Large Chains 1. In-N-Out Burger 2. Papa Murphy's 3. Chipotle 4. Panera Bread 5. Bojangles' | Quick-Refreshment 1. Rita's Italian Ice 2. Ben & Jerry's 3. Haagen-Dazs 4. Peet's Coffee/Tea 5. Culver's |
TOP DECOR Mega Chains 1. Wendy's 2. McDonald's 3. Pizza Hut 4. Taco Bell 5. Subway | Large Chains 1. Fazoli's 2. Panera Bread 3. On The Border Mex. Grill 4. Corner Bakery Cafe 5. Buffalo Wild Wings | Quick-Refreshment 1. Caribou Coffee 2. Peet's Coffee/Tea 3. Starbucks 4. Culver's 5. Tim Hortons |
TOP SERVICE Mega Chains 1. Subway 2. Wendy's 3. Taco Bell 4. Pizza Hut 5. McDonald's | Large Chains 1. In-N-Out Burger 2. Papa Murphy's 3. Jimmy John's 4. Fazoli's 5. Panera Bread | Quick-Refreshment 1. Caribou Coffee 2. Rita's Italian Ice 3. Culver's 4. Peet's Coffee/Tea 5. Tim Hortons |
TOP OVERALL Mega Chains 1. Wendy's 2. Subway 3. Pizza Hut 4. Taco Bell 5. McDonald's | Large Chains 1. In-N-Out Burger 2. Fazoli's 3. Panera Bread 4. Papa Murphy's 5. Chipotle | Quick-Refreshment 1. Caribou Coffee 2. Rita's Italian Ice 3. Peet's Coffee/Tea 4. Culver's 5. Tim Hortons |
For more information, visit the Zagat blog:
http://blog.zagat.com/2012/09/2012-fast-food-survey-results-are-live.html
