Market Force Measures QSR Customer Loyalty in 2022

How 53 of the nation's largest quick serve and fast casual restaurants performed.

ATLANTA, Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quick Serve and Fast Casual Restaurant industry had clear winners and losers over the past two tumultuous years, according to Market Force Information's 2022 Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) / Fast Casual Study.

Market Force surveyed 5,173 consumers about their most recent restaurant experience to understand which brands are consumer favorites and why.

Preliminary data shows how 53 brands scored on Market Force's Customer Loyalty Index (CLI). The CLI score measures customer satisfaction and how likely customers are to recommend a brand.

Chick-Fil-A and In-N-Out came out on top with CLI scores of 84 percent and 82 percent, respectively. Both restaurants saw customer loyalty increase by more than 5 percent versus 2019's pre-COVID benchmark.

Chick-Fil-A also dominated wallet share in the QSR chicken category with an industry leading 58 percent. Wallet share measures how much consumers spend on a specific brand as opposed to its competitors in the industry. McAlister's Deli led the sandwich category with a wallet share score of 49 percent and Five Guys reigned supreme in burgers with a score of 47 percent. Consumers voted for these brands ahead of their peers on a survey question regarding future purchases, indicating that Chick-Fil-A, McAlister's Deli and Five Guys have cracked the code for bringing customers back time and time again.

"The top-ranking brands continue to lead in terms of consumer sentiment, while others are struggling to stand out in today's fight for share of stomach," says Scott Griffith, Chief Marketing Officer at Market Force.

Brands with digital maturity, drive-thru, delivery, and to-go offerings galloped to success during the early stages of the pandemic. Drive-thru visits increased and brands who mastered drive-thru operations and throughput had a clear advantage.

"The restaurant landscape has gone through incredible change," says Griffith. "The results of our 2022 survey are a key indication of how well each brand navigated the pandemic. Some brands have seen dramatic improvements in their results, while others have lost ground."

Dunkin' Donuts and Hardees/Carl's Jr saw the largest increase in customer loyalty, with CLI increases of 10 percent for Dunkin' and 9% for Hardees/Carl's. Conversely, Zaxby's, Moe's Southwest Grill and Jack in the Box saw their scores decrease by 14 percent, 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The 2022 Quick Serve Restaurant (QSR) / Fast Casual Study ranks top brands across an array of attributes including their ability to deliver satisfying visits, customer loyalty, the degree to which consumers trust each brand, and all core elements of the customer journey. These attributes help differentiate the experience offered at each restaurant.

The full results of the study will be released on Market Force's website in October. You can sign up to receive your copy at https://www.marketforce.com/qsr-research-2022.

About Market Force Information

Market Force Information provides a robust framework for measuring and improving employee experience, operational performance, customer experience, and financial KPI's. 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.

SOURCE Market Force Information