According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2024, customer satisfaction with both fast food and full-service restaurants has increased. However, households earning under $75,000 annually are cutting back on dining out due to rising prices. Fast food satisfaction is up 1% to 79, while full-service restaurants improved 4% to 84.
Forrest Morgeson, ACSI’s Director of Research Emeritus, notes a shift towards higher income and college-educated customers. With restaurant inflation outpacing grocery costs, consumers are choosing between dining out and grocery shopping. Restaurants emphasizing quality and value are gaining a competitive edge.
Highlights include LongHorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse tying at the top with a score of 85. Olive Garden and Chili’s follow, each improving by 4%. Outback Steakhouse dropped to 80, while IHOP surged to 78 with menu updates.
Chick-fil-A maintains its dominance among fast food chains with a score of 83, though down 2%. KFC holds second place at 81, and newcomers like Culver’s and Panera Bread show promising starts.
Despite these positives, food delivery services debuted with mixed reviews, scoring 73 overall. Smaller services outperform larger ones, with concerns over delivery costs and fairness of pricing.
The study reflects opinions from 14,604 surveys, highlighting ongoing trends in the restaurant and food delivery sectors
