Chick-fil-A has lost its top spot as America’s favorite fast food chain, with popular sandwich shop Jersey Mike’s taking its place.
Last year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index’s annual Restaurant and Delivery Study awarded the chicken spot the winning customer satisfaction score of 83 out of 100, which was calculated by thousands of random customers rating their experiences at different restaurants. The 2025 ranking marked Chick-fil-A’s 11th year as the top-rated quick-service restaurant.
Although Chick-fil-A received a score of 83 again this year, its winning streak has officially come to an end. In fact, Jersey Mike’s Subs, which was not included in last year’s ranking, is now the top-rated quick-service restaurant, thanks to its customer satisfaction score of 84. The ranking recognized the brand for its freshness, food variety and value.
“Jersey Mike’s ACSI success is consistent with their business performance, including rapid unit growth, strong customer demand, and a model designed around throughput and off-premise convenience from high digital pickup usage,” the study reads. “The chain’s menu is fairly narrow, and they have a model conducive to franchisee success.”
Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACS, added in a statement: “Restaurant industry-level scores are stable, but there’s real movement underneath. New brands are entering our rankings and immediately competing at the top, which tells you something about where consumer expectations are headed. Price still matters, but it’s no longer enough on its own.
“Consistency across the full experience is what separates the leaders right now, and that’s showing up clearly in the data. The challenge going forward is sustaining that as costs continue to rise and competition intensifies from outside the traditional restaurant space.”
However, Chick-fil-A is still the top-rated spot in the chicken category, with Raising Cane’s receiving a score of 79 and KFC receiving 80.
Meanwhile, another sandwich shop, Jimmy John’s, is the third top-rated quick-service restaurant, with a score of 81. Panda Express is also tied for third place with the same score.
On the opposite side of the coin, McDonald’s and Dairy Queen were ranked at the bottom, and they each received a customer satisfaction score of 72. In addition, Jack in the Box and Taco Bell each had a score of only 74 out of 100.
Jersey Mike’s high customer satisfaction score comes after the brand shared its commitment to expanding worldwide. In January, Jersey Mike’s CEO, Charlie Morrison, said he was pushing for the company’s international growth, with plans to open 400 stores across the U.K.and Ireland.
“All consumers, not only here in the U.S. but around the world, are looking for a great value, but they want quality,” he told CNBC at the time. “They want authenticity. Everything about the brand screams quality and freshness, and I think that’s what consumers want anywhere in the world. They’re going to be picky and careful about what they choose, but we believe strongly they’re going to choose Jersey Mike’s over anybody else.”