The Best and Worst Rated Fast-Food Restaurants in the U.S.

Should you tip fast food employees? It’s no secret that the United States has a serious tipping culture. But this long-standing practice, previously reserved for personal services and sit-down restaurants, is now creeping into new territories. Even fast-food restaurants are now asking for tips. The question of whether you should be tipping when picking up your meal is sparking heated debates across our country. Some people believe that tipping fast food workers can help provide necessary support and closer to a living wage. Others view it as an unwelcome expansion of tipping, which many already view as problematic. Whichever side you’re on, it’s clear that the fast-food industry is reaching a tipping point (see what we did there?!) and consumers are beginning to get frustrated by the extra costs involved.

Still, some fast-food chain restaurants are doing better than others. Here, 24/7 Wall St. explored which fast food restaurants customers are most and least satisfied with. To do so, we reviewed the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025. We added ownership of the 23 major chains in the report using different sources. Restaurants are ordered by their ACSI score, from best to worst, with the annual change in score used to break some ties. ACSI scores are based on rankings from U.S. consumers. The industry average score is 79, but many restaurants on this list fall far below that.

This post was updated on October 23, 2025 to include the most recent study data.

Why We’re Sharing

In the past, fast food was accessible for many consumers given its low price and quick service. But inflation has changed the behavior of many consumers who previously relied on fast food for their meals. Prices at many major chains rose so significantly that many low-income customers were priced out. Households earning less than $75,000 a year are visiting chains less than ever before. With this in mind, it’s interesting to see which chains have managed to provide better customer satisfaction and which are leaving consumers unsatisfied. (The McDonald’s $5 value meal is in trouble.)

1. Chick-fil-A

Retail Chick-fil-A (BY 2.0) by ccPixs.com

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 83 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 83 out of 100
• Chick-fil-A owner: Cathy family

2 (tied). Panda Express

Panda Express 8172 (CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED) by Chris Light

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 80 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100
• Panda Express owner: Panda Restaurant Group (Cherng family)

2 (tied). Starbucks

Starbucks (BY-SA 2.0) by marcopako uf8ff

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 80 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100
• Starbucks owner: Public (NASDAQ: SBUX)

3 (tied). Panera Bread

Panera Bread (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 79 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100
• Panera Bread owner: JAB Holding Co. (Reimann family)

3 (tied). Arby’s

Arby's (CC BY 2.0) by Mike Mozart

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 79 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100
• Arby’s owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

3 (tied). Pizza Hut

hua hin pizza hut (BY 2.0) by goodiesfirst

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 79 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024:  79 out of 100
• Pizza Hut owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

3 (tied). Papa John’s

Papa John's (CC BY 2.0) by Random Retail

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 79 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 79 out of 100
• Papa John’s owner: Public (NASDAQ: PZZA)

4 (tied). Culver’s

Culver's (CC BY 2.0) by Arnold Gatilao

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025:  78 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 80 out of 100
• Culver’s owner: Culver family (minority: Roark Capital)

4 (tied). Domino’s

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 78 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 79 out of 100
• Domino’s owner: Public (NYSE: DPZ)

4 (tied). Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin Donuts (CC BY 2.0) by Mike Mozart

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 78 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100
• Dunkin’ owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

5 (tied). KFC

KFC (BY-SA 2.0) by Marufish

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 77 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 81 out of 100
• KFC owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

5 (tied). Burger King

Burger King (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 77 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100
• Burger King owner: RBI (NYSE: QSR)

5 (tied). Little Caesars

Little Caesars Patton Ave Asheville, NC (BY-SA 2.0) by MikeKalasnik

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 77 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 75 out of 100
• Little Caesars owner: Ilitch Holdings (Marian Ilitch)

6 (tied). Chipotle

Chipotle (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025:  76 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 77 out of 100
• Chipotle owner: Public (NYSE: CMG)

6 (tied). Subway

Subway (BY 2.0) by wachovia_138

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025:  76 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 74 out of 100
• Subway owner: Private equity Roark Capital

7 (tied). Five Guys

Five Guys (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 75 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 78 out of 100
• Five Guys owner: Murrell family

7 (tied). Wendy’s

Wendy's (CC BY 2.0) by Mike Mozart

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 75 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 76 out of 100
• Wendy’s owner: The Wendy’s Company (NYSE: WEN)

7 (tied). Popeyes

Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 75 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 72 out of 100
• Popeyes owner: RBI (NYSE: QSR)

8. Jack in the Box

Cool Jack in the Box (48316243441) (BY-SA 2.0) by George

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 74 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 72 out of 100
• Jack in the Box owner: Public (NASDAQ: JACK)

9 (tied). Sonic

Sonic (CC BY 2.0) by Mike Mozart

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 73 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 76 out of 100
• Sonic owner: Inspire Brands (parent: private equity Roark Capital)

9 (tied). Taco Bell

Taco Bell (BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 73 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 73 out of 100
• Taco Bell owner: Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM)

10. Dairy Queen

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 72 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 74 out of 100
• Dairy Queen owner: Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B)

11. McDonald’s

McDonald's (CC BY 2.0) by Mike Mozart

• Customer satisfaction index score, 2025: 70 out of 100
• Customer satisfaction index score, 2024: 71 out of 100
• McDonald’s owner: Public (NYSE: MCD)