Chick-fil-A closed its first store last week. And it was named America’s favorite fast food in an annual poll conducted by Axios Harris. The first one didn’t matter, except symbolically. Traffic to the store had dropped. The second mattered a great deal. It singled out Chick-fil-A among an army of other fast food restaurants, which includes industry leader McDonald’s (It finished 72nd).
The official name of the poll is “The 2023 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings.” The universe polled 16,310 Americans between March 13 and March 28. First, the poll determines the 100 most visible companies in the United States. People are then asked which two companies have the worst reputations and which have the best. Companies receive a score between 100 and 0.
Chick-fil-A came out of nowhere for many Americans. Most of its locations were in the South. It finally moved to New York City in 2015. New York must have thousands of sizable fast-food franchise locations.
Chick-fil-A’s strategy is to have a menu with very few items. That allows workers to prepare meals quickly. The company says it also allows people in its stores to spend more time on customer service.
While Chick-fil-a is not the largest fast-food chain in the U.S., it is large by most standards. It has 3,000 locations and revenue of about $15 million.
Chick-fil-A is different from all of its rivals. Founded by Southern Baptists, its stores are not open on Sunday, which means it gives up at least $1 billion a year in sales. The company describes itself–”To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
Chick-fil-A’s leadership in the quality race among fast food chains is not new. It has topped the category in the widely followed American Customers Satisfaction Index for eight years.
These are the biggest fast food fads of the 21st Century.
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