Fast-Food Restaurants

          Believe it or not, I remember well the days when there weren't fast food restaurants anywhere around us ... with the exception of a Dairy Queen where as teens we liked to hang out and enjoy a snack.  A McDonalds finally opened in the Lancaster area and was very successful.  I recall when I was attending Susquehanna University I wished that I had the money to open one on the busy stretch between Selinsgrove and Sunbury where there were none.  If I had made that investment then I'd probably be very rich today for now that stretch is packed with such places to eat.
          But which one do you think is the most popular today?   Many would probably guess McDonald's since they can be found in almost every town, coast to coast.  But I was surprised to find that they placed at the bottom of the annual American Customer Satisfaction index report for limited-service (fast-food and fast-casual) restaurants.  The chain also scored lower than any restaurant in the full-service category.
          The only positive for the chain may be that while it came in last place, as it did in 2015, it did improve its score. In 2015 McDonald's nabbed a 67 on the 100-point scale, down 6% from the previous year. This year the fast-food company climbed to a 69 -- still bad enough to earn the least-liked restaurant title -- but up 3% over the year before.
           "Fast casual restaurants like Panera Bread are raising the bar on quality, and we're seeing higher quality industry wide, which is driving the boost in customer satisfaction," ACSI Managing Director David VanAmburg told The Motley Fool in an email. "McDonald's has long been the face of fast food, and it's more challenging for a company with such a massive footprint to change with the times. They're fighting brand fatigue, but seem to have found some traction with their all-day breakfast."
         "Americans are now spending more money dining out than shopping for groceries," ACSI Chairman Claes Fornell said in a press release. "Fast food restaurants appear to be capitalizing on this trend more than full-service restaurants, maintaining the lower prices and speedy service that has long defined the industry, while also appealing to health-conscious consumers via more diverse offerings and higher-quality ingredients."  
          Now guess who had and kept the number one ranking - Chick-fil-A, my favorite.  Their rating was 87,  Second was Papa John's - 82, 3. Little Caesars and Panera Bread - 81, 5. Arby's, Dunkin' Donuts and Subway - 80, 8. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Domino's  and KFC - 78, 11. Pizza Hut - 77, 12. Burger King - 76, 13. Starbucks and Taco Bell - 75, 15. Jack in the Box - 74, and 16. McDonald's - 69.   The ACSI report is based on 4,786 customer surveys collected in March 2016.  
          Now this group isn't the only one that surveys folks about their preferences.  USA Today recently did a similar survey.   Here are its top ten.  1. Chick-fil-A,  2. Chipotle Mexican Grill,  3. Panera Bread,  4. Papa John's,  5. Pizza Hut,  6. Dunkin'' Donuts,  7. Subway,  8. Domino's Pizza,  9. Little Caesars,   10. Starbucks.  Notice the ones that are missing from their top ten.
           Sometimes customer service and food are responsible for the larger profits.  Chick-fil-A made the biggest profit last year at $2.85 million.  This is despite the fact that they are closed on Sundays, have faced protests and boycotts from liberals, and have fewer stores that many popular chains.
          Then, again, sometimes poor customer service and food can still produce large profits.  McDonald's, despite their poor rankings, had the third highest profit at $2.5 million.  But then compare how many more restaurants they operate coast to coast.  And who was second in profits?  You'll probably never guess it - Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at $2.57 million.  A Krispy Kreme doughnut would taste so good right now, but they are no longer on my "heart healthy" diet.
           Well I concur with the satisfaction ratings.  We love Chick-fil-A and stop there whenever we are close to one - in Reading or Nazareth when we travel to Pinebrook or in Ocean City, Md, when we are on vacation.  At home we often travel 30 minutes to York to eat at one.   We used to eat at Wendy's most Sundays, but as a result of some very bad service we don't frequent there anymore.  Arby's and Burger King still get some business from us, although we really shouldn't be eating much of their food anymore.  But who really keeps to a strict diet?
          Incidentally, my second favorite, Culvers, didn't appear on these lists, probably because I think it is only located in the midwest.  It's a great store, with a good menu and employees who are kind and helpful.  It is our favorite place to eat when we travel to Wisconsin.  I would love it if they would move east.  Then it would be a toss-up between them and Chick-fil-A.  But maybe it could be Chick-fil-A during the week and Culvers on Sundays.  Now that would be a great plan.