McDonald's Ranks Dead Last for Customer Satisfaction in Fast Food Study

McDonald's may be making strides towards winning back inflation-weary customers with initiatives such as value meals and larger, more satiating burgers. But the chain still came in last place, for the second year in a row, in a customer satisfaction study.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) recently released its annual Restaurant and Food Delivery Study for 2024, which ranks the top 23 fast food chains in the United States, along with a selection of smaller chains. Established in 1994, the ASCI serves as an economic indicator that measures the satisfaction of consumers across a range of products and services.

In coming up with its annual findings, the ASCI uses customer interview data to calculate a restaurant's satisfaction score from 0 to 100 using a range of criteria including accuracy of food order, food and beverage quality and variety, courtesy and helpfulness of staff, restaurant layout and cleanliness, mobile app quality and reliability, restaurant layout and cleanliness, speed of check-out or delivery, and website satisfaction.

While McDonald's came in dead last again, it actually raised two points to 71, compared to 69 points in the 2023 study. Following close on its heels were Jack in the Box and Popeyes at 72 points, followed by Taco Bell at 73 points and Subway at 74 points. Meanwhile, Chick-fil-A led the way in customer satisfaction for the tenth consecutive year with a whopping 85 points.

As far as why McDonald's consistently ranks so low, former McDonald’s chef Mike Haracz floated some theories over on his popular TikTok account, where he regularly divulges insider tips.

"McDonald's is the biggest restaurant, so more people go there than anywhere else," Haracz explained. "More people have an opinion, there could be some skewing of the fact that everyone has been there, so there is a larger pool of information."

"More people are more likely to leave a negative review than a positive review, that's just how the world works," he continued. "But let's be very clear here, percentage-wise and what the study shows, yes, McDonald's is not doing that great in customer satisfaction."

However, Haracz also notes that McDonald's burger used to rank lowest in customer satisfaction, which is what prompted then to introduce Quarter Pounders made with fresh beef. So given all the changes that the chain has been making in recent months, it will be interesting to see whether it can improve its score in next year's study.