News

Chick-fil-A, Sonic rank high in annual customer experience study

April 8, 2014

The 2014 Temkin Experience Ratings report was released this week, and includes three QSRs in the top 10.

At No. 3 overall (behind H.E.B. and Trader Joe's) is Chick-fil-A, with a score of 83 percent. At No. 5, with 82 percent, was Sonic Drive-In, and at No. 8, at 81 percent, was Dairy Queen.

Starbucks also received 81 percent in the seven-way tie at No. 8.

Restaurants were heavily represented throughout the top 30, as well. Burger King, Little Caesar's and Subway tied at No. 15 (80 percent), while Domino's, Pizza Hut and Wendy's tied at No. 22 (79 percent).

No restaurant brands were in the bottom 30. There were 268 national brands evaluated.

According to the Temkin Group, the Temkin Experience Ratings are based on evaluating three elements of experience:

• Functional: How well do experiences meet customers' needs?
• Accessible: How easy is it for customers to do what they want to do?
• Emotional: How do customers feel about the experiences?

"It makes us very proud to be recognized again for our emphasis on customer experience and to be included within the top five brands overall," said Omar Janjua, chief restaurant operations officer at Sonic, which moved up from No. 7 in 2013. "Customer experience is the most important aspect of our business because it encompasses the combination of food, service and atmosphere. Each Sonic employee takes this responsibility to heart, and our continuous efforts to improve are being recognized."