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Chick-Fil-A Has Officially Been Dethroned As America's Top-Rated Fast Food Chain
The Takeout • • business
Key Points:
- Jersey Mike's has overtaken Chick-fil-A as the top-rated fast food chain in the U.S., scoring 84 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2026 study, praised for freshness, food variety, and value.
- Chick-fil-A remains the leader in the chicken restaurant category, benefiting from its reputation for friendly service and responsible donations despite losing the overall top spot.
- American chain restaurant sales grew by only about 3% in 2025, marking the slowest growth since the 2008 Great Recession, with Jersey Mike's recent success linked to its 2024 sale to Blackstone.
- After Blackstone's $8 billion acquisition of Jersey Mike's in November 2024, new CEO Charlie Morrison aims to double U.S. locations from 3,200 and expand internationally, emphasizing growth alongside maintaining quality and brand integrity.
- Jersey Mike's opened 238 new stores in 2025 and achieved over $4 billion in sales, focusing on customer experience through practices like hand-slicing ingredients and personalized service to sustain its rapid expansion.
