Top 10 Chains in Customer Satisfaction:

Sweet, maybe we can swing by Larry Sellers' house.

No Hardee's/Carl's Jr???

I'm a fan of Chick-Fil-A when I am willing to drop big $$$ for lunch.

Mmm, I love Raising Cane's.

Man, now I really really want a Double-Double for lunch. Thank god I live in California.

Carl's Jr. has always given excellent service in my visits. You order to a friendly cashier, sit down, they bring the food to you, and even stop by once or twice to check up. It's not exactly waitstaff but it is a nice touch. And the one in my neighborhood at least has a really great manager and the cashiers are very polite and pretty happy.

...Too bad every time I eat there I wonder just how much I hate myself as the gutbomb digests. Incapacitating, even a small meal.

I wonder how many chains were up for consideration.

I've only heard of three of those. And I live in greater Los Angeles area (that is to say, Orange County).

@RevRagnarok: Not nearly as bad as Panera Bread, but still expensive.

@Ash78:

"Those are good burgers."

"Shut the fuck up Donny."

@NoWireHangers:
In n Out is wonderful. In fact, I think I'll go for lunch today.

Oh my gosh, I cannot say enough about how fantastic Firehouse Subs' customer service is (at least the ones in VA that I've been to). Always friendly, always helpful, always prompt service. Extremely delicious food, too.

...and in Canada we have none of those (or, at least where I am in Canada). It makes me think....what are our top fast food chains for satisfaction? Just about all the ones I've been to, even Timmies, has messed up my order at some point or other.

I've always had phenomenal customer service at Chipotle is Southfield, MI. So much so that I wrote corporate about it and complimented them.

I'm glad to see another one made the list too.

Taco Tote. That's a great name.

I remember Taco Tico (NE Kansas area).

I'm surprised that Five Guys isn't in the Top Ten.... And I thought Little Ceasers went out of business.

@Ratty:

the hardees(same as carls jr's) near our home , is always out of something. we went one day and as the cashier put it " we aint got no meat" it seems their shipments never arrive and they are left without meat, tea, condiments ect. on a regular basis.

i think the hardees chain fails largley in the south.

I have only Chick-fil-A in my town. A tad to expensive, but good coupons. They have one of the best biscuits of any of the fast food place. Personal I always have a good experience at Whataburger. Though it helps that the headquarters is currently in the city and I go to the one across from the HQ.(second best breakfast biscuit)

I think the only one of these that we have in NJ is Panera Bread, which I have never been to.

The food at our local Panera's is good enough, but they close at 9pm and you probably don't want to show up anytime after 8pm because
a) they're out of a lot of things, and
b) they're all off cleaning seemingly so they can be out the door exactly at the stroke of 9

I guess they didn't survey anyone that eats inside at the In-N-Out in Simi Valley.
It usually takes 10-15 minutes to get your food.
Always go through the drive through there & then bring it inside.

@freepistol: Hardee's has always been full of fail, my entire life. They've always been fourth-tier after McD/BK/Wendy's, even though their last decade of efforts have been giving you the most unhealthy burger for the least money. I tip my hat to them for that, at least.

But very sketch quality and staff everywhere I've been.

@freepistol: Maybe it's just the Hardee's end of things? Or perhaps I've been really lucky.

That's funny, I don't see Goombah's Pizza anywhere on this list. With the service at most of the big burger joints like Burger King and McDonald's, it's no surprise that they are not on the list, but to be fair that are some good ones...

@TheFuzz53: Ditto here in Syracuse, NY.

@JoseRZ: Chick-fil-A is a cult.

@bmorg003: Sad to say but this is a sign that was posted at the burger king in my town: [listoftheday.blogspot.com] That should give you a clue as to the level of service.

@Canino:

So how dose that affect their tasty biscuits.

@Ber'Zophus: I'm from Canada too and the only one I've even heard of is Chick-fil-A.

@puffyshirt: Nope. Now you don't even have to call in your order. Just go there ask for pizza they hand it to you and it costs 5 bucks. Of course the quality is lower, but the price is cheaper that a lot of frozen store bought pizzas.

The inclusion of Giordano's is odd. All of the other places that I have been to (In N Out, Panera, Chick Fil A, Qdoba, and Chipotle are actual fast food chains. Giordano's is a sit down restaurant and it takes at least an hour to get your food. Besides, if you're talking pizza, everyone knows that Lou Malnati's wins.

Seriously those burgers in the picture look OH so tasty... and greasy... and heart-attack inducing. Ohhhh yes.

It's what a hamburger's all about!

God, I love In n Out.

I <3 chik fil a.. its the best..
Strangely enough my girlfriend isnt a fan. Go figure. Some people have no taste... and omg chipotle.. thank you for deciding what I would have for dinner for me!!

@NoWireHangers: I was a huge fan of In'n'Out for the first few years I lived in Vegas, but after I started eating at Fatburger, there was no turning back.

Sure, Fatburger is a little pricey, and you almost always have to wait awhile, but the food is light years--parsecs, even--better than In'n'Out and all the rest. A charbroiled Double Fat with cheese, bacon, chili, extra relish and Chipotle Tabasco is the best hamburger one can have. Ever.

@caelanarcher: Just because every anecdote deserves an opposing view -- I waited nearly 25 minutes for my sandwich the first and last time I went to Firehouse (near Richmond). The promised "call from a manager" never happened.

As a long time fan of In and Out, they've recently fallen to my number two burger joint slot. Culver's is my new number one. Pro-tip: Double cheeseburger basket, with fried cheese curds instead of fries (their fries suck).

Seriously, that may sound like a heart attack and a half, but it's freaking delicious.

@puffyshirt:

Five Guys is not large enough for the servery I expect. They only franchised in 2003 and it's not like Chipotle with a huge holding company behind it.

@Ratty: Carl's Jr, in Nevada at any rate, is something to be avoided at ALL costs. Bad food, worse service, and roaches to boot.

I'll never again set foot in one.

Hardee's I don't see too much, but if my memory from childhood serves me, it was as bad at Carl's.

When I go to the West Coast, In-N-Out is always my first stop after leaving the airport. I wish we had them here in Texas.

@cunninglinguine: I went to the Fatburger in Vegas because my friend insisted that it was the Best, and I was incredibly disappointed. The burger was greasy, the fries were limp, and the people weren't very nice either. I'll take In N Out over Fatburger any day.

@puffyshirt: Five Guys? They're too busy mopping the floor with In-N-Out and Fatburger.

Oh yeah. I went there.

I think it's pretty sad that number one only got a 60%. That's still an F in my book. D-minus if we're feeling generous.

And while their customer service may not be stellar, I have to just throw in a mention of Taco John's, if only for the potato olés. Tasty little weapons of @ss destruction.

@TheFuzz53: They've got decent food, but you pay a premium.

I used to get broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl from Panera and recall it being devoured whole.

I don't know about Panera...I've been to several throughout Illinois, and I always find the service to be slow and I have to repeat my order multiple times before the order taker actually gets it. And, they always seem to run out of food. And it's overpriced for what you get.

@puffyshirt: I was looking to see where Five Guys would land as well - and now I want a Little Cheeseburger...

The Southerners are gonna be wondering where their beloved Whataburger is. Being a Union man myself, I never really got the appeal of them over other chains.

@the dodo, the cuckoo, and the nene: Don't tell me you went to the one on the Strip. That was your mistake.

@AirIntake: Oh if we had Chik-Fil-A in Canada I would be such a happy man. One of things I miss most about living in NC.

@cunninglinguine: Heh. You called it.

@j-o-h-n: "they're all off cleaning seemingly so they can be out the door exactly at the stroke of 9"

I know I would be. And I've worked in enough places that serve food to know that you damn well better not show up even within a half hour of closing if you have any expectation that your food won't have "foreign matter" in it. The only exception is a place that has the food already made.

Grabbing a couple slices of pre-made pizza 20 minutes before close? Totally OK. Asking that a couple slices be made for you 20 to close? You can look under every pepperoni, but looking under the cheese is much harder. Just pretend that there's nothing on it but pizza and you'll be fine.