Though the importance of cleanliness, convenience and other demands has undoubtedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, no one can deny that having delicious, craveable menu items remains just as crucial for restaurants as ever. You can have the cleanest, least expensive restaurant in the world, but the food is what keeps consumers coming back.
For this year’s Consumer Picks, a data-driven report on customer preference and restaurant brand strength, market research firm Datassential asked consumers how chains ranked on craveability. In this gallery, meet the 12 chains with the highest percentage of consumers rating them “best in class” or “above average.”
Every brand on this list is a limited-service restaurant. While burgers and sandwiches remain a crowd favorite, five dessert/snack or coffee/bakery chains also make appearances.
Click through to see which chains consumers thought had the most craveable food, plus, read our consumer playbook and find out more about how this report was compiled.