America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains by Cuisine

Published: April 28, 2024 by Colman Andrews

America’s favorite chain restaurants serve up a variety of different cuisines — from Italian and Mexican to chicken and burgers. The world’s first restaurant chain was probably a series of fish and chips shops run by one Samuel Isaacs, who started with a single place in London in 1896 and expanded to some 22 locations around London and in coastal resort towns in southern England. His motto, referencing the variety of fish he used, was “This Must Be the Plaice.”

Ever since Isaacs’ day, restaurant chains have tended to specialize. While their menus might expand to offer other possibilities, everybody knows that you go to McDonald’s for burgers, Taco Bell for tacos, and Pizza Hut for…well, you know.

There are hundreds of restaurant chains around the U.S. today, comprising of about 137,000 individual locations, according to the multi-industry research and data site IBISWorld, and each one has carved out an area of supposed expertise.

Which of these many chains has the best reputation with the dining public? It depends on the kind of food they serve. To discover America’s favorite chains by cuisine, 24/7 Tempo reviewed “America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains,” published by Nation’s Restaurant News. NRN in turn drew on a study conducted by the food industry research and consulting company Technomic’s Ignite Consumer data resource.

The study polled 112,000 representative adult consumers, asking them to score chains according to five key metrics, then computed an overall score to rank them. Scores are presented as percentages, representing, says NRN, “a composite top-box rating, indicating the share of recent guests who gave the brand the highest possible overall score.”

Interestingly, many of the big names are missing from these rankings. The aforementioned McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, for instance, are nowhere to be found. There is, however, no question where consumers stand on chicken: Chick-fil-A is the No. 1 choice. (Speaking of America’s favorite poultry, here’s a list of 21 fast-food chicken sandwiches, ranked worst to best.)

Another familiar name that comes out well here is Ruth’s Christ Steak House in the Steak category, which attains the highest percentage of any chain listed, at 64.80%. Only one other entry topped 60% — Seasons 52, in the Varied Menu category, which earned 60.40%. (For restaurant chains we don’t recommend, check out 8 Restaurant Chains I Avoid and Where I Go Instead.)

Scroll down to see America’s favorite restaurants by cuisine: