The overall perception of quick-service restaurants has trended downward as a category with Subway still managing to maintain its brand as the top achiever for the period. Subway decided to forgo the use of artificial ingredients in its menu and showed America how much it loved guacamole by making it a permanent addition to its list of add-ons.
Chipotle is the top improver this year. The chain announced that it would be cooking only with non-GMO ingredients.
QSR: Top Buzz Rankings and Scores
- Subway, 21.8
- Wendy’s 13.9
- Chick-Fil-A, 13.3
- Pizza Hut, 12.5
- Sonic, 11.1
QSR: Top Buzz Improvers and Change in Scores
- Chipotle, up by 1.0
- In-N-Out, up by 0.8
- Qdoba, up by 0.3
These brands were rated using YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks respondents, “If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?”
Buzz scores can range from 100 to negative 100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.
The Buzz Rankings chart shows the brands with the highest average Buzz scores between January and June 2015. The Buzz Improvers chart ranks the brands with the highest increase in Buzz comparing years 2014 and 2015. Both scores are representative of the general population.
All Buzz scores listed have been rounded to a single decimal place, however, we have used additional precision to assign ranks.
