Operators Need to Focus on the Fundamentals

Diners are becoming more selective and placing greater emphasis on consistency, reliability, and perceived value, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2026, which also found that growth is now largely driven by higher prices rather than increased customer traffic.

In quick service, some guests are questioning whether the experience still justifies the price and are trading down to convenience stores or supermarkets, while in full service, some consumers are consolidating visits into fewer occasions that feel more worthwhile, Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, told Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. The report also shows that guests are less forgiving when experiences feel inconsistent, slow, or out of sync with the check total.

Reshaping Customer Satisfaction

“Several factors are reshaping satisfaction at once. Price sensitivity is still a major force, but perceived value now depends heavily on execution. Order accuracy remains one of the highest-rated experience elements in both full service and quick service. The study also points to food quality, variety, service speed, food temperature, and delivery performance as important drivers of how guests judge the overall experience.”

Digital experience is becoming more important, especially as off-premise and digitally influenced occasions continue to grow, Morgeson said. In full service, mobile app reliability improved sharply this year after being a weak point last year. In quick service, digital performance was more mixed, with website satisfaction improving but mobile app quality slipping slightly.

The 2026 results suggest that brands are getting credit when technology reduces friction and supports the basics, Morgeson pointed out. In full service, gains in mobile app reliability, website satisfaction, and order accuracy coincided with a steady industry satisfaction score. In food delivery, app, website, ordering, and payment improvements all moved higher, and the industry’s score improved again. 

“At the same time, the report is equally clear that consumers remain highly value-sensitive, and price fairness still lags other measures. So the lesson is not that technology replaces value but  that technology works best when it strengthens execution, makes the experience easier, and helps the brand better justify the price. That is what supports long-term growth.”

Jersey Mike’s Dethrones Chick-fil-A

QSRs keep customer satisfaction stable at an ACSI score of 79 (on a scale of 0-100) for the third consecutive year. Full-service restaurants (FSRs) also maintain their score of 82, continuing to rank as one of the highest-scoring industries in the Index. Food delivery posts a one percent gain for the second straight year, reaching 75 as all three reported brands improve.

Other highlights of the study include:

• Jersey Mike’s entered the ACSI rankings as the top-rated brand at 84, while Chick-fil-A (unchanged at 83) stayed the clear leader in the chicken category and also remained one of the highest-scoring brands in any ACSI category. 

• In the full-service category, Industry leadership tightened as the top-scoring brands cluster together. LongHorn Steakhouse (down one percent) and Texas Roadhouse (down two percent) tied at 82, with Olive Garden (unchanged) a close third at 81.

• In the delivery category, Uber Eats rose one percent to 76, while Grubhub climbed three percent for the second straight year to 75. DoorDash gained one percent to 74 as app enhancements help boost satisfaction for both DoorDash and Grubhub.

Jersey Mike’s entering the rankings and immediately leading quick service at 84 is a major development, especially given how long Chick-fil-A had set the standard, Morgeson added. Full-service satisfaction held steady at 82 after falling the year before, which suggests that some brands are stabilizing even in a difficult environment. 

Generation Gaps Revealed

The generation split in full service was striking: Gen X improved meaningfully, while Gen Z fell sharply from 79 to 74, Morgeson said, adding that indicates different expectations across audiences. Finally, it seemed that QSRs in the burger category found customers less forgiving about menu inflation driving by beef prices than were customers of Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse. 

“Guests are absolutely willing to reward brands that deliver a sharp, focused, high-quality experience. Jersey Mike’s debuting at the top of quick service, with strength in freshness, food variety, and value, is a reminder that legacy advantage does not guarantee satisfaction leadership anymore. For more established brands, that is a warning and an opportunity.”

Customers are still open to changing habits, and they are comparing every experience against the best operators in the category, not just the biggest or most familiar names, Morgeson said, noting that expectations are clearly higher around consistency, relevance, convenience, and perceived value.

Additionally, operators should take away that full service is landing very differently depending on the customer segment, Morgeson said. Gen X drove the category’s improvement and a greater share of those customers said they are spending more on dining out than a year ago. At the same time, Gen Z satisfaction with full-service restaurants dropped sharply, and the report says that decline appears to be more about food variety and quality than service. 

“That is an important distinction. It suggests operators cannot solve the younger guest problem with service training alone. They may need to rethink menu relevance, product variety, and how the experience feels relative to what younger consumers expect for the check.”

Make Every Touchpoint Intentional

The report’s biggest takeaway, Morgeson believes, is that operators need a clear focus on the fundamentals and take that as a very practical message: invest in the basics, reduce friction, and make every touchpoint feel intentional.

“This is not just about offering lower prices. It is about making the experience feel dependable and worth the spend. In full service, the strongest gains were tied to order accuracy and digital improvements, especially mobile app reliability and website satisfaction. In quick service, order accuracy and operational consistency remain essential, while mobile app quality became a slight point of vulnerability.”

Execution is the dividing line now because as brands aggressively compete on price, it becomes less of a differentiator, Morgeson said. 

“Restaurants are increasingly being judged on whether the experience consistently feels worth it. Value is traditionally thought of as quality for the price. When price is similar across options, value is determined by consistency, reliability, and perceived value. In that kind of environment, poor execution gets exposed quickly. Brands that get the basics like food quality, order accuracy, service, and digital ease right are better positioned to win repeat business.”