ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 19, 2026, 04:19 EDT
- Jersey Mike’s made its debut in the ACSI quick-service rankings with the top score of 84, edging out Chick-fil-A, which scored 83.
- U.S. diners are getting pickier about fast-food prices, service and consistency, driving the shift.
- Chick-fil-A held on to its score and is still the top chicken chain. Its 11-year run at No. 1 overall is over.
Jersey Mike’s Subs took the top spot over Chick-fil-A in the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 restaurant study, breaking Chick-fil-A’s 11-year streak at No. 1 among U.S. quick-service restaurants. The index uses “quick-service restaurants” for fast-food and limited-service chains. The American Customer Satisfaction Index
Timing is key here. ACSI said restaurant sales growth in 2025 trailed menu-price gains, so operators have been leaning harder on raising prices instead of seeing better traffic. Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and ACSI’s research director emeritus, said, “Price still matters, but it’s no longer enough on its own.” Business Wire
The study looked at 16,464 completed surveys from randomly picked customers reached by email between April 2025 and March 2026. The index is scored on a scale from 0 to 100, factoring in things like order accuracy, food quality, staff helpfulness, cleanliness, speed, menu variety, and digital ordering.
Jersey Mike’s posted an 84. Chick-fil-A came in at 83, with Jimmy John’s and Panda Express both at 81, the ranking cited by Atlanta News First and WTOC showed. Chick-fil-A kept its lead among chicken chains, so the drop was no big shift in how customers see the brand. It just lost the top spot.
Jersey Mike’s is getting the ranking as it pushes for more growth. QSR Magazine said the brand added a net 238 stores in 2025 and now has 3,227 restaurants. That’s up from 1,048 ten years ago. As the chain gets bigger, keeping up its satisfaction score gets tougher.
Blackstone is backing Jersey Mike’s with new funds. In late 2024, Blackstone said it would take a majority stake in the company. The private equity giant said its funds will be used to help Jersey Mike’s grow in the U.S. and abroad and put money into tech and digital operations.
There’s a caveat here. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointed out this is the first time ACSI added a sandwich category, allowing Jersey Mike’s and Jimmy John’s into the mix. The paper also said Chick-fil-A and Jersey Mike’s both operate more than 3,000 U.S. stores, but Chick-fil-A’s freestanding stores did almost $9.2 million in average sales in 2025, close to seven times Jersey Mike’s, which had nearly $1.4 million. Jersey Mike’s credited the “care and craft” of its franchisees and staff for the result. Chick-fil-A would not comment. ajc
A one-point lead isn’t much. Jersey Mike’s faces the danger that growing the store count could slow speed, mess with accuracy or staffing, and hurt app reliability. Those problems crop up fast when chains get bigger. Chick-fil-A isn’t facing disaster, but the old service lead doesn’t look so firm now.
The main takeaway is clear. Fast food chains can’t count on cheap prices anymore, and buyers seem to judge the full experience. Jersey Mike’s now ranks highest, but hanging onto that lead will be tougher.
