ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 22, 2026, 08:03 EDT
- Jersey Mike’s took the top spot in the 2026 American Customer Satisfaction Index for quick-service. The chain posted a score of 84 out of 100, just ahead of Chick-fil-A’s 83.
- Chick-fil-A is no longer at the top of the ranking after 11 years, but its score didn’t drop and it’s still the highest-rated chicken chain.
- Restaurant traffic is still under pressure and value perceptions haven’t bounced back, with ACSI reporting that chain sales growth for 2025 was behind gains in menu prices.
Jersey Mike’s edged out Chick-fil-A for the top spot among U.S. quick-service restaurants in the newest American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. The sandwich chain scored one point higher, taking the lead from Chick-fil-A, which has dominated the category for years. QSRs refers to fast-food and counter-service chains.
The change is making a difference as diners get pickier. ACSI reported U.S. chain restaurant sales up 3% in 2025, but menu prices climbed 3.8%. That put real demand under strain, so chains have to show customers they’re still getting steady service for the higher prices.
Jersey Mike’s grabbed an ACSI score of 84, topping Chick-fil-A’s 83 in the latest survey. The index runs 0 to 100. Researchers got 16,464 completed surveys by email from April 2025 to March 2026, The American Customer Satisfaction Index said.
Jersey Mike’s scored high with ACSI for freshness, variety, and value, and the chain’s fast growth and big push on digital pickup got a mention too. The index noted Jersey Mike’s put up 238 net new sites in 2025 and posted $4.2 billion in systemwide sales.
Chick-fil-A kept its 83, holding the top chicken spot and staying near the front of the quick-service rankings. Jimmy John’s and Panda Express were next, both at 81, sharing third place.
Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and the former research director at ACSI, said restaurant sector scores stayed stable, but underneath there was “real movement.” “Price still matters,” Morgeson said. But he said leaders in the space are being set apart by consistency. The American Customer Satisfaction Index
Jersey Mike’s credited its franchise owners and staff in a company post after the ranking, saying customers “have come to expect the best.” The sandwich chain said growth is good, but only if stores keep up on execution. LinkedIn
Jersey Mike’s can point to this result after Blackstone agreed this year to buy the sandwich chain for around $8 billion, debt included. The deal is one more private-equity move into franchise operators and was seen as helping with expansion in the U.S. and abroad.
But it’s not a blowout. Jersey Mike’s won by a single point, with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution pointing out this is the first time ACSI tracked a sandwich category. That brought Jersey Mike’s and Jimmy John’s into the ranking. Fast growth may hurt consistency at the store level.
Other pressure spots are showing up. ACSI said mobile app quality dipped a bit, as more customers rely on apps for orders and discounts. Quick-service chains are also running into more heat from convenience stores and supermarkets as diners look at value.
This is less a story of Chick-fil-A falling off, and more about competition getting tougher. A brand can hold onto solid scores, but still slip from the top spot if a new, fast-growing player jumps in with a sharper value pitch and fewer obvious stumbles.
