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Inflation has made dining out more of a luxury these days, but despite rising prices, Americans’ satisfaction with their restaurant experiences has actually increased slightly over the past year, and people are speaking out when it comes to their favorite places.
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Restaurant and Food Delivery Survey 2024, released Tuesday, consumer overall satisfaction with full-service dining rose 4% from last year to 84 out of 100, while fast food’s score rose 1% to 79.
According to this year’s Index survey, the top full-service restaurants are:
Longhorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse (tie)
LongHorn Steakhouse restaurant on June 22, 2023 in Skokie, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| dry | Darden Restaurants, Inc. | 154.13 | +0.85 | +0.55% |
Darden’s Longhorn Steakhouse shared the top spot with Texas Roadhouse, as the popular steak chains each received an 85-point score, earning them the highest rating in both the Full-Service Restaurant and All Restaurant categories.
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Olive Garden
A customer enters an Olive Garden restaurant in Pittsburgh, California, USA, Friday, December 9, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Among the major chains, another Darden-owned chain, popular Italian restaurant Olive Garden, scored 83 points, coming in second only to the winning steakhouse.
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Stuart, Florida. (Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Image Group via Getty Images) (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBRL | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Co. | 43.50 | -0.97 | -2.18% |
Southern comfort food chain Cracker Barrel rounded out the top five with a score of 82.
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What about fast food?
Chick-fil-A has consistently ranked number one among fast-food restaurants in customer satisfaction for the past decade. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Chick-fil-A ranked top of American fast-food chains in customer satisfaction for the 10th consecutive year, despite its score dropping 2% to 83 in the 2024 index.
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| Ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| delicious | Yum Brands Inc. | 133.99 | -0.30 | -0.22% |
| SBUX | Starbucks Corporation | 79.73 | -0.18 | -0.23% |
Yum Brands’ KFC came in second among major chains with a score of 81, followed by Arby’s, Culver’s, Panera Bread and Starbucks, which all received 80 points.
