In a highly competitive dining landscape, familiarity, value, and consistency continue to define success for restaurant brands in the United States, with two-thirds of Americans eating fast food at least once a month, according to a new YouGov report, Best Bites 2026: U.S. Restaurant Brand Rankings.

Based on YouGov’s CategoryView and BrandIndex data, the report ranks leading brands across fast food, casual dining, and specialty dining using key metrics including consideration, quality, and value, while also examining the behaviors shaping how Americans choose where to eat.

Overall, the findings show that legacy brands continue to dominate consideration, while premium and challenger brands gain ground on quality perceptions, with value remaining a critical driver - especially among frequent diners.

Key findings:

• Fast food remains a routine part of American life, with 58% of consumers purchasing fast food at least a few times a month 
• 30% of Americans are weekly fast food diners, skewing male (55%) and under 45 (51%) 

Fast food leaders:

• McDonald’s ranks as the most considered fast food brand (39.6%), followed by Chick-fil-A (35.5%) and Wendy’s (33.2%) 
• Chick-fil-A leads on quality (net score: 37.3), significantly ahead of competitors 
• Wendy’s ranks highest for value (21.6 net score), followed by Taco Bell (18.4) 

Category ownership (fast food):

• Five Guys leads for best burgers (15.5%), while Subway dominates deli sandwiches (22.9%) 
• Taco Bell is the clear leader for tacos/burritos (30.3%) 
• Chick-fil-A tops chicken (25.3%), and McDonald’s dominates fries (39.2%) 

Casual dining leaders:

• Olive Garden is the most considered casual dining brand (30.7%), followed by Texas Roadhouse (28.2%) and Applebee’s (23.4%) 
• Texas Roadhouse ranks highest on quality (35.0 net score) 
• Olive Garden leads on value (24.8 net score) 

Specialty dining leaders:

• Starbucks (31.3%) and Dunkin’ (31.1%) are nearly tied as the most considered specialty brands 
• Krispy Kreme leads specialty dining on quality (30.7 net score) 
• Dunkin’ ranks highest for value (24.2 net score) 

What drives choice:

• Value/discount menus (66%) and clean dining environments (53%) are the top drivers among frequent fast food diners 
• Features like customization, promotions, and convenience (e.g., drive-through) also play a key role in influencing visits 

Quote: Ashley Brown, Senior Director, YouGov America

“Restaurant brands that succeed today are those that consistently deliver on the fundamentals—value, quality, and a reliable customer experience—while also adapting to evolving consumer expectations. What this data makes clear is that brand strength isn’t just about awareness or scale; it’s about relevance. Whether it’s McDonald’s maintaining broad appeal, Chick-fil-A excelling on quality, or Starbucks and Dunkin’ competing closely in specialty dining, the brands that win are those that understand exactly what matters most to their customers and deliver on it every day.”

Methodology

This report is based on data from YouGov CategoryView, BrandIndex, and BrandIndex Voices collected between March 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026, using nationally representative samples of U.S. adults. 

• Consideration scores are based on responses to: “When you are in market next to purchase food or drink, from which brands would you consider purchasing?”
• Quality and value scores are calculated as net scores based on positive minus negative perceptions 
• Rankings include brands with at least six months of tracked data and a minimum base size of 300 respondents 
• Fast food weekly diners are defined as those who purchase fast food at least once per week

The full YouGov U.S. restaurant brand rankings 2026 report is available now.