LOUISVILLE, Colo. -- A new nationwide study by customer intelligence solutions company Market Force Information reveals consumers' favorite quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains in four popular food categories: chicken, pizza, Mexican fare and sandwiches.
The first installment in this series looked at chicken. Next up, pizza.
For the second year running, participants voted Papa Murphy's as their favorite pizza chain, based on satisfaction. The Vancouver, Wash.-based take-and-bake pizza company edged out Pizza Ranch, which ranked second, followed by Papa John's, Domino's and CiCi's Pizza.
Market Force also asked consumers to rank the top-rated pizza chains on various attributes, such as food, service, atmosphere and value. Papa Murphy's was a clear winner in the food-related categories and many of the operations-oriented categories, ranking No. 1 for food quality and healthiness, as well as speedy service and cleanliness.
Pizza Ranch was recognized for its welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff, and performed well in most other areas. Carryout chain Little Caesars tied with Papa Murphy's for value. CiCi's Pizza also fared well, ranking in the top three for many of the attributes studied.
Other pizza category highlights:
- 30% of participating consumers had visited a pizza chain at least five times in the previous 90 days, a fairly low rate compared to visitation rates reported in the other restaurant categories.
- 23% brought along children on their most recent visit.
- Pizza Ranch and Little Caesars had the highest stomach share (average number of visits per month) among the chains studied.
- Pizza Ranch had the highest loyalty card awareness (99%) and participation rate (95%).
- Domino's had the greatest customer awareness for its mobile app--61% were aware of it.
- With 55%, Papa John's had the highest mobile app adoption rate.
Click here to view the charts. Watch for additional reports on Mexican fare and sandwiches.
For the rankings, Louisville, Colo.-based Market Force polled more than 12,700 consumers who were asked to rate their satisfaction with their last experience at a given restaurant and their likelihood to recommend it to others. That data was averaged to rate each restaurant brand on a Composite Loyalty Index. The study also looked at the attributes that drive these preferences, analyzing factors such as service, food quality and value, as well as the latest industry trends involving social media and mobile technology.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.