Chick-fil-A was voted favorite chicken chain in a national survey on restaurant preferences conducted by Market Force, despite having a tumultuous year after the president spoke out against gay marriage.
In a survey that tallied the responses of 7,600 consumers, Chick-fil-A was voted number one. It was followed by Raising Cane's and Boston Market in second and third, and El Pollo Loco, Zaxby's, Popeyes, KFC, Wingstop and Church's Chicken brought up the rear in descending order.
Market Force also asked consumers to rank the chicken chains based on attributes including food quality/taste, customer service, cleanliness, atmosphere and overall value. Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane's were the favorites across the board. Chick-fil-A scored first place for customer service, high value and cleanliness, while Raising Cane's was ranked first in food and atmosphere.
Chick-fil-A came out tops in all regions except the South where it was topped by Raising Cane's. Boston Market also had a strong showing with a top-three ranking in every region. Popeyes was third in the Northeast and fourth in the West.
Market Force attributed Chick-fil-A's high performance to its high consumer-reported rankings of food quality and taste, customer service, cleanliness, atmosphere and overall value. Raising Cane's also performed well in these categories. KFC, in contrast, ranked ninth in the food quality/taste and value categories.
"Whether it's wings, fingers or sandwiches, chicken is more popular than ever with the masses ... With its quirky marketing campaign and consistent brand concept, Chick-fil-A has carved out a large stake in the expanding chicken segment, although regional competitors like Raising Cane's and Zaxby's are also seeing impressive growth," said Market Force's chief marketing office Janet Eden-Harris in a statement.
