Jersey Mike's has taken the top spot in the American Customer Satisfaction Index's quick-service restaurant rankings, ending Chick-fil-A's 11-year run at No. 1. The sandwich chain scored 84 out of 100, one point ahead of Chick-fil-A in the latest results.
The ranking shift matters because it came from 16,464 respondents weighing recent experiences with major chains, not from a one-off poll or a brand popularity contest. Jersey Mike's was credited with freshness, food variety and value, three marks that helped it pull ahead in a category where small gains can move a chain from second to first.
For Chick-fil-A, the loss of the overall quick-service crown did not erase its strength elsewhere. It returned to the top in the chicken category, which is the kind of split result that explains why the brand remains a heavyweight even after slipping in the broader ranking. The same survey also put Papa Johns and Pizza Hut together at the top for pizza, Starbucks ahead in coffee, and Burger King and Culver's among the burger leaders.
The change at the top also gives Jersey Mike's a clearer measure of how far it has climbed. In 2025, it added 238 net new locations and cleared $4.2 billion in sales, signs of a chain growing fast enough to compete with long-established names on customer perception as well as size. That growth did not by itself produce the No. 1 ranking, but it helps explain why the brand is now in the conversation.
There is still a small contradiction inside the numbers. Chick-fil-A lost the overall quick-service lead, yet it still came back on top in chicken, while the basic drivers of satisfaction stayed almost stubbornly familiar: accuracy of food orders, food and beverage quality, and courtesy and helpfulness from staff. Even the weakest area, mobile apps and websites, improved, which suggests customers are giving chains credit for execution before technology.
The latest results show that the top of the quick-service market is no longer locked in place. Jersey Mike's now owns the headline ranking, and Chick-fil-A has to live with a rare second-place finish in a survey that has long rewarded consistency above novelty.
