As part of its comprehensive Consumer Brand Metrics program, Technomic asked consumers to rate more than 120 leading US restaurant chains on 60+ different attributes. The attributes capture the consumer experience from every angle, from the quality of the food to the overall brand reputation. The ongoing study records almost 100,000 consumer visits annually.

The Chain Restaurant Consumers' Choice Awards will be presented at Technomic's Consumer Insights Planning Program Conference, January 11-12, 2017, in Newport Beach, Calif.

Methodology

Consumer Brand Metrics is an ongoing research program that tracks consumers' attitudes toward, and usage of, leading restaurant chains and other foodservice venues. In 2016, the program currently includes 142 leading restaurant chains operating within the US This includes Technomic's Top 100 US Restaurants, as well as other category leaders and chains that have experienced significant unit and sales growth. Chains are added with each quarterly survey wave.

To determine the winners, key consumer experience attributes were analyzed from four quarters, fourth-quarter 2015 through third-quarter 2016. Winners are based on top-box ratings, or a rating 5 on a 5-point scale, where 1 equals very bad and 5 equals very good. Top-two-box ratings were used for ties and other purposes.

Each chain may only win one Consumers' Choice Award each year; if a chain had the highest ratings on multiple Pillars of Excellence, it most often receives the award in the pillar in which there is the greatest difference between its ratings and the next-highest chain's ratings.