Fast food services are getting worse, new study finds

It is known that fast food services are not as good as Michelin starred restaurants. However, now the situation appears to be getting even worse.

Complaints are on the rise, wait times are increasing and mobile ordering is causing havoc in restaurants, according to a new study from artificial intelligence analytics company Chatmeter. The 2024 QSR Reputation Rankings, which ranks the 25 largest quick-service restaurants in the industry, analyzed customer reviews of food quality, service quality and overall value.

The company used its artificial intelligence platform to review 100 randomly selected locations from these popular QSRs between August 2023 and August 2024. Ultimately, the number of errors increased by 6.9% compared to the previous year, and the number of mentions of poor staff attitudes increased by 21.8%. The number of negative comments about managers also increased by 14.6% compared to last year. The reviews, in particular, contained comments about the inattention of employees, unprofessional communication, incorrect orders and rudeness of managers.

According to the report, the number of reviews related to wait times increased by 8.5%, with 35.7% of those comments stating that their order took a “long time” – between 30 minutes and an hour. Complaints about mobile ordering also increased by a whopping 52%. Most of them were negative: customers complained that their orders were not ready in the promised time frame, and as a result, orders were deprioritized.

“Every brand is at risk of going viral for the wrong reasons, and growing reviews and customer conversations about poor service are a clear warning sign,” CEO John Mazur said in a statement. “QSRs must listen to real-time feedback from their customers to make better decisions and ensure the customer experience lives up to promise.”

“Today, customers use their mobile phones while in a restaurant or on the go to provide almost instantaneous feedback, whether through reviews or social media,” Mazur added.

While service levels in the industry may be on the decline, Chatmeter did name a few networks that are—at least for the most part—getting it right. Chick-fil-A, for example, received the highest rating as customers’ favorite restaurant, while Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s and Arby’s were close behind with the most positive customer reviews for food quality, service and value.

Megan Schaltegger is a writer based in New York. She loves strong coffee, eating out in Manhattan restaurants and her dog Murray. She promises not to talk about herself in the third person in real life.