NEW YORK, April 21 — A new Harris Poll has named Five Guys the best burger brand of 2017, Starbucks the top coffee shop brand and Papa John’s Pizza the favourite pizza brand in the US.
For the 29th edition of the EquiTrend Study, more than 100,000 US consumers were asked to weigh in on 4,000 brands across more than 450 categories, including media, travel, entertainment, retail and restaurants.
The ranking is based on factors like brand familiarity, quality and purchase consideration.
Along with a generational divide led by millennials, this year analysts found that consumer ideologies and political stripes are more closely aligned with brand preference and loyalty, than perhaps ever before.
“Age is certainly a driver of liberal versus conservative values, but there are other fundamental differences suggesting that there is less a divide based on age alone,” said Joan Sinopoli, vice-president of brand solutions at The Harris Poll.
“It’s more of a divide based on ideologies and world views, and we see those values played out for politically and socially active brands.”
For instance, brands like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream—whose CEOs made their support for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders clear from the outset—and Starbucks, whose CEO was vocal about his opposition to the recent travel ban, count liberal-leaning consumers among their biggest fan base.
Likewise, brands like Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s, which are led by conservative leaders, are also favoured among like-minded consumers.
Here are the best food and restaurant brands of the year, according to the 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study:
Burger Restaurant Brand of the Year
1. Five Guys Burgers and Fries
2. In-N-Out Burger
3. Shake Shack
4. Wendy’s
5. Culver’s
6. Whataburger
7. McDonald’s
Casual Dining Restaurant Brand of the Year
1. The Cheesecake Factory
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Olive Garden Italian Restaurants
4. Outback Steakhouse
5. LongHorn Steakhouse Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant
Chicken Restaurant Brand of the Year
1. Chick-fil-A
2. Zaxby’s
3. El Pollo Loco
4. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Coffee & Quick Service Restaurant Brand of the Year
1. Starbucks Coffee Shops
2. Dunkin’ Donuts Stores
3. Krispy Kreme
4. Einstein Bros Bagels
Ice Cream and FroYo Shop Brand of the Year
1. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop
2. Baskin Robbin’s Ice Cream Shop
3. Cold Stone Creamery
Pizza Chain Brand of the Year
1. Papa John’s Pizza
2. Blaze Pizza
3. Pizza Hut
4. Marco’s Pizza
Sandwich Shop Brand of the Year
1. Subway
2. Panera Bread
3. Potbelly Sandwich Shop
4. Corner Bakery Cafe
