9 Chain Restaurants That Diners Say Have Great Customer Service

If you're heading to a chain to grab something to eat, at the top of your list of wants and desires is probably going to be tasty food. You also want it to be fresh, hot, and fast, too, of course, and a good value for money is also essential. But also, service with a smile goes a long way, as well. When staff are friendly, welcoming, and efficient, it makes you feel good. It's as simple as that. Plus, it's a win-win: You walk away feeling taken care of, and the chain gets your repeat business. Everybody's happy.

With this in mind, we scanned social media, online rankings, and data platforms to figure out which chain restaurants have the best customer service, according to diners. You can find out the results of our investigation below, but we reckon you won't be surprised by many of the eateries — especially if you're a fan of foods like chicken sandwiches, burgers, and Wisconsin cheese curds.

For many people, the best thing about visiting Chick-fil-A (after the chicken sandwiches and the creamy milkshakes, of course) is the service. After all, where else can you reel off a fast food order at the drive-thru, and have your server respond with "my pleasure" when you thank them, rather than the run-of-the-mill "you're welcome?"

In fact, this top-notch service is one of the reasons that the average Chick-fil-A makes around 1,500 transactions every single day. And it's also the reason why the fast food joint consistently takes first place in the quick-service restaurant section of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) — a nation-wide index model that measures how well the U.S.'s biggest companies are performing in terms of customer satisfaction.

According to customers, the service at Chick-fil-A goes beyond the classic "my pleasure" response. They also find that workers are always friendly, smiling, and eager to help. "Chick-fil-A does things right," said one Reddit user in the r/RandomThoughts subreddit. "Always polite, 'My pleasure!' And they have folks tending the tables, 'Can I take that trash for you?'"

Since it was founded back in the 1940s, In-N-Out has built up a bit of a cult following. Its menu is incredibly simple, but it works, keeping its loyal customers always coming back for more. But, of course, people also love the happy welcome they consistently receive at In-N-Out. "You can't go wrong at In-N-Out," writes one Yelp reviewer of a California location. "Everything is fresh and served with a smile."

Diners frequently praise how polite In-N-Out workers are, and many find that even when the restaurant is busy, employees keep on top of everything, from fast service to clean bathrooms. Others have observed that employees don't get flustered by large, complicated orders, and when they've got time, some even stop for a chat.

One person was so impressed with the service, they took to Reddit to ask In-N-Out employees if they are actually happy, or if it's all a performance. Most responded by explaining that they are usually genuinely happy at work. "One of the things In-N-Out does better than nearly every other company in the world is their hiring," explained one Redditor in the r/innout subreddit. "They can afford to be picky and choose people who have the energy to work with other people with a good attitude and it spreads."

Beloved Wisconsin chain Culver's isn't just a firm favorite in the upper midwest. Since the 1980s, the chain has expanded to more than 1,000 locations in 27 states and territories across the country. And in all of these locations, people flock to the chain for its classic Wisconsin cheese curds (which our taste-tester recently voted as their favorite Culver's side), as well as the ButterBurgers, of course, and the frozen custard. Even renowned chef Andrew Zimmern can't get enough of Culver's.

But arguably, Culver's wouldn't be quite as popular if it wasn't for the outstanding service that many diners say they receive when they make an order at the chain. People report the workers are always kind and helpful, and they work well as a team. In fact, many social media users say that they are yet to experience bad service at any of the chain's locations. 

Even when things go wrong (as they often do – that's life in the service industry), customers say that Culver's employees always handle it well. And the cherry on top? They aren't afraid to give out a little freebie when they feel the situation calls for it. "One time I waited what I would consider to be a completely standard amount of time for my food," said one person on the r/Culvers subreddit. "The worker came out and said 'here's your food, and sorry about that wait! Here's a token for a free scoop of custard.'"

Chick-fil-A isn't the only restaurant that consistently comes out on top in the ACSI survey. In 2025, Texas Roadhouse was awarded first place in the index's full-service category for the second year in a row (via NRN). And for the many customers who regularly dine at the chain, the news won't have come as a surprise. In fact, alongside the food and the reasonable prices, the consistently good customer service is one of the main reasons why people keep going back. "Fresh food, good prices, great service, great variety, and great quality," wrote one Reddit user in the r/fastfood thread. "Happy for its success."

So perhaps it's no surprise that Texas Roadhouse is growing fast. In February 2026, there were nearly 700 locations in 52 states and territories, and by the end of the year, the chain plans to open 35 more company-owned restaurants. According to diners, the growth isn't just down to the chain's top service, but also because it fills a void for mid-priced steak. "The location near me is always packed, no matter what time of day," wrote one customer in the r/fastfood subreddit. "And they are one of the few where both the food and the service is still on point."

Since it was founded in the 1960s, despite some major setbacks (ahem, bankruptcy), Arby's has grown massively. In fact, today it has nearly 4,000 locations across the country, in every state apart from Vermont and Rhode Island. For the most part, people go back to the fast food chain time and time again because they adore its sandwiches, but the fast, polite service certainly helps, too.

In fact, several people have taken the time to call out Arby's workers in local Facebook groups, raving about their attentive, friendly manner and attention to detail. "Arby's provided great service and good food tonight," wrote one Facebook user in the Cobleskill, NY group. They added, "Best of all, the staff was very polite and professional. Every time I've gone there it's been like this."

The chain is a particularly big hit with Boomers, mostly because they grew up alongside the chain in the 1960s and 1970s, but also, perhaps, because they are the generation most likely to value good face-to-face service. That said, lately, the chain has been successfully courting younger customers through social media trends. Regardless of age, though, people seem to be satisfied with the service they receive at Arby's. "Every time I'm at the drive through the staff are so peppy," said one person in the r/ThunderBay subreddit. "I don't know they do it but hats off to them. Great customer service."

Texas Roadhouse isn't the only steakhouse chain that diners rate for the service. Longhorn Steakhouse is also a firm favorite for the way it takes care of its customers in its more than 630 restaurants across the U.S. (most of which are located in the Southeast, the East Coast, and the Deep South). Just like with its main competitor, diners say the service and the prices are consistently good, which keeps them coming back for more. 

Again, even when things go wrong, customers still praise the way that servers handle the situation. In fact, according to one Facebook user, they were awarded a $75 gift card after some workers forgot to add certain items to their order. "It was a nice surprise," they wrote in the group Southeast Texas Restaurant Reviews. "I wanted to give Longhorn a shout out for exemplary customer service."

Longhorn Steakhouse's reputation for good customer service isn't a fluke, it's actually by design. According to one former worker, the chain has a big emphasis on service and hospitality during training. They explained that Longhorn doesn't even call its customers "customers," instead, it refers to them as "guests." They wrote for Tasting Table in 2023: "Longhorn Steakhouse does not mess around when it comes to ensuring the guest is well taken care of."

The ACSI is one particularly useful tool when it comes to measuring customer satisfaction, but it's not the only resource out there that can tell us how much diners enjoy a certain chain. In 2025, Newsweek teamed up with Statista to produce a ranking of more than 700 brands in the U.S. based on more than 28,000 customer reviews. In the dining category, Schlotzsky's came out on top.

According to the study, the popular deli chain — which has nearly 300 locations in the U.S., most of which are in Texas — was ranked on factors like the quality of communication and professional competence. On top of this, it looked at how important Schlotzsky's made its customers feel, as well as how accessible its customer support was.

To diners who love Schlotzsky's, the number one ranking was spot-on. On Yelp, for example, customers are always raving about how good the service is at the deli chain. "The food was great and the customer service was above any I have seen in [a] long time," said one reviewer of one of the chain's San Francisco locations. "All the employees were smiling and happy to help with anything you need."

Hot on Schlotzsky's heels in the Newsweek and Statista ranking was Jersey Mike's. In fact, Schlotzsky's scored 89.26 points in the study, and Jersey Mike's was just over two points behind, with a final mark of 87.17 (based on the aforementioned criteria, like communication quality and competence).

And just like with its deli competitor, Jersey Mike's has a lot of love over on Yelp, with diners frequently praising the exceptional quality of the service. They say that servers are always friendly and welcoming, and take the time to deal with errors properly when things go wrong. "Great quality good and friendly fast service," wrote one Yelp reviewer. Another added: "Subs were great and service was good as always."

So, just like with Texas Roadhouse, it is arguably no surprise that Jersey Mike's is growing. The chain already has nearly 3,400 locations across the country, but there are more on the horizon. In fact, Jersey Mike's is hoping to continue opening 300 stores a year for many more years to come, much to its fans' delight.

Third place is nothing to be ashamed of — it's a big achievement, and it's the reason why Olympians receive a bronze medal, after all. So that's why we're giving a shoutout to Firehouse Subs, which stood on the metaphorical podium alongside Jersey Mike's and Schlotzsky's for Newsweek and Statista's 2025 ranking. In fact, it was less than one point behind Jersey Mike's, with a score of 86.28 for its customer service.

If you're a fan of the chain, you might even think it deserved the top spot. On Yelp, customers consistently praise the chain's service, noting that employees are always welcoming, friendly, and helpful whenever they stop by for a sandwich. "The service here is always phenomenal, everyone is really nice," wrote one Yelp reviewer, for example. Another added: "Outstanding food and service. Been here twice and I was totally satisfied with my meal and the service."

The good thing about social media (yes, despite the constant negative rhetoric, there are some good things) is that when people have a good experience at a restaurant chain, they like to announce it online. They often take to, say, Facebook or Reddit, to rave about the food, or the value for money, or the service. This is very handy for us, because it allows us to pick out the chains that get the most shoutouts and then research them. That's exactly what we did for this list: Scanned social media platforms for positive customer service experiences and compiled some of the most popular into this list. 

But, of course, while anecdotal evidence is important, it doesn't hurt to back it up with some data. That's why for many of these entries, we also took data from Newsweek, Statista, and the ACSI into account. We think our list is pretty robust, but experiences vary and not everyone will agree with us. If that's you, it's totally okay. But we will say this: We hope you get the service of your dreams the next time you visit a chain restaurant.