Restaurant customer satisfaction varied sharply by purchase mode in the latest U.S. benchmarks. The ACSI Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025 gave full-service restaurants an overall score of 82, compared with 79 for quick-service restaurants and 74 for food delivery. Takeout satisfaction was stronger on ordering, food quality, packaging, and convenience than on total cost, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 off-premises research.
Table of contents
- Overall U.S. benchmarks
- Full-service restaurant leaders
- Full-service experience scores
- Quick-service restaurant leaders
- Food delivery satisfaction
- Takeout experience benchmarks
- Off-premises frequency and value
Overall U.S. benchmarks
The ACSI measures customer satisfaction on a 0–100 scale. Its 2025 restaurant and delivery results are based on surveys conducted from April 2024 through March 2025, so these figures represent that measurement period rather than a single survey date. ACSI Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025
Full-service restaurants scored 82 in 2025, down 2% from 2024. Quick-service restaurants scored 79, unchanged from 2024. Food delivery scored 74, up 1% from 2024. The three scores provide a useful high-level comparison, but they describe different customer journeys: seated service, counter or drive-thru service, and delivery completed through a delivery experience.
| Restaurant experience | 2025 ACSI score | Change from 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | 82 | Down 2% |
| Quick-service restaurants | 79 | Unchanged |
| Food delivery | 74 | Up 1% |
For restaurant marketers, the gap between full-service and delivery is important context when reviewing feedback. A delivery score should not be compared with a dine-in score as though the operational responsibilities were identical. Ordering interfaces, quoted delivery times, fees, temperature, and handoff all become part of the customer’s judgment.
Full-service restaurant leaders
Among the full-service brands measured by ACSI in 2025, Texas Roadhouse led with a satisfaction score of 84. LongHorn Steakhouse followed at 83, while Olive Garden scored 81. Applebee’s and Cracker Barrel each scored 80.
The remaining measured brands in the supplied ACSI results were Outback Steakhouse at 79, Red Lobster at 79, and Chili’s at 78. Applebee’s was up 1% year over year, and Red Lobster was also up 1%. Chili’s was down 3% year over year. These year-over-year movements are reported brand changes; they do not establish why a score changed.
| Full-service brand | 2025 ACSI score | Reported year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Roadhouse | 84 | Not specified |
| LongHorn Steakhouse | 83 | Not specified |
| Olive Garden | 81 | Not specified |
| Applebee’s | 80 | Up 1% |
| Cracker Barrel | 80 | Not specified |
| Outback Steakhouse | 79 | Not specified |
| Red Lobster | 79 | Up 1% |
| Chili’s | 78 | Down 3% |
The difference between the leader at 84 and the lowest listed full-service score at 78 is six points on the ACSI scale. That spread can help a local restaurant frame competitive research: brand-level scores show the market range, while a restaurant’s own surveys can identify the specific service moments that need attention.
Full-service experience scores
Within the full-service restaurant experience measures, food-order accuracy was the highest-rated attribute at 88 on ACSI’s 0–100 scale in 2025. Beverage quality and waitstaff courtesy and helpfulness each scored 86. Food quality, restaurant layout and cleanliness, beverage-menu variety, and food-menu variety each scored 85. Speed of receiving food at the table scored 83.
The digital experience was weaker in the listed full-service measures. Website satisfaction scored 82, down 6% year over year. Mobile-app quality scored 80, also down 6%, and mobile-app reliability scored 78, down 8%. The reliability result was the lowest of the listed full-service attributes.
These scores suggest that a restaurant’s marketing promise and its service systems need to work together. Accurate orders and courteous staff support the in-person experience, while a website or app can shape expectations before the guest arrives. The ACSI results quantify the reported satisfaction levels; they do not identify which technology changes would improve an individual restaurant’s performance.
Purchase mode also changed the full-service satisfaction result. Dine-in satisfaction was 83 in 2025, down 1% year over year. Carry-out satisfaction was 79, down 5%. Delivery satisfaction was 74, down 9%.
The three purchase-mode scores show why a restaurant should separate feedback by dine-in, carry-out, and delivery rather than combine every order into one average. A guest may be satisfied with a dining-room visit but judge the same restaurant differently when the order is packed for pickup or handed to a delivery service.
Quick-service restaurant leaders
Chick-fil-A led the measured quick-service restaurant brands with an ACSI satisfaction score of 83 in 2025. Panda Express and Starbucks each scored 80. Arby’s, Panera Bread, Papa Johns, and Pizza Hut each scored 79.
Culver’s and Domino’s each scored 78, while Dunkin’ also scored 78. Panda Express was up 4% year over year, the largest reported increase among the listed quick-service brands. Culver’s was down 3%, and Dunkin’ was down 1%.
The ranking is a benchmark for the named brands measured by ACSI, not a universal ranking of every quick-service restaurant in the United States. It is most useful when a marketer compares a local operation’s own customer-feedback scores with the relevant service model and competitive set.
Food delivery satisfaction
Uber Eats led the named food-delivery services in the 2025 ACSI results with a score of 75, up 1% year over year. DoorDash and Grubhub each scored 73. DoorDash was unchanged from 2024, while Grubhub was up 3%.
Food-delivery customers rated mobile-app satisfaction at 83, up 1% year over year, and website satisfaction at 82, up 1%. The lower scores appeared in practical parts of the transaction. Ease of understanding fees scored 75. Order accuracy and accuracy of quoted delivery times each scored 75, unchanged year over year. Food temperature scored 74, up 1%.
Price and fee perceptions were the lowest listed delivery attributes. Fairness of food prices scored 71, up 3%, and fairness of pre-tip taxes and service fees also scored 71, up 3%.
| Food-delivery attribute | 2025 ACSI score | Reported change |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-app satisfaction | 83 | Up 1% |
| Website satisfaction | 82 | Up 1% |
| Ease of understanding fees | 75 | Not specified |
| Order accuracy | 75 | Unchanged |
| Quoted delivery-time accuracy | 75 | Unchanged |
| Food temperature | 74 | Up 1% |
| Fairness of food prices | 71 | Up 3% |
| Fairness of pre-tip taxes and service fees | 71 | Up 3% |
For restaurant marketing, these results place transparency alongside food and service. A clear menu, understandable charges, realistic timing, and accurate packing all influence the delivery experience. The dataset does not quantify the effect of any one intervention, so these figures should be used as diagnostic benchmarks rather than guaranteed performance targets.
Takeout experience benchmarks
The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 report examined U.S. adults who ordered restaurant takeout in the prior six months and asked about their most recent takeout order. The percentages below describe respondents who were “very or somewhat satisfied,” not an ACSI 0–100 score. STATE OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY 2025
Ease of ordering and paying and overall food quality each reached 95% satisfaction. Convenience of getting in and out of the restaurant and food packaging each reached 94%. Food temperature, order accuracy, and customer service each reached 92%. Time taken to receive the order reached 91%.
Total food cost including taxes and tips was the clear low point among the listed takeout attributes at 73%. That result is not directly comparable with the ACSI fairness-of-fees score because the question wording, scale, sample description, and research program differ. It does, however, identify cost as a distinct takeout satisfaction issue in this report.
Off-premises frequency and value
The National Restaurant Association’s 2025 off-premises survey found that 47% of U.S. adults picked up takeout at least weekly. Another 42% used a restaurant drive-thru at least weekly, and 37% ordered restaurant delivery at least weekly. These are usage-frequency measures, not satisfaction rates.
About 8 in 10 delivery, takeout, and drive-thru customers said value deals would resonate with them. The report’s examples included limited-time offers, buy-one-get-one offers, and off-peak discounts. This finding supports testing value messaging for off-premises customers, but it does not specify which offer type performs best or provide a guaranteed conversion rate.
An earlier National Restaurant Association report found that 88% of consumers were satisfied with the variety of local takeout and delivery food options. That figure comes from the 2024 State of the Restaurant Industry report, so it should remain labeled as a 2024 finding rather than treated as a 2025 measurement. Restaurant industry sales forecast to set $1.1 trillion record in 2024
Together, the 2025 frequency and satisfaction figures point to several measurable areas for a restaurant’s own marketing dashboard: order mode, repeat takeout frequency, order accuracy, wait time, food temperature, packaging, total cost, and offer response. The national statistics provide comparison points; they do not replace local customer research or establish causation.