McDonald’s tops fast-food rankings preference despite losing best burger title

A new report exploring how restaurants are performing in the United States and which brands American diners prefer found that McDonald’s comes to mind first when most consumers consider eating fast food — even though other chains ranked higher for burger quality.

In its survey, “Best Bites 2026: U.S. Restaurant Brand Rankings,” the international market research group YouGov sought to discover: “Which restaurant brands come out on top among American adults?”

The group surveyed U.S. adults about restaurant considerations, food quality and dining preferences.

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“One of the more interesting findings is that McDonald’s leads all fast-food brands in consideration when Americans are deciding where to purchase fast food, despite ranking behind several competitors on best-tasting burgers,” Ashley Brown, the Georgia-based senior director of YouGov, told Fox News Digital.

“At the same time, McDonald’s is the clear leader when consumers are asked which restaurant has the best fries,” she added. 

“Taken together, the findings suggest consumers evaluate fast-food brands across multiple menu items and attributes, not just burgers alone, when deciding where to eat.”

The YouGov survey asked respondents, “When you are in the market next to purchase food or drink, from which of the following would you consider purchasing?”

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McDonald’s topped the list with 39.6% of the vote. 

Chick-fil-A came in second at 35.5%, while Wendy’s followed with 33.2%.

McDonald’s was the No. 1 “most-considered” restaurant for both males and females as well as among age groups 18-29, 30-44 and 45-64. People 65 or older said they’d most consider Wendy’s as a fast-food dining option.

The survey also ranked America’s top burger, sandwich and taco spots. 

Five Guys was America’s favorite burger (15.5%), followed closely by Burger King (15%) and In-N-Out Burger (12.1%). Wendy’s took fourth place (10.2%), while McDonald’s came in fifth place (8.7%).

Subway was selected as having the best deli sandwich (22.9%) and Taco Bell the best taco/burrito (30.3%).

McDonald’s blew away the competition in the french fry category, earning 39.2% of the vote — followed by Five Guys, which received just 9% of the vote.

Chick-fil-A was most people’s favorite chicken spot (25.3%), while Pizza Hut earned first place for people’s preferred pizza (19.1%).

Chick-fil-A was the top-ranked fast-food brand based on quality, while McDonald’s did not make the top 10. 

Wendy’s (21.6%) ranked No. 1 based on value, while McDonald’s came in at No. 8 (12.5%).

In addition to fast-food tastes and trends, the YouGov report analyzed consumers’ views of casual-dining and specialty-dining establishments and offered a profile of weekly fast-food diners.

About two-thirds of Americans purchase food or drinks from fast-food restaurants at least once a month, while 30% eat fast food at least once a week, according to the report.

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Among weekly fast-food eaters, 55% are male and 45% are female; 49% are middle-income (earning 75%-200% of the median income); and 51% are younger than 45 years old, the study found.

“Value and discounts are the biggest drivers for weekly fast-food diners, followed by a clean dining area,” the report said.

“Customization of menu items over-indexes with women, while men are more enticed by 24-hour service and self-serve drink stations.”

McDonald’s credits its popularity to its practice of putting quality first with real beef patties, 100% white meat chicken and freshly cracked eggs, among other real ingredients, according to its website.

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The Illinois-based fast-food chain said it also listens to its patrons and “evolved our menu to keep pace with the latest customer preferences.”

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Fox News reached out to McDonald’s for comment about the study.