Which grease-mongers are your regional compatriots patronizing? A new survey has revealed the lowest- and highest-ranked fast-food chain in each state and major city.
And for pie-hard New Yorkers, the results may surprise you.
CashNetUSA, which conducted the study, said they were “curious” how tastes differ around the US, where 37% of adults eat fast food on any given day, per the Centers For Disease Control.
To investigate the geographic discrepancies in high-octane cravings, CashNetUSA identified the most famous fast-food chains for burgers, pizza, doughnuts, chicken and Mexican food.
They then located corresponding outlets in each state as well as the 50 most populous cities and analyzed the Google Maps ratings of each in those regions.
Finally, CashNet created a “weighted averaging system” to calculate the best- and worst-ranked fast-food chains in each spot.
The top-rated fast-food joint across New York State was Chick-fil-A, while Domino’s was the most maligned in both the state and the city — particularly a Domino’s on Jerome Ave. in The Bronx that had the lowest-rated fast-food outlet of any restaurant in the entire study.
And despite Dunkin’s doughy reign over the Northeast, it was Krispy Kreme who took the top spot for New York City’s favorite chain restaurant — not just for donuts but overall.
When it comes to corporate pies, the Empire Stater’s preferred mass-market pizza purveyor was — surprisingly — Chuck E. Cheese.
Meanwhile, the best big-brand pizzeria in NYC was curiously absent from the list.
Overall, Chick-fil-A — which recently settled a $4.4 million class-action suit over claims it hiked delivery prices — came in first place throughout the nation, topping the charts in 34 states (including New York) and 27 big cities.
The least favorite chain on average was Papa John’s, with the lowest ranking in 16 states.
Going state by state, the overall favorite burger, chicken, donut, Mexican and pizza chains were Five Guys, Chick-fil-A, Krispy Kreme, QDOBA and Papa Murphy’s, respectively.
The bottom-rated chains in these categories were McDonald’s and Burger King — tied for “least favorite” — Wingstop, Dunkin’ Donuts, Taco Bell and, of course, Papa John’s.
Reviews of such chains online attest to their rank. The evidently abysmal service provided at these chains attests to their ranking.
According to Yelp reviewers for the worst-rated Domino’s in the country — where the Bronx branch boasts a paltry 1 star — the pizza is often either burnt or cold and takes forever to arrive.
“If I could give it negative a zillion stars I WOULD!!” griped one critic. “I hate this place with a passion!!!!”
They continued, “I ordered two pizzas at 7:30 p.m. EST and it never arrived I called they had the wrong number it was corrected and they still never showed I called five times!!!”