32 32 NNEWEWSWSWEEKEEK.C.COOMM
CHINESEBig Bowl +++++
Din Tai Fung +++++
Manchu Wok ++++
Mandarin Express +++++Mark Pi ++++
Mr Chow ++++P.F. Chang’s +++++
Panda Express ++++Pei Wei +++++
Pick Up Stix ++++ITALIANAnthony’s Coal Fired Pizza +++++
Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano ++++
Bravo! Italian Kitchen +++++Brio ++++
Buca di Beppo ++++Carrabba’s Italian Grill +++++
Giordano’s +++++- Dealing with
environmental issues:
e.g., the use of recycled,
sustainable or reduced
packaging is promoted. - Accessibility: e.g.,
accessibility by wheel-
chair or baby carriage. - Service Quality: e.g.,
friendliness, respon-
siveness, reliability
and speed of staff.
10.Treatment of employ-
ees: e.g., the chain
treats its employees
with respect and shows
them appreciation.
The top lists were
created through an
elaborate process:
Participants’ responses as
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of restaurant chains in
each category were carefully
reviewed. Statista makes
no statement about the
quality of restaurant
chains that are not
included in the lists
and their reputation is
not disputed. For a
complete methodology see
newsweek.com/bfc-2022The 2022 ranking was
compiled based on the
results of an independent
survey of customers and
employees of restaurant
chains in the United States.
The survey ran from August
to September 2021.
Survey respondents
were asked to indicate
which restaurant chains
they would recommend for
one of 16 different dishes/
ethnic cuisines. They were
also asked to share their
experiences by rating the
restaurant chains regard-
ing 10 assessment criteria
(e.g., taste of food, service,
accessibility). All ratings
were then transformed into
a score value and aggre-
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To receive an award, a
restaurant chain needed to
receive a minimum number
of recommendations and an
overall score of at least 7 out
of 10. In addition, a restau-
rant chain was required to
have at least three locations
across different cities within
at least one U.S. state.
The survey was conduct-ed using online access pan-
els providing a representa-
tive sample of more than
4,000 American restaurant
customers and employees.
Each survey respondent
provided evaluations for
one or several restaurants.
In total, more than 35,000
evaluations were collected.THE ASSESSMENT
CRITERIA WERE:- Taste of Food
- Cleanliness: e.g., clean
eating and dining areas,
restrooms and kitchen. - Hygiene: safe food
handling procedures
are applied e.g., em-
ployees are regularly
washing their hands. - Transparency about
ingredients: e.g., a list of
ingredients and allergen
statements are offered. - Location: e.g., easy
reachability by foot,
public transport or car. - COVID-19: safe
behaviors such as
wearing face masks and
practicing social dis-
tancing are encouraged.
there is a restaurant chain in america serving
pretty much any kind of food you can think of, from
pizza to tacos to sushi to smoothies. There are over
100,000 chain restaurant businesses in the country
and last year total sales were about $565 billion. While the pandemic defi -
nitely hurt (sales were down about $335 billion from pre-COVID-19 pro-
jections), Americans still like to go out to eat. With the pandemic at least
appearing to recede in many places, we’re getting back in the habit of do-
ing it more often. For the fi rst time, Newsweek and global data fi rm Statis-
ta are proud to award America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains in selected
categories. The awards are based on the results of a survey of more than4,000 customers and employees of restaurant chains in the U.S. This year
there are 220 winners in 16 categories. We hope you fi nd it useful in mak-
ing your own dining out choices. ƠNancy Cooper, Global Editor in ChiefMethodology
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