Starbucks scores top rating for customer satisfaction among restaurant chains

How they were ranked and their points:
Starbucks, 77
Pizza Hut, 76
Papa John's, 76
Domino's, 75
Little Ceasar's, 75
Wendy's, 73
Burger King, 71
KFC, 70
Taco Bell, 70
McDonald's, 69

(Read the Starbucks press release | See the rankings)

Comments

[truth]

Ah, the company you keep...

[MusicGal]

Ha! Go Starbucks!

[Cali ASM]

Interesting how it's all fast food establishments.

[Barista Joe]

indeed, seems like this is just a big fish in a small pond story.

[Upper NY SM]

It may be true, but I wouldn't put it under the umbrella of interesting. We ARE fast food. If you were told to think of a place that has a drive through, you get your order in less than 3 minutes, and has a tip jar, anyone on that list would come to you. (With the exception maybe of, all of them, because none of the others ask for tips!!)

[wholahay]

OOO, that IS interesting. Keep thine snarky comments to thyself.

[former bearista]

One of the reasons I quit is because we are now classified as a fast food joint instead of a coffee shop. I wonder what would happen if we compared Sbux to Gloria Jean's or Intelligensia or even Caribou

[Cali ASM]

Upper NY SM and Former bearista:
That is exactly what I'm saying. Sbux has become just another fast food joint. Of course, I didn't need this list to tell me that.

Drive-thrus and our speed of service "clock" have killed us.

[Cali ASM]

When I first started working for sbux we were like Gloria Jean's. Now we're McDonald's.

[jon]

Starbucks ranking highest isn't a surprise - but why are the rest of the places so close behind? That doesn't make sense from some of the experiences I've had at McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Wendy's lately...

[LilBarista]

Starbucks would rank higher than Caribou or Gloria Jeans... I think if someone from there said hi or asked me how my day was I would fall over dead..

[P.R.I.D.E.]

You can always slice comparisons in a million different ways. Sure, we are in the coffee buisness, like Gloria Jean's, but they have 149 locations, which is less like us, then more like us. I don't think Caribou will be around within 24-36 months, talk about some whiny investors! They're worse than ours!

So, in this case, we are being compared based on size of operation, vs product line. Hence why you see chicken companies, pizza companies, and burger companies. None of these companies have the same product, just similar size and scope of operation.

[Cali ASM]

I didn't think about that P.R.I.D.E. Thanks for the insight.

[UNCLE PAULIE]

Who did the researchers poll about this? Not me! Did Starbucks commission this study? Surely a function of Corporate Communications.

[Uncle Paulie]

Okay-- Just saw the press release and feel a little more informed, but seriously who were they asking? It doesn't take much to out service Pizza Hut. The last time I ordered Pizza Hut, my debit card number was stolen and the manager denied it was one of her staffers. In terms of service that's probably the one thing that pushed Starbucks to the top--that employees don't participate in credit card fraud!

[auntiepaulina]

Uncle Paulie, don't you have another miniature mask to make? I mean please.......

[Paul]

I do have more masks to make Auntiepaulina, and I have the luxury and the dinero to make them because I work in communications for an international company that knows how to respond to its customers.

[Cubana on the Rocks]

Way to go Starbucks! Seriously, I go to Subway sometimes and the employees don't even pretend like they are happy to serve you. Starbucks greatest asset is it's people. I have been to awful Starbucks and amazing Starbucks. They all make the same drinks and sell the same beans. It's all about the people.

[Anonymouse]

Caribou won't be disappearing - they have a leg-up on the quality "niche" that Starbucks appears to be hemorrhaging lately - they do 2x the business of Starbucks in their regional "hubs," they consistently win national quality awards with their Columbian Timana. Even if they were to scale back their cafes/stores - they would still survive as a craft-roasting institution - I've never heard of someone who walked into a Caribou and didn't get pleasantly surprised by the quality.
And as far as customer service - it's sort of a non-starter topic, because it's a matter of individual-and-individual. The corporation can train and assign tasks all day long, but there's always going to be a cranky barista or a bored pizza tosser (insert employee description here) that won't follow protocol and ruin someone's experience. And there will be customers who walk in the door of a place ready to be dissatisfied, too. I've never been in a Caribou where I wasn't impressed with the service. Starbucks for the most part is fine, but there've been a few cranky people here and there - when you're THAT large, you can't expect the customer service to be consistent. It's the luck of the draw.

[Darleen]

If that's true Steveo, why aren't you posting at I LOVE TACO BELL??? You don't like starbucks, I hear you. But to call all of our customers "working shift MONKEYS" just goes to show what kind of attitude you have. I'll be sure to scroll past your posts in the future as they hold no merit whatsoever.

[agere]

All the achievements of starbucks are results of Ethiopia where cofee is originated from.

[Barista Sam]

Let's admit it: Starbucks has lost the pizzaz. It is now trying hard to reinvent itself by naming new drinks with Italian sounding names. This is a bad idea because where I am from most people are well educated and they know a lot about Italy's history and its present fascist leadership and how it is treating the gypsy population. I pointed this out to the folks in Seatle and they said that they would look into it but in the end nothing is being done. There is less and less traffic. And yes, I feel cheap being compared to fast food chains. That was not part of my training. I am looking for another job.