Taco Bell and McDonald's often have a dominant presence when it comes to public relations and social media. Both companies can command an enormous amount of attention by making even a small move.
We saw that recently when McDonald's (MCD) -) introduced a purple shake tied to its Grimace character. That purple monster pal of Ronald McDonald has not been used regularly since the '90s and his return led to a social media phenomenon around his Birthday Shake.
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Now, you can debate whether people staging crime scene photos using your latest limited-time-offer helps the brand, but you can't argue that it got people talking. The same thing happens whenever Yum Brands (YUM) -) Taco Bell makes a menu change.
The chain got a huge amount of media and social media attention last year around its Mexican Pizza saga. It took the popular item off the menu during the pandemic, brought it back, ran out of it, and then later brought it back "for good." None of it was real news. It was all a publicity stunt, but one that worked as happens time and again for these two chains.
It's a formula that works as both Taco Bell and McDonald's have grown their U.S. sales. The problem -- and it's an interesting one -- is that despite their clear success, a very well-regarded survey shows that people really don't like these two brands.
McDonald's and Taco Bell Do Not Satisfy
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) used interviews with 16,250 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between April 2022 and March 2023. It found that McDonald's and Taco Bell customers were by far the least satisfied among eaters at all fast food brands.
McDonald's scored a 69 on the 100-point survey to come in last. That's actually an improvement on last year when the fast-food also scored last place but did so with a 68. Taco Bell was just slightly ahead pulling a 71, down a point from last year.
Chick-fil-A, as it has for years, topped the ACSI with an 85, coming in just ahead of Jimmy John's (84). Overall satisfaction with the category jumped from a 76 to a 78, which suggests that some of the covid pandemic-related woes have become a thing of the past.
Customer Satisfaction May Not Mean Much
Bigger, mass market chains generally score lower across every ACSI category. Walmart, for example is generally lowly-rated in retail, but continues to be a sales giant. The same is clearly true for McDonald's and Taco Bell.
McDonald's comparable-store sales jumped by 12.6% in the first quarter. CEO Chris Kempczinski talked about what drives that growth during the chain's first-quarter earnings call.
"What's notable about this earnings call is McDonald's consistency, consistency in the strength of our numbers, consistency in the powerful drivers of our business, and consistency in the excitement that exists across the system about the opportunities that lie in front of us," he shared.
Yum Brands CEO David Gibbs touted strong sales growth during has company's most recent earnings call as well.
"Taco Bell first-quarter system sales grew 12%, led by 8% same-store sales growth and 6% unit growth. These incredible results build on years of sustained top-line strength as the team executes on its consistent growth formula, which leverages the combination of brand buzz with unparalleled value offerings, mass occasions, and digital initiatives," he said. "This quarter, Taco Bell created customer buzz around crave-able product offerings that included the Crispy Melt Taco and the Grilled Cheese Burrito while still providing everyday value through $2 burritos on the Cravings Value Menu."
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