The fast food industry ranked sixth out of 15 industries analyzed in the largest study of business brands based on emotions and intimacy levels.

The study, conducted by branding agency MBLM, assesses ways brands build bonds with customers and evaluates how consumer sentiment about the industry has been affected by the pandemic, according to a press release.

While Starbucks rated first in the study, all other top finishers were quick-service concepts: Chick-fil-A landed in second place, and McDonald's landed in third. The remaining brands in the top 10 for restaurants were:

  • Dunkin'.
  • Subway.
  • Wendy's.
  • KFC.
  • Taco Bell.
  • Domino's.
  • Pizza Hut.

Additionally, top intimate brands in the U.S. continued to significantly outperform the top brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P indices in both revenue and profit over the past 10 years, according to the study.

MBLM also examined how the industry has been impacted the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Pizza Hut's largest franchisee, NPC International, Inc., filed for bankruptcy, which added to the competitive stress that brand had been facing overall. On the other hand, Domino's has seen comparable-store sales increase by over 20% in April and May and its stock was up 26% for 2020 as of July.

"The fast food industry has performed fairly consistently in our study over the past few years, and has built emotional connections with customers," Mario Natarelli, MBLM managing partner, said in the release. "As with virtually all industries, the pandemic has greatly impacted fast food.

"Some of the top brands have garnered largely positive and supportive responses from consumers, while others have faced criticism and scrutiny. Understanding how and why consumers express their connections during COVID is valuable for all brands in the industry to examine. Now more than ever, positive emotions can drive performance."

Additional U.S. fast food industry findings include:

  • The U.S. fast food industry had an average Brand Intimacy Quotient of 32.1, above the cross-industry average of 31
  • Chick-fil-A was the top intimate brand among women.
  • Chick-fil-A also led among users with incomes under $100,000, whereas users with an income over $100,000 preferred KFC.
  • Indulgence, associated with moments of pampering and gratification, was the most prominent archetype in the category.

MBLM augmented its Brand Intimacy research with social listening research it captured during the week of June 15 for the top five ranking fast food brands. The agency found that, while the brands spoke in generally similar terms about their responses to COVID-19, consumers spoke differently about each brand on social media.

Chick-fil-A's users spoke about service and reliability with a few expressing disappointment about the brand adapting to COVID-19, but overall the brand was strongly linked to being efficient. McDonald's was not seen as positively as it was viewed as a big corporation caring about profits and not protecting employees, according to the release.

Dunkin' had people talking about the brand actively hiring, their COVID-19 routines and devotion to Dunkin' and appreciation of local franchises. Subway had mixed consumer mentions — with people associating it with financial trouble, but also highlighting the brand's donations to medical workers.

The Brand Intimacy 2020 Report includes responses from 6,200 consumers and 56,000 brand evaluations across 15 industries in the U.S., Mexico and UAE. MBLM has offices in seven countries and is based in New York.

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