Understanding the strengths behind consumer favourites
Exclusive new research from NIQ unveils the top-performing brands in Britain’s competitive on-the-go sector.
The rankings come from FastTrack, a consumer research tool launched to analyse attitudes to the country’s top Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), coffee and dessert operators. Powered by CGA intelligence and based on a bi-annual survey of 3,500 nationally representative consumers, it provides deep insights into attitudes, behaviours and perceptions that help operators and suppliers measure their performance and improve brand reputation and sales.
Tortilla on top
The FastTrack lists are based on a variety of metrics and KPIs including satisfaction and the quality of food, drink and service. The flagship rankings for dine-in visits are topped by Tortilla, the Mexico-California style burrito and taco operator with around 80 locations around the UK. Second on the list is Pepe’s Piri Piri, a fast chicken brand with around 250 sites. Third is London-based healthy eating concept Tossed.
The top five brands are completed by dessert specialist Creams and fast-growing US-based fried chicken operator Popeyes.
Best for food, drink and service
The new FastTrack solution provides many more breakdowns of consumers’ favourite on-the-go brands by various aspects of their operations. Tortilla also ranks highest for satisfaction with food, ahead of Italian brand Coco di Mama and Asian concept Wasabi. Creams, Costa Coffee and Popeyes get the best marks for drinks, and Wendy’s, Barburrito and Tortilla are the top three scorers on service.
Elsewhere in the dine-in rankings, Tossed is rated best for value for money, ahead of Dixy Chicken and Tortilla. Millie’s Cookies and Archie’s are among the other brands scoring high on this metric.
Revisits and recommendations
FastTrack also scores operators on the important questions of whether guests will return or tell others about their experiences. The top trio for likelihood to revisit are all large operators: Greggs, McDonald’s and Pepe’s Piri Piri. Pho, Tossed and Greggs lead the chart for likelihood to recommend.
Domino’s delivers best
FastTrack provides separate rankings of consumers’ perceptions of delivery and takeaway operations. Pizza giant Domino’s tops these overall rankings, ahead of Wendy’s and Greggs. Domino’s also scores best for ease of ordering, while Wendy’s leads the way for both quality and value for money.
Other top performers in the delivery and takeaway channels include Archie’s and Costa Coffee, which generate the highest satisfaction on food and drinks respectively. Subway is the brand that is most likely to earn reorders, while Treatz is first on consumers’ likelihood to recommend.
“With consumers’ habits changing fast, the on-the-go sector has become a very complex space. Expectations of quality, value and convenience are higher than ever, and the surging popularity of deliveries has added a new dimension to operations. In this rapidly changing landscape, it’s vital for brands and their suppliers to know precisely how consumers feel about all aspects of their offer, and to pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses. Our FastTrack rankings and insights provide the starting point for strategies to help all stakeholders succeed in this dynamic but ultra-competitive sector.”
Megan Hopkins, senior client manager at NIQ
Discover more
NIQ’s research provides even deeper dives into consumers’ attitudes to aspects of food and drink including taste, freshness, presentation and portion size, to help brands understand their points of appeal and areas for improvement.
The analysis helps businesses identify the best ways to engage current and potential consumers, benchmark their performance against competitors and understand where and how they can win.
FastTrack complements other consumer research solutions from NIQ, including BrandTrack and PubTrack.
To learn more about the FastTrack solution, get in touch.
