The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) just released its annual Restaurant and Food Delivery Study, and one restaurant chain just reinforced its position as America’s favorite full-service restaurant. While customer satisfaction has declined 2%, the overall customer satisfaction score of 82 out of 100 is still high, and will hopefully continue to improve. The restaurants rounding out the top five are popular with customers who appreciate the value for money, quality, and overall experience of these sit-down eateries. Here are America’s favorite sit-down restaurants, including the wildly popular chain coming in at number one.
Cracker Barrel
Coming in at number 5, Cracker Barrel is gaining serious momentum with a score of 80. Same-store sales were up for a third quarter straight in spring, thanks to a renewed focus on exciting new menu options and upgrades. “We continue to really fuel that innovation pipeline because we know that that fuels preference, it fuels traffic, it fuels people coming to us for dinner,” said CEO Julie Felss Masino.
Applebee’s
Applebee’s comes in at number 4 with a score of 80, up 1% from last year. The chain is giving Chilli’s a run for its money with the return of All You Can Eat, where guests can feast on Riblets, Double Crunch Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders for only $15.99, plus new dipping sauces and endless fries. “Every combination is a win when it comes to our All You Can Eat Riblets, Double Crunch Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders,” said Reid Leslie, Vice President of Marketing, Applebee’s.
Olive Garden
Olive Garden may have been dethroned as America’s most popular casual dining chain but is holding steady with a score of 81, down -2% from last year. The chain has been on a roll lately with same-store sales up 6.9% during fiscal Q4 2025. “Nearly 40% of our pickup consumers have tried delivery,” Darden CEO Rick Cardenas said on a recent earnings call. ” On the consumer demographics, they are younger and [have] slightly higher income, which you would expect.”
Longhorn Steakhouse
Longhorn Steakhouse makes a very impressive showing in the number 2 spot with a score of 83, albeit down 2% from last year. “Sometimes I cook steak at home that I feel is so delicious that there’s no need to eat steak at a restaurant, but when I go to Longhorn it is amazing!” one happy customer said. “And it tastes different than my steaks, probably because their seasoning, butter on top, the grill, etc. Plus it’s just nice to not have to cook or do any dishes. Longhorn is seriously my favorite steakhouse.”
Texas Roadhouse
Not content with just being named “America’s Best Restaurant Experience” by food and beverage intelligence platform Datassential, Texas Roadhouse is officially America’s favorite full-service restaurant with an ACSI score of 84. Guests rave about the impressive value for money and overall experience at the chain, which dethroned Olive Garden last year to become the most popular casual dining chain in the U.S. Texas Roadhouse clearly cares about giving the customers what they want, and making it worthwhile to eat out. “My friend used to do equipment repair, and ended up getting recruited to work in management for TRH. He goes on and on about how TRH was one of the few restaurants in town that was willing to spend whatever it took to keep their equipment in top notch shape or replace it, and always paid their bills on time. If a tile cracked they would have a repair crew in that night,” one Redditor shared.
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