[Chick Fil A]Facebook/Chick-fil-A Quick, cheap, and satisfying: fast-food restaurants are designed to please the customer. A $225 billion industry that's universally associated with American culture, fast food evokes surprising passion, with millions of customers developing cult-like loyalty for their favorite chains. Business Insider recently teamed up with Restaurant Business, a food-service industry expert and media outlet, to compile a definitive ranking of the best fast-food restaurants in America in 2016. Using proprietary data collected by Restaurant Business and its sister research firm Technomic, we looked at nearly 100 of the largest US chains and rated them on three criteria that we considered the most telling for all-around fast-food excellence: financial performance, customer satisfaction, and overall value. (Read more about the methodology here). Here, we rank the best fast-food chains in America by their customer satisfaction ranking. As it seems, customers tend to gravitate toward more specialized and regional brands that offer a higher-quality experience, including fresh, sustainable ingredients, at an affordable price, according to Restaurant Business. Keep reading to see the 14 fast-food chains Americans love most. 14. JAMBA JUICE Facebook/Jamba Juice HEADQUARTERS: Emeryville, California US SALES: $539 million NUMBER OF US LOCATIONS: 818 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RANK: 72 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RANK: 14 VALUE RANK: 5 Founded in 1990 in a California beach town, Jamba Juice was years ahead of today’s ubiquitous green smoothie and healthy living trends. Despite slow growth, the smoothie stop has remained a favorite for loyal customers over the years. The chain’s menu has expanded to offer Greek yogurt energy bowls and plenty of new fruit and vegetable smoothies. But perhaps Jamba Juice’s most infamous item is the Wheatgrass shot — a liquefied chunk of grass cut right off the in-store grass garden that’s packed with vitamin K. 13. SCHLOTZSKY'S Facebook/Schlotzsky's HEADQUARTERS: Atlanta, Georgia US SALES: $320 million NUMBER OF US LOCATIONS: 350 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RANK: 55 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RANK: 13 VALUE RANK: 43 The average customer order totals just over $11 at Schlotzsky's, according to Technomic. That's pricey for a sandwich shop, but the higher-quality offerings keep customers satisfied. Schlotzky's serves up more than a dozen classic sandwiches, as well as oven-baked pastas, flatbreads, soups, salads, gourmet pizzas, and Cinnabon desserts. After more than 40 years of operation, Schlotzsky's has begun remodeling its locations to install electronic charging stations for phones and laptops, called “Juice Bars,”and plans to include them in all new locations. 12. JASON'S DELI Facebook/Jason's Deli HEADQUARTERS: Beaumont, Texas US SALES: $654 million NUMBER OF US RESTAURANTS: 262 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE RANK: 34 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RANK: 12 VALUE RANK: 15 Nutrition is a priority at Jason’s Deli, which has eliminated artificial trans fat, most artificial MSG, and all artificial colors, dyes, and flavors from its food over the past 10 years. In addition, the chain serves fresh produce — delivered to its locations six days a week — as well as more than a dozen USDA-certified organic ingredients. The family-owned chain has set up shop in 30 states in the South and Midwest over 40 years of operation. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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