September 7, 2011
By Michael Inbar
TODAY.com contributor
The Five Guys logo may not be as ubiquitous as the golden arches
or the pig-tailed red head along U.S. roadways, but its burgers are
near and dear to the hearts (and stomachs) of Americans.
For the second year in a row, the Virginia-based chain claimed
the coveted "Best Burger" award in Zagat's annual Fast Food
Survey.
Five Guys, with 750 outlets in 40 states, isn't as visible as
American burger giants McDonald's (33,000 outlets), Burger King
(12,000 outlets) or Wendy's (6,500 outlets), but still scored the
win for top burger among the 6,064 people surveyed for Zagat's
annual best-of list for on-the-go eateries.
While Zagat has been rating restaurants since 1979, it added
fast food to its critical eye in 2007. And that's probably not
surprising - while most folks will never get near a table at the
four-star Daniel or Le Bernardin, Americans eat fast food an
estimated 10 times a month.
Tim Zagat, co-founder of the Zagat survey, told Matt Lauer
Subway's slogan of "eat fresh" apparently rings true with fast food
customers in gaining the title of most popular mega chain. "They
like just about everything - they like the freshness of the
ingredients particularly," Zagat said.
Subway did drop to No. 2 for top overall mega chain, a category
that averages out scores in food, facilities and service. While
Wendy's topped that list, Zagat told Lauer the category turned into
a three-way battle for first. "The interesting thing about all
three top categories, Wendy's, Subway and McDonald's were among
those top three in every category," he said.
Other winners in the Zagat fast food survey, revealed Tuesday on
TODAY, included Subway restaurants for most popular mega chain and
also for the best healthy eating options, and Wendy's for top
overall mega chain, which includes food, facilities and
service.
For the first time ever, Zagat gave a nod to the chicken wing
lovers of America, adding "best wings" to its annual list. The
750-outlet Buffalo Wild Wings topped the list, followed by Wingstop
and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The chain Red Mango, with 150 outlets
and growing, made the Zagat's list for the first time, besting the
Pinkberry and Jamba Juice chains for "Best Smoothie/Frozen
Yogurt."
And while there was a day when fast food and healthy eating were
once considered mutually exclusive terms, the Zagat survey showed
people now want to eat healthy even while they eat fast: the survey
showed 69 percent favored government-mandated calorie counts on
menus and that 55 percent consider those counts when ordering. "And
it's very clear the chains themselves are making major moves to
accommodate that," Zagat said.
The biggest no-brainer on the list was Starbucks, which won the
best coffee category. Zagat told Lauer the chain has become such a
standard-bearer for the category, "it's almost become
definitional."
Here are other highlights of Zagat's annual fast food
survey:
Most Popular Mega Chains:
1. Subway
2. McDonald's
3. Wendy's
4. Burger King
5. Taco Bell
Top Overall Mega Chain:
1. Wendy's
2. Subway
3. McDonald's
4. Pizza Hut
5. KFC
1. Subway
2. Wendy's
3. McDonald's
4. Taco Bell
5. KFC