Debonairs Pizza has the most satisfied customers in the fast food industry

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Debonairs Pizza’s customers also expressed the highest perceived value score of 85.2, followed by KFC, Chicken Licken (both 83.1) and McDonald’s (82.4).

The pizza chain's customers clearly believe they receive the best value for money, as they indicated the highest value in both categories of perceived value – the quality received for the price paid for their food and the price they paid for the quality of the food.

The perceived value industry average was 82.2, with Nando’s (80.8) and Steers (78.9) scoring below par. This should be of concern to Nando’s since its overall position doesn't correlate with the lower value score in this section.

“Cash-strapped South Africans will choose a fast food brand that offers excellent value for money without sacrificing quality. They will not dig deeper into their pockets unless they believe that the quality justifies the price,” says Professor Adré Schreuder, CEO of Consulta. “Fast food restaurants that deliver value without sacrificing quality scored well, even in this challenging economic climate.

“Due to the expansion of the industry and the entrance of international brands like Burger King and Domino’s Pizza, customers are spoilt for choice and can afford to be more discerning,” he says.

Customer complaints

Demand for value and service is reflected in the complaints about South African fast food restaurants, as the most common complaints relate to the accuracy of orders, speed and quality of service and the price of selected items.

Customers perception of a brand is often viewed through the lens of how complaints are managed. McDonalds customers rated them the lowest for complaints management with a very low score of 9.4%. On the other hand, Nando’s customers indicated that their complaints were well managed, with a score of 71.3, well above the industry average of 54.9.

“South Africans are typically quite reluctant to complain about service or quality because they feel that no lasting change will occur,” he explains. “Social media is making it easier for customers to express their concerns, and the brands that embrace this opportunity to engage with their customers are likely to see improvement in their scores over the next year.”

The 2016 SAcsi for Fast Food Restaurants benchmarks customer satisfaction through an internationally recognised model to achieve an overall result out of 100. The Index provides a weighted average of the various aspects of a customer’s experience with fast food restaurants, and the degree to which their product and service has met, fallen short of, or exceeded expectations. It also includes a Net Promoter Score (NPS) that measures the percentage of customers who would recommend a fast food restaurant to their family and friends minus the percentage of those with a low likelihood to recommend (called detractors).

Debonairs Pizza’s NPS is a very positive 65%, compared to 56% for KFC, both above the industry average of 50%. Falling below the industry average is Nando’s at 49%, Chicken Licken and McDonald’s at 44%, and Steers with a concerning 35%.

“New fast food brands that launch in South Africa may enjoy long queues for a while, but research suggests that in the current economic climate, South Africans only visit a fast food restaurant once a week. In the long-term, customers will remain loyal to restaurants that offer the best quality and value for money,” Prof Schreuder says.

Across the SAcsi industries surveyed by Consulta this year, some of the highest scores – and therefore, greatest customer satisfaction – is in the fast food industry. The highest score recorded in the 2016 SAcsi for Restaurants’ for example, was 78.6.

The full SAcsi for Fast Food Restaurants Report and other SAcsi reports are available from Consulta.

Notes

Consulta, the independent research company exclusively licensed to conduct the index in South Africa, surveyed nearly 2400 fast food restaurant customers, choosing the total number of respondents in line with the various brands’ local market share. The research is conducted independently, without sponsorship from any of the brands, offering impartial insights into the fast food market in South Africa.

The 2016 SAcsi for Fast Food Restaurants benchmarks customer satisfaction through an internationally recognised model combining a Customer Expectations Index, a Service Quality Index, a Product Quality Index, a Perceived Value Index, and a Perceived Quality Index to achieve an overall result out of 100. The index provides a weighted average of the various aspects of a customer’s experience with the mobile handset, the degree to which the product or service has met, fallen short of, or exceeded their expectations.