Catering, Restaurants and Leisure

A global pandemic, wildfires, racial protests and a polarizing election: at this moment, a ranking of stores that offer a satisfying shopping experience might seem completely irrelevant. And if that's what you're feeling, we won't argue. But still, if there were ever a time when one wanted to feel listened to and accommodated, it's now. Newsweek has again partnered with respected global data research firm Statista to identify the stores that consistently provide the Best Customer Service 2021. Whether it's an intuitive website, a generous return policy or a friendly voice on the other end of the phone, these companies have found a way to put you, the consumer, first.

Even amid this ongoing pandemic and its resulting restrictions, our families still want—and need—things. And don't forget that the holidays are fast approaching! We hope our Newsweek-Statista rankings of the Best Customer Service 2021 companies will help make your shopping an easier, more efficient and more pleasant experience—at a time when even a little bit of satisfaction goes a long way.

Nancy Cooper Signature ABCS 2021
IndustryCategoryRankBrandScore
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBagel and Sandwich Chains1Jason's Deli8.14
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBagel and Sandwich Chains2Jersey Mike's Subs8.02
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBagel and Sandwich Chains3Corner Bakery Cafe7.98
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBagel and Sandwich Chains4Potbelly Sandwich Shop7.91
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBagel and Sandwich Chains5Penn Station East Coast Subs7.85
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBuffet Restaurants1Pizza Ranch7.81
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBuffet Restaurants2Western Sizzlin7.74
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureBuffet Restaurants3Hoss's Steak and Sea House7.72
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCasual Dining Restaurant Chains1Bonefish Grill8.57
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCasual Dining Restaurant Chains2LongHorn Steakhouse8.57
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCasual Dining Restaurant Chains3Texas Roadhouse8.49
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCasual Dining Restaurant Chains4Maggianos8.48
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCasual Dining Restaurant Chains5Outback Steakhouse8.40
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCoffeehouse Chains1Starbucks8.15
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCoffeehouse Chains2Tim Hortons8.06
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureCoffeehouse Chains3Dunkin' Donuts8.03
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureDoughnut Chains1Duck Donuts8.39
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureDoughnut Chains2Krispy Kreme8.32
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureDoughnut Chains3Dunkin' Donuts7.88
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Casual Restaurant Chains1Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers8.39
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Casual Restaurant Chains2Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen8.38
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Casual Restaurant Chains3The Habit8.38
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Casual Restaurant Chains4Firehouse Subs8.17
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Casual Restaurant Chains5Panera Bread8.14
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Food Restaurant Chains1Chick-fil-A8.77
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Food Restaurant Chains2Whataburger8.70
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Food Restaurant Chains3In-N-Out Burger8.66
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Food Restaurant Chains4Zaxby's8.65
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureFast-Food Restaurant Chains5Culver's8.59
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureIce Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores1Rita’s Italian Ice8.39
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureIce Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores2Dippin’ Dots8.32
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureIce Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores3Kilwins8.30
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureIce Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores4Häagen-Dazs8.30
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureIce Cream and Frozen Yogurt Stores5Ben&Jerry's8.19
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureMovie Theaters1Marcus Theatres8.18
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureMovie Theaters2Cinemark7.93
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureMovie Theaters3Regal Cinemas7.84
Catering, Restaurants and LeisurePizza Chains1Papa Murphy's8.29
Catering, Restaurants and LeisurePizza Chains2Hungry Howie's8.14
Catering, Restaurants and LeisurePizza Chains3Marco's8.12
Catering, Restaurants and LeisurePizza Chains4Blaze Pizzeria8.11
Catering, Restaurants and LeisurePizza Chains5Dominos Pizza7.85
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureUpscale Chain Restaurants1The Capital Grille8.32
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureUpscale Chain Restaurants2Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House8.26
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureUpscale Chain Restaurants3Ruth's Chris Steak House8.21
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureUpscale Chain Restaurants4Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar8.21
Catering, Restaurants and LeisureUpscale Chain Restaurants5Morton's The Steakhouse8.18

All Winners

See the complete list here.



Licensing

If your company was listed in the ranking, click here to learn more about the licencing options.



Methodology

The 2021 America's Best Customer Service rankings were identified from the results of an independent survey of more than 25,000 U.S. customers who have either made purchases, used services, or gathered information about products or services in the past three years. Customers evaluated several brands: in total, 160,000 evaluations were collected. The awarded brands each received on average close to 100 evaluations from customers. The survey was conducted on retailers and service providers from 160 categories, providing results for customer experiences in traditional retail, online and service segments. For each category, the most relevant brands were included in the scope of the survey according to reputation, turnover or market share. The final assessment and rankings were based on the Net Promoter Score* (50% of the final score) and five evaluation criteria (also 50% of the final score):

1. Quality of Communication

Measures whether the contact (via e-mail, telephone or face to face) was friendly or polite.

2. Professional Competence

Measures the quality of infor- mation received and whether questions were answered correctly and in sufficient detail.

3. Range of Services

Measures the variety of solutions available to fulfill one's personal expectations.

4. Customer Focus

Measures whether the customer feels acknowledged and important.

5. Accessibility

Measures the availability of customer service in a shop or on a helpline.

The top 3-5 brands based on category size receiving the highest scores in each category were awarded as America's Best Customer Service 2021. The survey was conducted using online access panels, providing a representative sample of more than 25,000 American customers. Each of them gave an evaluation of several brands. For the full methodology, download this file.