Leading eating and drinking-out sector operators have dominated the top 10 of the latest High Street Happiness Survey, which looks into the levels of customer satisfaction being provided by the UK’s top high street brands.
The survey the Activate Solutions Group, which focused on 10 high streets across the country over a two week period and incorporated brands from 14 different sectors, listed Wagamama as number one overall and in the restaurant category, as 16 brands from the sector made the top 50.
Nando’s came second in the category and achieved number five overall, while Pizza Express and Pizza Hut Restaurants also made it into the top 50, coming in at numbers 14 and 27 respectively.
Pret A Manger came top of the cafes, ranking at number four overall. Nero followed close behind, coming second in the category and achieving sixth place overall. West Cornwall Pasty Company (7th), Greggs (9th), Costa (33rd) and Starbucks (40th) also featured.
Harvester reached 8th place, making it sector leader in the bars and pubs category. Wetherspoons (12th), Yates’s (22nd) and Toby Carvery (28th), also gained recognition.
KFC was the highest ranking fast food outlet, achieving 19th place overall. Burger King also made it into the top 50, coming in at number 41.
A net promoter scoring system was used to measure factors relating to the sites themselves, the level of service being provided and the emotional response customers had to the experience overall.
Mike Cottman, chief executive of The Activate Solutions Group, said: “Our survey was designed to show where the weaknesses and strengths lie on the Great British high street.
“While there is always room for improvement, overall the food and drinks sector did well. Restaurants came top; with cafes 4th and bars and pubs in 5th place. Fast food outlets overall have a lot more work to do, having achieved 11th place out of the 14 sectors we looked at.
“We all know consumers these days demand a lot more from their high street experiences and it’s up to all of us to ensure we’re doing everything we can to meet their ever increasing expectations. Tracking data of this type is the best way to tackle this.”
Simon Cope, international marketing and property director Wagamama, said: “The importance of the Wagamama brand and our great pan-Asian food to our consumers and teams remains at the forefront of everything we do, and we are humbled that Wagamama is at the top amongst so many other great brands.”
Russel Smith, chief operating officer at KFC UK & Ireland, said: “Customer experience is our number one priority. We’re pleased to have performed well in this survey, and we’ll continue to work hard to make sure people continue to have a great time whenever they visit one of our restaurants.”
