Fast-food preferences: Consumer Reports' study shows ironic result

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SALT LAKE CITY — Americans are more concerned with the taste than convenience of their fast food, a recent study shows.

Consumer Reports did a survey on the best and worst fast-food restaurants in America. The survey asked consumers this question: "On a scale of 1 to 10, from least delicious to most delicious you’ve ever eaten, how would you rate the taste?"

Ratings were done on a wide variety of fast food, including chicken, burritos, sandwiches and burgers.

Upon completion of the survey, results showed diners thought McDonald's has the worst burger, KFC the worst chicken and Taco Bell the worst burrito. Subway's sandwiches also scored extremely low in consumers' opinions.

This could be because of reputations from past allegations with the preparation and content of fast foods. One St. George man spoke of a McDonald's burger that aged 14 years and still wouldn't rot. The burger looked normal beside the pickle that did, unlike the patty and bun, go bad.

Fast-casual restaurant preferences:
In-N-Out
The Habit
Chick-fil-A
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill
Firehouse Subs
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Jason's Deli
Jersey Mike's Subs
Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
McAlister's Deli
Panera Bread
Schlotzsky's

Another fast-food incident involved Taco Bell when the restaurant was accused of topping tacos and burritos with "meat filler" rather than the ground beef consumers thought they ate when visiting Taco Bell. Originally, fast food was just that. Fast. Now, Americans are looking for more in their food. They want quality and variety, according to Consumer Reports.

The study also showed that consumers were willing to travel further to eat tasty food. The convenience of fast food just wasn't as important as the previous 2011 study showed. And while the younger generation prefers to spend less money, they are not willing to give up their desire for quality.

In fact, alternatives to the typical fast-food chains were upscale restaurants known as fast-casual restaurants. Consumers preferred In-N-Out and The Habit over McDonald's. They also preferred Chick-fil-A over KFC and Chipotle Mexican Grill and Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill over Taco Bell.

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UtahLifestyle
Alyssa Banks

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