Chatmeter's Local Brand Report:

Reputation's Role in Restaurants

Chatmeter analyzed 75 restaurant chains in the U.S. split into 3 segments: under 50 locations, under 500 locations, and over 500 locations. The top 10 brands in each of these segments are then ranked based on two categories: Local Brand Visibility (LBV) and Online Reputation. The purpose of this report is to identify which brands are making the most effort to acquire and retain brand loyal customers through local search optimization.

In addition to identifying the top restaurant brands, Chatmeter dove into the customer sentiment found in the online reviews of the brands analyzed in this report. Findings from this research gave insight into how customers feel about new or expanded experiences driven by the pandemic. Topics like “Outdoor Seating” and “Curbside Pickup” earned mostly positive sentiment from customers in reviews. On the other hand, topics like “delivery driver” and “phone” leaned more negative in customer reviews.

We also found that customer sentiment around certain topics varied by the size of the brand. Topics like “menu” were mentioned more in reviews for brands with smaller location counts, topics around “location” appeared most in mid-sized brands and “service” was most popular in the reviews of large brands. As brands grow, customer wants and needs may change, analyzing reviews can help brands monitor this change.