McDonald's (MCD), Taco Bell (YUM) Hit Bottom Rung in Latest Consumer Reports Survey

While McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) and Yum Brands'! (NYSE: YUM) Taco Bell and KFC are dominating the landscape, they brands aren't hitting the top of the charts when it comes to overall flavor.

Consumer Reports (CR) released a survey of the Best and worst fast food restaurants in America on Tuesday. Notably, consumers have said that they are leaning more to taste over price now, while convenience of location is becoming less important.

Restaurants are a part of the millennials’ social structure, and they choose to spend less at meals so that they can eat out more often, says Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a food-service research and consulting firm. “Fast-casual dining in places like Chipotle and Panda Express lets the consumer guide the staff to prepare their meal just the way they like it,” he adds. In contrast, he says many of the traditional chains have lagged in offering higher-quality ingredients. Chains such as Chipotle, Noodles & Company, and Panera are even offering meat that has been produced without the use of antibiotics in animal feed, an attraction for many health-conscious consumers.

Top burger places include In-N-Out Burger, The Habit Burger Grill, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Smashburger. Top sandwich and sub brands are Portillo's Hot Dogs, Firehouse Subs, Schlotzsky's, and Jason's Deli.

The best chicken restaurants include Chick-fil-A, El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq: LOCO), Popeye's Lousiana Kitchen (Nasdaq: PLKI), and Boston Market.

For burritos, you're looking at Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG), Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, Qdoba Mexican Grill, and Baja Fresh Mexican Gill (do we sense a theme here?).

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