An analysis of millions of customer ratings has identified the highest and lowest-rated McDonald's restaurants across the United States. Digital PR and search engine optimization firm SEO Backlinks evaluated thousands of franchise outlets to determine which locations consistently impress diners and which leave customers disappointed.
The study examined Google Maps listings compiled as of Oct. 5, filtering for outlets with at least 500 reviews. Out of more than 12,000 nationwide locations, a total of 12,834 restaurants met the threshold, encompassing 20,466,218 individual Google reviews. Rankings were established using each store's exact average rating out of five stars.
To calculate state-level performance, the researchers averaged store ratings equally across each region, meaning a restaurant with 500 reviews held the same weight as one with 5,000. Every U.S. state alongside Washington, D.C., had a minimum of 23 locations represented in the study, resulting in a national average benchmark score of 3.44 out of 5 stars.
Utah ranked as the lowest-rated state overall, where its 106 McDonald's locations produced an average score of 3.22 stars. Georgia and South Carolina followed closely behind with average ratings of 3.27 and 3.29, respectively. Conversely, Hawaii claimed the highest overall customer satisfaction with a state average of 3.71 stars, followed by New Jersey at 3.64 and Washington state at 3.62.
Taking the top spot among all individual restaurants nationwide was the McDonald's on East Main Street in Eagle Pass, Texas. The outlet achieved an average score of 4.25 stars based on 2,159 reviews. The second-highest-rated location was in Calexico, California, while the third spot went to the world's oldest operating McDonald's, situated on Lakewood Boulevard in Downey, California.
Patrons leaving positive reviews for top-tier restaurants frequently highlighted fast service, piping hot food, tidy restrooms, family-friendly atmospheres, and functional ice cream machines. A reviewer in September commended the Eagle Pass store, writing, "Good service, easy access, and the number of parking spaces seems adequate. Overall, a good experience as the premises are clean."
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the lowest-rated McDonald's in America is located in Surprise, Arizona, holding an average rating of just 1.55 stars. Diners routinely criticized the store for sluggish service, mixed-up food orders, poor cleanliness, and low food quality. A location in Goshen, Indiana, ranked as the second-worst with an average rating of 1.99, while an outlet in Auburn, Alabama, followed in third with a 2.27 rating.
Illustrating customer frustration at the Surprise location, one reviewer wrote in late September: "This is the absolute worst McDonald's I've ever gone to. The slowest drive-through out of any fast food chain that I've ever been to is this location. I was in line for over 30 minutes in the drive-through. Never ever will I come here again. Update: got home and realized they forgot my Happy Meal, and the food tasted horrible and was overly cooked and dry/cold."
The study's authors noted several inherent limitations in their findings. The data relied strictly on Google reviews rather than incorporating feedback from other platforms like Yelp, and high-volume outlets were weighed equally against lower-traffic locations. Additionally, review data can be skewed by voluntary customer feedback, as individuals who experience exceptionally good or exceptionally bad service are typically more motivated to post online comments than those with average experiences.
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