Why teens love Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, Starbucks, and Chipotle

American teen consumers are lovin' their fast food and drinks from chains like Chick-fil-A, Starbucks (SBUX) and Chipotle (CMG) according to a new survey.

Piper Sandler's semi-annal survey polled 14,500 teens, with an average age of nearly 16, in 47 states between Aug. 12 to Sept. 23. This year the survey suggested American teens are eager to get back to dining out following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Restaurant spending has grown to account for an increasing portion of the broader teen wallet over time, passing positive territory in Spring 2014," the survey noted, "Despite a flattening out during COVID, we believe teens’ preference for restaurant and dining out occasions is positioned to rebound as behavioral spending patterns normalize."

Among average income teens, who come from households with total income of $66,497, Chick-Fil-A took the No. 1 spot with 14% share, followed by Starbucks at 12%, old favorite McDonald's, 7%, Chipotle, 5%, and Olive Garden coming in at No. 5 with 4%.

Chick-fil-A is #1!

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 06: A worker takes orders as customers line up in the drive-thru lane at a Chick-fil-A restaurant on May 06, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Chicken prices have risen sharply this year as suppliers struggle to keep up with demand, fueled in part, by the popularity of new chicken offerings from fast-food restaurants. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson via Getty Images)

One reason for its top ranking: Chick-fil-A was able to maintain relatively steady foot traffic compared to pre-pandemic visit numbers, according to data intelligence platform Placer.ai, thanks to its "significant" store expansion. The Georgia-based chain Chick-fil-A recently opened its location in Hawaii, topping more than 2,700 restaurants in 47 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada.

Chick-fil-A, not only popular among teens but ultra-popular among consumers overall. (It must be, given the long waits folks have to endure. According to a new study from Intouch Insight and QSR, locations are expected to have an average of 4.74 cars in line, making it the slowest drive-thru in America with an average total time spent of more than 8 minutes.)

Back in Spring of 2022, Chick-fil-A also held the top spot among average income teens with 14% share followed by Starbucks at 11%, McDonald's, 7%, Chipotle, 5%, and Olive Garden, 3%.

Another chain, Chipotle, maintained its No. 4 spot with teens with 5% market share.

Piper Sandler considers it the "most preferred at Hispanic cuisine levels across both upper-income and average-income teens"— a big opportunity for market share gains overall said Piper Sandler Managing Director Nicole Miller Regan.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: People walk past a Chipotle store on August 10, 2022 in New York City. NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that they will be paying $20 million dollars to current and former workers in their NYC restaurants for violating city labor laws. The settlement will cover about 13,000 employees who worked at the chain's NYC stores between 2017 and this year. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images)

Starbucks, meanwhile, rose in the rankings to the No. 2 spot, holding 12% share—up from 11% this past spring and 10% share last fall. Why? Cold drinks. On a call with analysts, Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz called cold beverages a "Gen Z product" for the brand, while customization options lend a "competitive advantage in our ability to customize almost any beverage that our customers want with speed."

Cold beverages accounted for 75% of beverage sales in the company's fiscal third quarter earnings report.

Other public coffee companies like Dutch Bros (BROS), which announced plans to ramp up store openings this year, and Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC), did not rank among the teens surveyed.

McDonald's (MCD) held its prime spot in the top five at No. 4.

Among average-income teens specifically, it ranks No. 3 with 7%, higher than last fall where it held 5% of share. "Looking forward, we believe the brand's ongoing efforts to drive heightened levels of digital engagement could help to drive incremental traction with teens," Regan added.

In the company's most recent quarterly report, digital sales exceeded $6 billion dollars representing one-third of total systemwide sales. This comes after the launched its app-driven MyMcDonald’s Rewards program in 2021. Once customers download the app and join, freebies including free Hash Browns, Vanilla Cone, McChicken or Cheeseburger can be "unlocked" after the first order.

That's one way to keep teens happy — and brands strong.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 26: Customers wait to order food at a McDonalds fast food restaurant on July 26, 2022 in Miami, Florida. The McDonald's company reported U.S. same-store sales rose 3.7%, while international sales rose 9.7% during the most recent quarter. However, it also said that total revenue fell 3% to $5.72 billion; it attributed the weakness to slowing demand in China. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle via Getty Images)

Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

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