In a quick-service restaurant industry survey of more than 7,600 US consumers, Ben & Jerry’s was voted the top ice cream chain, while Cold Stone Creamery and Culver’s took the second and third spots. Baskin-Robbins, Häagen-Dazs, Dairy Queen and Carvel also made it onto the list of favourites.
The study was designed to uncover which ice cream chain consumers like most and why they prefer one over another. Market Force first calculated the favourites based on the total number of votes, and then factored in the number of locations for each chain for a level view of the results.
Market Force also analysed the results geographically to see which ice cream chains are most popular in four regions of the US: the Northeast, Midwest, South and West.
Baskin-Robbins came out on top in the Northeast, Ben & Jerry’s in the Midwest, and interestingly, Wisconsin-based Culver’s received the most votes in the South and West regions, but ranked fourth in the Midwest. Ben & Jerry’s was second favourite in the Northeast, South and West, and consumers nationwide agreed that Cold Stone Creamery was third across the board.
“Despite the recession, the ice cream market has remained hot and we’re seeing smaller chains like Culver’s aggressively grow their fan following by focusing on the customer experience,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force. “Still, with its progressive brand image, as well as a variety of funky flavours with creative names, Ben & Jerry’s remains the crowd favourite.”
Geoff Platt is a freelance editor & journalist, specialising in dairy.
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