Simpli.fi Study: Shake Shack Leads Burger QSR Loyalty

Simpli.fi released "Whose Cheeseburger Is It?", the debut report in its Loyalty in the Real World series, analyzing billions of anonymized mobile movement and digital intent signals across the top 20 U.S. burger QSR chains over eight weeks to separate "loyalists" (single-chain visitors) from "samplers" (two or more chains). Shake Shack posted a 99% loyalty rate, with Wendy's, Smashburger, Sonic and Steak 'n Shake rounding out the top five. While 61% of burger QSR visitors stick to one brand, 39% are samplers; McDonald's recorded 60% loyalty but the largest customer overlap across every chain, making it the primary target for switcher campaigns.