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.
Impact and considerations
The report shows location data and ad tech are becoming core tools for restaurant and hospitality operators competing for footfall and repeat visits, offering relevant benchmarks for travel and hotel companies investing in loyalty and localized marketing.
Key points
- Shake Shack achieved a 99% loyalty rate, with only 1% of its guests visiting a competitor during the study window.
- Wendy's, Smashburger, Sonic and Steak 'n Shake rounded out the top five in loyalty.
- 61% of burger QSR visitors stick to one brand, while 39% are samplers.
- McDonald's recorded a 60% loyalty rate but held the largest customer overlap across every chain, making it the primary target for switcher campaigns.
- Whataburger logged the second-highest sampler rate at 52%, showing rapid geographic expansion increases cross-shopping risk.
- The report outlines five strategies: defend loyalists, daypart targeting, geofence competitors, centralized local activation and real-time attribution.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- Hospitality Technology
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 17 Sept 2026, 02:14
- Page published
- 17 Sept 2026, 02:58
- Last updated
- 17 Sept 2026, 02:14
- Original links
- Hospitality Technology：STUDY: Shake Shack Leads Burger QSRs in Customer Loyalty, Driven by Location Data (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 17 Sept 2026, 02:14