Gen Z’s top 10 favorite restaurant brands are all masters of generating buzz

McDonald’s, Wingstop, and Starbucks are among Gen Z’s most popular and appealing restaurant brands, according to Dcdx’s new Magnetic 100: Restaurants report, measured by organic, user-generated content.

The report looks at what young consumers spent their hard-earned money on in the first quarter of 2025, noting which brands attracted the most organic conversations, either by generating online buzz or through word-of-mouth, including during big cultural moments such as the Super Bowl and holidays like Valentine’s Day.

Some surprising names to crack Dcdx’s top-10 roster this year were Crumbl Cookies (#6) and Raising Cane’s (#7), a fast-casual chain specializing in chicken fingers.

Here’s the top 10 rankings from the new Magnetic 100: Restaurants:

1. McDonald’s
2. Wingstop
3. Starbucks
4. Chipotle
5. Taco Bell
6. Crumbl Cookies
7. Raising Cane’s
8. KFC
9. Chick-fil-A
10. Subway

It’s worth noting that some of the top brands have had success with special-item offerings for a limited time, such as McDonald’s, which has collaborated with popular celebrities in creating some special-edition meals; and Crumbl, which features a rotating menu of cookie flavors.

Gen Z’s spending power grows

A lot has been written about Gen Z’s spending habits, mostly because the 12-to-27-year-old demographic’s spending power is expected to grow to $12 trillion by 2030, according to Nielsen. That would make it the wealthiest generation to date, giving it significant influence over the products retailers and manufacturers choose to sell, both now and in the future. It’s also the largest generation in history, making up more than 25% of the global population.

The report makes clear that brands aren’t just competing for dollars, but also for a share in an ongoing and crowded online conversation. For example, the report’s top 100 brands racked up 7.78 billion total engagements, with McDonald’s, the leading brand, generating 1 billion engagements alone.

Of the 139 total restaurant brands analyzed in the report, the top 6 brands drove more than 50% of the conversation in the restaurant category, representing nearly 4 billion engagements.

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