Who’s Loving It?

McDonald’s and Starbucks both pride themselves on a uniform location and experience wherever you are. However, it looks like Americans have strongly different opinions on how high quality their local McDonald’s and Starbucks are.

McDonald’s: The Regional Divide

Across the fifty states, the average Yelp rating for McDonald’s ranges all the way from 1.8 to 2.7. The three “friendliest” graders were Wyoming, South Dakota, and Vermont — states with notably generous assessments of the Golden Arches. At the other end of the spectrum, the toughest graders were Georgia, South Carolina, and Utah.

Figure 1 — Choropleth map showing average McDonald’s Yelp ratings by state. Darker yellow indicates higher ratings.

Starbucks: Coffee Critics by Region

For Starbucks, the review averages land somewhat higher overall, ranging from 2.5 to 3.5. The toughest coffee critics were New Mexico, DC, and New York — no surprise for the latter two. The three friendliest graders were Iowa, North Dakota, and again, Vermont, which earns its place at the top of both chains’ rankings.

Figure 2 — Choropleth map showing average Starbucks Yelp ratings by state. Darker green indicates higher ratings.

The Four Quadrants

When we plot both brands against the national average simultaneously, four distinct groups of states emerge. Some states are generous reviewers for both chains; others are consistently harsh; and some reserve their affection — or criticism — for just one brand.

Figure 3 — Scatter plot of all 50 states by average McDonald’s rating (x-axis) vs average Starbucks rating (y-axis), relative to the national mean.

The Open Question

Are the states with higher ratings simply easier graders? Or are the restaurants actually better in Vermont? The data, as rich as it is, cannot settle the question. Yelp ratings reflect the interaction between the actual experience delivered and the expectations and standards each reviewer brings to it. A McDonald’s in Cheyenne may serve the exact same product as one in Atlanta — but the review it receives is shaped as much by the customer as by the kitchen.

What the data does tell us is that the “uniform experience” these chains promise is perceived in anything but a uniform way across the country.