But the deep-dive into Food Standards Agency data by Protecting.co.uk also found that standards can vary significantly between brands.
Several major operators have no sites rated below 4 (‘good’), including Nando’s, Domino’s, Five Guys, Tortilla, German Doner Kebab and Wasabi.
Chicken Cottage ranks lowest, with just 75 per 100 locations rated 4 or 5.
Across the circa 6,500 sites analysed, around 7% were rated 0–2 (‘needs improvement’), equivalent to around one in 14.
Restaurant groups tend to outperform independents due to more standardised processes and central oversight.
Large chains can align food safety procedures nationally through partnerships with a single council, while robust head office systems and internal audits result in consistently high “confidence in management” scores.
This, combined with a risk-based approach from inspectors, often results in more consistent standards across sites.
Mark Hall, managing director at Protecting.co.uk, said: “Hygiene ratings are one of the most visible indicators of how well standards are being managed across a business, and the data shows that most major fast food chains are getting this right.
“The main difference between brands isn’t necessarily how often they meet these high standards, but how consistently they deliver these same high levels across every site. Larger, more well-established brands tend to perform better here, despite having more sites to deliver this across, which will be down to them having more standardised processes and oversight across their sites.
“It’s worth noting that as brands expand, maintaining the same level of control across multiple locations becomes more challenging, particularly where operations are spread across different sites or teams.
“For brands scaling up, this shows the importance of keeping standards consistent day-to-day, not just in policy, but across all sites.”
Protecting.co.uk provides workplace health and safety software that helps businesses manage compliance and reduce paperwork.
Designed to support organisations of all sizes, the platform simplifies health and safety reporting so teams can focus on running and growing their business.