These chain restaurants are getting the best buzz

It's not an easy task to satisfy customers and get good reviews, but these restaurants did just that throughout 2015.

YouGov BrandIndex, a consumer perception research firm, is out with 2015's results for the top-rated casual-dining restaurants and fast food chains in the U.S. receiving the best buzz from customers. BrandIndex interviewed thousands of people and asked whether respondents had heard positive or negative things about the brands in the last two weeks.

"We are asking the consumer to think very broadly about the messaging they are hearing about the brands in our survey," said Ted Marzilli, CEO of YouGov BrandIndex. "In this case, we think that brand perception is just as important as the reality of what is in the consumer's head, whether he or she chooses to eat at a certain restaurant."

So, which restaurants earned top scores? Click ahead to find out.

—By CNBC's Krysia Lenzo
Posted 14 Jan. 2016

Rounding out the top five casual-dining chains, seafood restaurant Red Lobster earned a score of 14.1. BrandIndex makes its "buzz score" calculation by subtracting the negative scores from the positive scores, producing a moving average between negative 100 and positive 100.

A zero score represents a neutral brand perception.

Owned by DineEquity, the brand came in slightly ahead of Red Lobster at 14.7.

"Applebee's has the scale and national footprint so that they can be pretty competitive on their pricing," said Marzilli. "Also, the more people who are familiar with your brand the better off you are."

The chain came in third at 15.9. Bloomin' Brands, the parent company, also owns Italian and seafood brands.

This past year Panera Bread has doubled down on overhauling the ingredients it uses. In early May, the restaurant chain detailed a list of artificial additives that it is ditching from its menu.

YouGov BrandIndex chose to put Panera into the casual-dining category after considering how it stacked up with competitors on a variety of factors including table service and price point.

According to Marzilli, the Italian restaurant was able to hold on to the top spot for yet another year thanks in part to its viral pasta promotion which generated a lot of buzz. Olive Garden topped the casual-dining sector with a score of 18.6.

The old-fashioned drive-in hamburger chain ranked fifth among fast food chains with a buzz score of 11.4.

The only pizza chain to crack the top spots, Yum Brands' Pizza Hut earned a score of 12.9.

The restaurant has recently focused on marketing its new pizza lineup called "The Flavor of Now," which focuses on customization and premium ingredients like Peruvian cherry peppers and trendy flavors like honey sriracha.

The chicken chain had a whirlwind 2015, opening 88 new restaurants including its first Manhattan location. Chick-fil-A also introduced a new healthy kale and "Broccolini" salad in place of its staple coleslaw. In 2014, the Atlanta-based restaurant announced it would work with suppliers to remove all antibiotics from its chicken supply, a process that it forecast will take five years.

Earning it a spot as the most well-perceived burger joint among those surveyed, Wendy's made a one-spot gain in the latest ranking to a score of 14.3.

The sandwich chain held on to its top spot as the best-perceived fast food brand with a score of 17.2.

"Making the sandwiches in front of your eyes is a draw for people, and Subway has positioned themselves to do this well," Marzilli said.

It's important to note that the data included the time frame when Subway was in the news for a scandal involving longtime spokesman Jared Fogle. (Subway has cut ties with Fogle, who was sentenced in November to more than 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to trading in child pornography and paying for sex with underage girls, and is appealing his sentence.)

"It's not to say that Jared has not impacted Subway negatively, but people are not really holding the brand accountable for the actions of that one person," Marzilli added.

— CNBC's Katie Little and The Associated Press contributed to this article.