Lowe’s nebulous layoffs, Pinterest’s earnings soar, and UK House of Commons’ banned words

Good morning, PR pros:

Chicken reigns supreme in the fast-food wars.

Chick-fil-A has become the No. 1 ranked fast-food chain, ahead of former leader In-N-Out burger and other mainstays like Wendy’s. Chipotle led the pack for Mexican American cuisine.

Though customer satisfaction matters, how we measure public sentiment and its effect on sales seems to be inherently flawed. McDonald’s frequently ranks near the bottom for customer satisfaction surveys but tops the list in sales figures.

How should we change our measurement of customer loyalty and brand affinity to reflect the true value of an organizations’ connection to customers?

Here are today’s top stories:

The home improvement chain is reportedly cutting thousands of assembly, maintenance and facility-service positions, outsourcing the roles to third-party organizations. Lowe’s will focus instead on in-store sales and customer service positions.

The company declined to tell reporters how many employees its laying off, but CNN Business reported that as of Feb. 1, the company had “approximately 190,000 full-time and 110,000 part-time employees in the United States, Canada and Mexico.”