Here Are the Most Popular Fast Food Brands in America
KEY POINTS
- The top fast food brands are all familiar names: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and KFC.
- McDonald's serves 69 million people every day, more than the population of Thailand and the United Kingdom.
- Americans now spend more on fast food than they do on groceries.
Are you a fan of these brands?
The fast food industry is a multibillion-dollar business in the United States. Bouncing back from the pandemic, the industry is expected to generate $331 billion dollars this year. There's no doubt that Americans love their fast food. And with so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which brands are the most popular. The top fast food brands are all familiar names: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and KFC.
Most popular fast food companies
McDonald's is by far the most popular fast food chain in the United States. It has about 13,500 locations in the U.S., 40,000 worldwide, and it operates in 118 countries. McDonald's serves 69 million people every day, more than the population of Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Starbucks is No. 2, driven by the Starbucks Card program and Starbucks' mobile order and pay. No. 3 is Chick-fil-A, which is about three times smaller than Taco Bell in terms of location numbers, but brings in 33% more revenue. Chick-fil-A is arguably the fastest growing fast food brand in the country, in fact. Taco Bell and Wendy's round out the top five. A new Taco Bell opened on average every two hours this past year.
We've compiled a list of the most popular fast food brands in America, based on total 2021 U.S. sales and locations.
| Brand | Systemwide sales, 2021 | Number of locations |
|---|---|---|
| McDonald's | $45.96 billion | 13,458 locations |
| Starbucks | $24.3 billion | 15,450 locations |
| Chick-fil-A | $16.7 billion | 2,732 locations |
| Taco Bell | $12.6 billion | 7,002 locations |
| Wendy's | $11.1 billion | 5,938 locations |
| Dunkin': | $10.4 billion | 9,244 locations |
| Burger King | $10 billion | 7,105 locations |
| Subway | $9.4 billion | 21,147 locations |
| Domino's | $8.6 billion | 6,560 locations |
| Chipotle | $7.5 billion | 2,966 locations |
| Sonic Drive-In | $5.8 billion | 3,552 locations |
| Panera Bread | $5.7 billion | 2,080 locations |
| Pizza Hut | $5.5 billion | 6,548 locations |
| KFC | $5.1 billion | 3,953 locations |
| Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | $4.5 billion | 2,754 locations |
| Dairy Queen | $4.5 billion | 4,339 locations |
| Arby's | $4.5 billion | 3,409 locations |
| Panda Express | $4.5 billion | 2,334 locations |
| Little Caesars | $4.2 billion | 4,181 locations |
| Jack in the Box | $4.1 billion | 2,218 locations |
| Papa Johns | $3.5 billion | 3,164 locations |
| Whataburger | $2.7 billion | 873 locations |
| Culver's | $2.5 billion | 837 locations |
| Raising Caine's | $2.4 billion | 567 locations |
| Jimmy John's | $2.3 billion | 2,657 locations |
| Wingstop | $2.3 billion | 1,534 locations |
| Zaxby's | $2.2 billion | 908 locations |
| Jersey Mike's | $2.2 billion | 2,100 locations |
| Hardee's | $2.1 billion | 1,734 locations |
| Five Guys | $2.1 billion | 1,390 locations |
| Carl's Jr. | $1.6 billion | 1,058 locations |
| Bojangles | $1.5 billion | 773 locations |
| In-N-Out Burger | $1.2 billion | 370 locations |
| Firehouse Subs | $1 billion | 1,140 locations |
| Krispy Kreme | $996 million | 358 locations |
| El Pollo Loco | $973 million | 481 locations |
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $948 million | 1,039 locations |
| Del Taco | $931 million | 600 locations |
| Checkers/Rally's | $931 million | 834 locations |
| Marco's Pizza | $899 million | 1,002 locations |
| McAlister's Deli | $869 million | 505 locations |
| Qdoba | $835 million | 739 locations |
| Papa Murphy's | $809 million | 1,240 locations |
| Shake Shack | $777 million | 243 locations |
| Church's Chicken | $776 million | 892 locations |
| Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburger | $759 million | 420 locations |
| Tim Hortons | $687 million | 637 locations |
| Baskin-Robbins | $686 million | 2,317 locations |
| Moe's | $661 million | 659 locations |
| White Castle | $615 million | 349 locations |
There are many different types of fast food restaurants, ranging from global chains like McDonald's and KFC, to local businesses like burger joints and pizza places. Today, fast food is a staple of the American diet. In fact, Americans now spend more on fast food than they do on groceries. This is partly due to the recession, as people have had to make changes to their personal finances and have in a lot of cases turned to cheap and convenient meals instead of cooking at home. But it's also due to the rising popularity and ease of accessing fast food chains' fare via methods such as food delivery apps.
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