Markets
Ranked: The Most Popular Fast Food Brands in America
Ranked: The Most Popular Fast Food Brands in America
Ever since the McDonald brothers created the concept of fast food in 1940, the restaurant’s golden arches have continued to beckon customers to its quick, cheap, and tasty meals.
McDonald’s is still the most popular fast food brand in America today—with $46 billion in systemwide sales last year.
This graphic uses data from a report on America’s top 50 fast food chains by Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Magazine. The popular brands are sized by their 2021 systemwide sales and broken down into six broad categories: Burger, Chicken, Snack, Pizza, Sandwich, and Global.
Note: a number of these figures are estimates. Unofficial figures are noted in the graphic with an asterisk.
The Most Popular Fast Food Companies
It’s indisputable that McDonald’s is America’s favorite fast food restaurant, if not the world’s. McDonald’s sales are almost double the second the place restaurant’s, Starbucks—totaling $46 billion compared to the coffee shop’s $24 billion.
Here’s a closer look at the numbers:
Rank | Company | Systemwide Sales (2021) | Category |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | McDonald's | $46.0 billion | Burger |
#2 | Starbucks | $24.3 billion | Snack |
#3 | Chick-fil-A | $16.7 billion | Chicken |
#4 | Taco Bell | $12.6 billion | Global |
#5 | Wendy's | $11.1 billion | Burger |
#6 | Dunkin' | $10.4 billion | Snack |
#7 | Burger King | $10.0 billion | Burger |
#8 | Subway | $9.4 billion | Sandwich |
#9 | Domino's | $8.6 billion | Pizza |
#10 | Chipotle | $7.5 billion | Global |
#11 | Sonic Drive-In | $5.8 billion | Burger |
#12 | Panera Bread | $5.7 billion | Sandwich |
#13 | Pizza Hut | $5.5 billion | Pizza |
#14 | KFC | $5.1 billion | Chicken |
#15 | Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | $4.8 billion | Chicken |
#16 | Dairy Queen | $4.5 billion | Snack |
#17 | Arby's | $4.5 billion | Sandwich |
#18 | Panda Express | $4.5 billion | Global |
#19 | Little Caesars | $4.2 billion | Pizza |
#20 | Jack in the Box | $4.1 billion | Burger |
#21 | Papa Johns | $3.5 billion | Pizza |
#22 | Whataburger | $2.7 billion | Burger |
#23 | Culver's | $2.5 billion | Burger |
#24 | Raising Caine's | $2.4 billion | Chicken |
#25 | Jimmy John's | $2.3 billion | Sandwich |
#26 | Wingstop | $2.3 billion | Chicken |
#27 | Zaxby's | $2.2 billion | Chicken |
#28 | Jersey Mike's | $2.2 billion | Sandwich |
#29 | Hardee's | $2.1 billion | Burger |
#30 | Five Guys | $2.1 billion | Burger |
#31 | Carl's Jr. | $1.6 billion | Burger |
#32 | Bojangles | $1.5 billion | Chicken |
#33 | In-N-Out Burger | $1.2 billion | Burger |
#34 | Firehouse Subs | $1.0 billion | Sandwich |
#35 | Krispy Kreme | $996 million | Snack |
#36 | Pel Pollo Loco | $973 million | Chicken |
#37 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe | $948 million | Snack |
#38 | Del Taco | $931 million | Global |
#39 | Checkers/Rally's | $931 million | Burger |
#40 | Marco's Pizza | $899 million | Pizza |
#41 | McAlister's Deli | $869 million | Sandwich |
#42 | Qdoba | $835 million | Global |
#43 | Papa Murphy's | $809 million | Pizza |
#44 | Church's Chicken | $776 million | Chicken |
#45 | Shake Shack | $775 million | Burger |
#46 | Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburger | $759 million | Burger |
#47 | Tim Hortons | $687 million | Snack |
#48 | Baskin-Robbins | $686 million | Snack |
#49 | Moe's | $661 million | Global |
#50 | White Castle | $615 million | Burger |
Most of the top 20 restaurants are extremely well known, like Chick-fil-A in third place and Taco Bell in fourth. Some of these chains, however, will be unrecognizable depending on which part of the U.S. you live in. While Bojangles is ubiquitous in the Southeast, for example, many on the West Coast may have never heard of it.
Some of the lower ranking restaurants include Shake Shack (#45), White Castle (#50), and the Canadian-founded Tim Hortons (#47).
Fast Food Industry Trends
America’s fast food industry is expected to generate $331 billion in sales in 2022, and many restaurants are capitalizing on trends shaped in part by the pandemic.
Fast food companies are already somewhat ideal for pandemic conditions with drive-thrus, fast service, and a model that doesn’t encourage sitting down to eat.
Looking to the future, Starbucks, for example, has claimed 90% of its new stores will feature drive-thrus. Digital sales and transactions that limit contact, making fast food even more quick and convenient, are growing as well. Starbucks’ mobile order service has grown 400% over the last five years. And in 2021, the delivery side of their business grew 30% year-over-year, according to the QSR report.
Additionally, the report featured 50 up-and-coming fast food companies to watch in the industry. Here’s a look:
Rank | Company | Systemwide Sales (2021) | Category |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | Smoothie King | $602 million | Snack |
#2 | Habit Burger | $600 million | Burger |
#3 | Auntie Anne's | $576 million | Snack |
#4 | Captain D's | $567 million | Seafood |
#5 | Steak 'N' Shake | $539 million | Burger |
#6 | Portillo's | $526 million | Snack |
#7 | Jamba | $505 million | Snack |
#8 | Schlotzsky's | $332 million | Sandwich |
#9 | Krystal | $323 million | Burger |
#10 | Fazoli's | $298 million | Global |
#11 | Pizza Ranch | $279 million | Pizza |
#12 | Scooter's Coffee | $263 million | Snack |
#13 | Penn Station | $258 million | Sandwich |
#14 | Chicken Salad Chick | $255 million | Chicken |
#15 | Mountain Mike's | $254 million | Pizza |
#16 | Smashburger | $253 million | Burger |
#17 | Cinnabon | $224 million | Snack |
#18 | Wetzel's | $219 million | Snack |
#19 | Donatos | $211 million | Pizza |
#20 | Newk's | $208 million | Sandwich |
#21 | Bonchon | $173 million | Chicken |
#22 | Waba Grill | $170 million | Global |
#23 | The Human Bean | $109 million | Snack |
#24 | Capriotti's | $108 million | Sandwich |
#25 | Great Harvest Bread Company | $108 million | Sandwich |
#26 | Teriyaki Madness | $90 million | Global |
#27 | Roy Rogers | $82 million | Burger |
#28 | Pizza Guys | $79 million | Pizza |
#29 | Mooyah | $71 million | Burger |
#30 | Salsarita's | $68 million | Global |
#31 | Dog Haus | $67 million | Snack |
#32 | Gold Star | $61 million | Burger |
#33 | Hawaiian Bros | $55 million | Global |
#34 | Honeygrow | $55 million | Global |
#35 | Robeks | $50 million | Snack |
#36 | PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans | $46 million | Snack |
#37 | Kolache Factory | $46 million | Snack |
#38 | Juice it Up! | $43 million | Snack |
#39 | Happy Joe's | $38 million | Pizza |
#40 | Rusty Taco | $35 million | Global |
#41 | Wing Zone | $34 million | Chicken |
#42 | Swig | $29 million | Snack |
#43 | Pickleman's | $29 million | Sandwich |
#44 | Killer Burger | $17 million | Burger |
#45 | Wing Snob | $15 million | Chicken |
#46 | Sobol | $13 million | Global |
#47 | Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii | $12 million | Snack |
#48 | Asian Box | $11 million | Global |
#49 | Sauce on the Side | $9 million | Global |
#50 | Mici Italian | $6 million | Global |
Some of these are well-established fast food joints that are simply growing their sales, like Cinnabon, while others are newer to the scene.
America’s Favorite Fast Food
Using the ranking’s food categories, we calculated the total sales in each category from the top 50 to figure out which foods are America’s favorites. The winner is evidently burgers, with $92.2 billion in collective sales. Here’s a look at the breakdown:
Rank | Food Category | Category Cumulative Sales |
---|---|---|
#1 | Burger | $92.2 billion |
#2 | Snack | $42.5 billion |
#3 | Chicken | $36.7 billion |
#4 | Global | $27.0 billion |
#5 | Sandwich | $25.9 billion |
#6 | Pizza | $23.5 billion |
Sales at Burger restaurants were more than double the runner-up, which was Snacks. After all, nothing is more American than a classic hamburger and fries.
United States
The World’s Largest Economies: Comparing the U.S. and China
How do the world’s two largest economies compare? We look at the economies of U.S. and China across GDP, stock markets, and FDI.
Comparing the Economies of U.S. and China in 3 Key Metrics
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
In this graphic, we provide insight into the world’s two biggest economies by comparing them across three key metrics: GDP, equity market valuation, and foreign direct investment (FDI).
Starting with GDP, we used 2024 estimates from the latest edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (April 2024):
Country | GDP (% of total) | GDP (USD billions) |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | 26.3 | $28,780 |
🇨🇳 China | 16.9 | $18,530 |
🌍 Rest of World | 56.8 | $62,220 |
Based on these figures, the United States and China combine for a massive 43.2% share of the global economy.
It’s also interesting to note that America’s share of global GDP has actually been increasing in recent years, from a low of 21.1% in 2011. This is partly due to its relatively strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Equity Market Valuation
The U.S. dominates when it comes to stock market valuation, accounting for 61% of the global total as of Feb. 29, 2024. These figures are based on each country’s share of the S&P Global BMI, which is a broad coverage index, including large, mid, and small-cap stocks from developed and emerging markets.
Country | % of Global Market Cap |
---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | 61.0 |
🇨🇳 China | 2.8 |
🌍 Rest of World | 36.2 |
The massive disparity in equity market valuations between the U.S. and China is a result of differences in many factors, including market maturity, corporate governance, and international participation.
In terms of country rankings within the S&P Global BMI, China is the fourth largest (behind Japan and the UK).
Foreign Direct Investment
FDI is an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country. This type of investment can be very beneficial because it can create jobs and enhance economic growth. The FDI figures in this graphic were sourced from fDi Intelligence, and represent cumulative FDI stock from 1990 to 2022.
Country | % of Global FDI | FDI (current USD) |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 U.S. | 23.7 | $10.5T |
🇨🇳 China | 8.6 | $3.8T |
🌍 Rest of World | 67.7 | $30.0T |
The U.S. and China are first and second in terms of cumulative FDI stock. Attracting FDI is one area where China has performed very strongly in recent years.
For example, in 2012, China had attracted $950 billion in FDI, good enough for sixth place. As of 2022, China’s total had grown to $3.8 trillion, a testament to its attractiveness to global businesses, even in the face of regulatory challenges and geopolitical tensions.
Learn More About the Global Economy From Visual Capitalist
If you enjoyed this graphic, check out this graphic ranking the world’s biggest stock markets by country.
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