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.
Markets
The European Stock Market: Attractive Valuations Offer Opportunities
On average, the European stock market has valuations that are nearly 50% lower than U.S. valuations. But how can you access the market?
European Stock Market: Attractive Valuations Offer Opportunities
Europe is known for some established brands, from L’Oréal to Louis Vuitton. However, the European stock market offers additional opportunities that may be lesser known.
The above infographic, sponsored by STOXX, outlines why investors may want to consider European stocks.
Attractive Valuations
Compared to most North American and Asian markets, European stocks offer lower or comparable valuations.
| Index | Price-to-Earnings Ratio | Price-to-Book Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| EURO STOXX 50 | 14.9 | 2.2 |
| STOXX Europe 600 | 14.4 | 2 |
| U.S. | 25.9 | 4.7 |
| Canada | 16.1 | 1.8 |
| Japan | 15.4 | 1.6 |
| Asia Pacific ex. China | 17.1 | 1.8 |
Data as of February 29, 2024. See graphic for full index names. Ratios based on trailing 12 month financials. The price to earnings ratio excludes companies with negative earnings.
On average, European valuations are nearly 50% lower than U.S. valuations, potentially offering an affordable entry point for investors.
Research also shows that lower price ratios have historically led to higher long-term returns.
Market Movements Not Closely Connected
Over the last decade, the European stock market had low-to-moderate correlation with North American and Asian equities.
The below chart shows correlations from February 2014 to February 2024. A value closer to zero indicates low correlation, while a value of one would indicate that two regions are moving in perfect unison.
| EURO STOXX 50 | STOXX EUROPE 600 | U.S. | Canada | Japan | Asia Pacific ex. China |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EURO STOXX 50 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.55 | 0.67 | 0.24 | 0.43 |
| STOXX EUROPE 600 | 1.00 | 0.56 | 0.71 | 0.28 | 0.48 | |
| U.S. | 1.00 | 0.73 | 0.12 | 0.25 | ||
| Canada | 1.00 | 0.22 | 0.40 | |||
| Japan | 1.00 | 0.88 | ||||
| Asia Pacific ex. China | 1.00 |
Data is based on daily USD returns.
European equities had relatively independent market movements from North American and Asian markets. One contributing factor could be the differing sector weights in each market. For instance, technology makes up a quarter of the U.S. market, but health care and industrials dominate the broader European market.
Ultimately, European equities can enhance portfolio diversification and have the potential to mitigate risk for investors.
Tracking the Market
For investors interested in European equities, STOXX offers a variety of flagship indices:
| Index | Description | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| STOXX Europe 600 | Pan-regional, broad market | €10.5T |
| STOXX Developed Europe | Pan-regional, broad-market | €9.9T |
| STOXX Europe 600 ESG-X | Pan-regional, broad market, sustainability focus | €9.7T |
| STOXX Europe 50 | Pan-regional, blue-chip | €5.1T |
| EURO STOXX 50 | Eurozone, blue-chip | €3.5T |
Data is as of February 29, 2024. Market cap is free float, which represents the shares that are readily available for public trading on stock exchanges.
The EURO STOXX 50 tracks the Eurozone’s biggest and most traded companies. It also underlies one of the world’s largest ranges of ETFs and mutual funds. As of November 2023, there were €27.3 billion in ETFs and €23.5B in mutual fund assets under management tracking the index.
“For the past 25 years, the EURO STOXX 50 has served as an accurate, reliable and tradable representation of the Eurozone equity market.”
— Axel Lomholt, General Manager at STOXX
Partnering with STOXX to Track the European Stock Market
Are you interested in European equities? STOXX can be a valuable partner:
- Comprehensive, liquid and investable ecosystem
- European heritage, global reach
- Highly sophisticated customization capabilities
- Open architecture approach to using data
- Close partnerships with clients
- Part of ISS STOXX and Deutsche Börse Group
With a full suite of indices, STOXX can help you benchmark against the European stock market.
Learn how STOXX’s European indices offer liquid and effective market access.
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