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
Top 10 Countries Most in Debt to the IMF
Argentina tops the ranking, with a debt equivalent to 5.3% of the country’s GDP.
Top 10 Countries Most in Debt to the IMF
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.
Established in 1944, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) supports countries’ economic growth by providing financial aid and guidance on policies to enhance stability, productivity, and job opportunities.
Countries seek loans from the IMF to address economic crises, stabilize their currencies, implement structural reforms, and alleviate balance of payments difficulties.
In this graphic, we visualize the 10 countries most indebted to the fund.
Methodology
We compiled this ranking using the International Monetary Fund’s data on Total IMF Credit Outstanding. We selected the latest debt data for each country, accurate as of April 29, 2024.
Argentina Tops the Rank
Argentina’s debt to the IMF is equivalent to 5.3% of the country’s GDP. In total, the country owns more than $32 billion.
Country | IMF Credit Outstanding ($B) | GDP ($B, 2024) | IMF Debt as % of GDP |
---|---|---|---|
🇦🇷 Argentina | 32 | 604.3 | 5.3 |
🇪🇬 Egypt | 11 | 347.6 | 3.1 |
🇺🇦 Ukraine | 9 | 188.9 | 4.7 |
🇵🇰 Pakistan | 7 | 374.7 | 1.8 |
🇪🇨 Ecuador | 6 | 121.6 | 4.9 |
🇨🇴 Colombia | 3 | 386.1 | 0.8 |
🇦🇴 Angola | 3 | 92.1 | 3.2 |
🇰🇪 Kenya | 3 | 104.0 | 2.8 |
🇬🇠Ghana | 2 | 75.2 | 2.6 |
🇨🇮 Ivory Coast | 2 | 86.9 | 2.3 |
A G20 member and major grain exporter, the country’s history of debt trouble dates back to the late 1890s when it defaulted after contracting debts to modernize the capital, Buenos Aires. It has already been bailed out over 20 times in the last six decades by the IMF.
Five of the 10 most indebted countries are in Africa, while three are in South America.
The only European country on our list, Ukraine has relied on international support amidst the conflict with Russia. It is estimated that Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country caused the loss of a third of the country’s economy. The country owes $9 billion to the IMF.
In total, almost 100 countries owe money to the IMF, and the grand total of all of these debts is $111 billion. The above countries (top 10) account for about 69% of these debts.
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