Misc
Ranked: The 50 Most Popular Fast Food Chains in America
The 50 Most Popular Fast Food Chains in America
Millions of Americans eat at fast food restaurants every day—and they now have more options at their disposal than ever before.
From burgers to pad thai, there’s a quick service restaurant that’ll satisfy almost any appetite. With all this choice, which fast food chains are the most popular among consumers?
Using data from QSR Magazine, today’s infographic ranks the top 50 largest fast food chains in the U.S. by sales in 2019, providing insight into the types of foods Americans have been craving.
Fast Food Chains Ranked, by Revenue
In 2019, the 50 largest fast food chains in the U.S. generated over $200 billion in revenue. How do these quick service giants stack up against each other?
Rank | Company | Category | U.S. Sales, Billions (2019) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | McDonald's | Burger | $40.41 |
2 | Starbucks | Snack | $21.55 |
3 | Chick-fil-A | Chicken | $11.00 |
4 | Taco Bell | Global | $11.00 |
5 | Burger King | Burger | $10.30 |
6 | Subway | Sandwich | $10.00 |
7 | Wendy's | Burger | $9.87 |
8 | Dunkin' | Snack | $9.22 |
9 | Domino's | Pizza | $7.10 |
10 | Panera Bread | Sandwich | $5.93 |
11 | Chipotle | Global | $5.52 |
12 | Pizza Hut | Pizza | $5.38 |
13 | KFC | Chicken | $4.82 |
14 | Sonic Drive-In | Burger | $4.69 |
15 | Arby's | Sandwich | $3.89 |
16 | Little Caesars | Pizza | $3.85 |
17 | Panda Express | Global | $3.80 |
18 | Dairy Queen | Snack | $3.76 |
19 | Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | Chicken | $3.75 |
20 | Jack in the Box | Burger | $3.51 |
21 | Papa John's | Pizza | $2.66 |
22 | Whataburger | Burger | $2.56 |
23 | Jimmy John's | Sandwich | $2.11 |
24 | Hardee's | Burger | $2.07 |
25 | Zaxby's | Chicken | $1.84 |
26 | Culver's | Burger | $1.73 |
27 | Five Guys | Burger | $1.66 |
28 | Raising Cane's | Chicken | $1.47 |
29 | Wingstop | Chicken | $1.40 |
30 | Carl's Jr. | Burger | $1.39 |
31 | Jersey Mike's | Sandwich | $1.34 |
32 | Bojangles' | Chicken | $1.29 |
33 | In-N-Out Burger | Burger | $1.00 |
34 | Steak 'n Shake | Burger | $0.93 |
35 | El Pollo Loco | Chicken | $0.89 |
36 | QDOBA | Global | $0.85 |
37 | Checkers/Rally's | Burger | $0.86 |
38 | Firehouse Subs | Sandwich | $0.86 |
39 | Del Taco | Global | $0.85 |
40 | Tim Hortons | Sandwich | $0.84 |
41 | Moe's | Global | $0.79 |
42 | Papa Murphy's | Pizza | $0.75 |
43 | McAlister's Deli | Sandwich | $0.72 |
44 | Jason's Deli | Sandwich | $0.71 |
45 | Church's Chicken | Chicken | $0.70 |
46 | Shake Shack | Burger | $0.63 |
47 | Marco's Pizza | Pizza | $0.63 |
48 | Baskin-Robbins | Snack | $0.63 |
49 | Tropical Smoothie Café | Snack | $0.58 |
50 | Auntie Anne's | Snack | $0.56 |
Unsurprisingly, McDonald’s comes in at number one with over $40 billion in sales. Despite a scandal involving its former CEO, McDonald’s still managed to significantly outsell its peers—the company made almost double that of the second-largest fast food chain, Starbucks.
But don’t worry, Starbucks did just fine for itself. With $21 billion in sales, the Seattle-based coffee chain saw a 5% increase compared to its numbers in 2018.
Top Selling Fast Food Categories
Based on the ranking, it’s clear that Americans still love their McDonald’s. But are burgers, in general, the most popular fast food item?
In short—yes. Burgers are king. Here’s a look at how burgers, pizza, chicken, and other food categories measure up:
Burger joints remain the most popular fast food option among consumers—14 of the 50 chains on the list are classified as burger restaurants, with $80 billion in collective sales.
Snacks come in at second place, with a total of $36 billion in revenue. Boasting a broad variety of foods from iced coffee to donuts and ice cream, six of the restaurants on the list are included in this category. Starbucks is the most popular, followed by Dunkin’ and Dairy Queen respectively.
While the chicken and sandwich categories both have nine restaurants included in the ranking, chicken restaurants outsold sandwiches by almost $1 billion. This is largely due to Chick-fil-A, which makes up more than a third of all chicken restaurant sales included in the ranking.
COVID Closures
It’s important to note that these numbers reflect the fast food industry before the devastating impacts of COVID-19. The global pandemic has forced many fast food restaurants to adapt, and it’s also triggered a number of restaurant shutdowns.
For instance, McDonald’s is set to permanently close 200 of its 14,000 U.S. locations, and Dunkin’ will be closing 450 restaurants by the end of 2020. Starbucks has also announced it’s planning to permanently shut down up to 400 locations by mid-2021.
With online sales more important than ever, the chains with a strong digital presence may be in a better position to weather the storm. Chains with physical distancing options, such as drive-throughs, could also recover quicker.
Automotive
Mapped: Most Searched-For Electric Vehicles by Country
Industry stars, new entrants, and local models all populate this map of the most searched-for electric vehicles by country in 2022.

The Most Searched-For Electric Vehicles By Country
The EV revolution has been in full swing over the last few years, with new electric vehicles reaching milestones in range and affordability.
But as with traditional automobiles, countries around the world have different favorite models.
So which electric vehicle is each country’s inhabitants interested in? GRIDSERVE pulled together a database of the most searched-for electric vehicles by country in 2022.
Using Google Keyword Planner, they gathered the volume of online searches for 317 EVs across more than 200 countries and mapped the most popular results in each location.
The Most Googled Electric Vehicles By Country in 2022
Lexus’ first fully electric car, the Lexus RZ, was the most searched-for model in a whopping 47 countries, more than one-fifth of the entire dataset.
The car’s unusual steering—a yoke that isn’t physically connected to the tires—could certainly make it worth a quick Google to see what all the fuss is about.
The Tesla Model 3 came in strong at second place as the top search in 35 countries, with the Kia EV6 ranked third.
Here’s the full database of the most searched for EV in each country, along with the search volume.
Country / Territory | Most-Searched EV | Search Volume |
---|---|---|
🇦🇫 Afghanistan | Lexus RZ | 730 |
🇦🇱 Albania | MG5 EV | 7,590 |
🇩🇿 Algeria | Tesla Model 3 | 9,860 |
🇦🇸 American Samoa | Tesla Model 3 | 100 |
🇦🇩 Andorra | Tesla Model 3 | 930 |
🇦🇴 Angola | Porsche Taycan | 840 |
🇦🇮 Anguilla | Nissan Leaf | 130 |
🇦🇷 Argentina | IVECO eDaily | 63,800 |
🇦🇲 Armenia | Volkswagen ID.4 | 44,720 |
🇦🇺 Australia | Tesla Model 3 | 538,900 |
🇦🇹 Austria | Skoda Enyaq | 220,100 |
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | Lexus RZ | 9,600 |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | Tesla Model 3 | 1,210 |
🇧🇭 Bahrain | Lexus RZ | 6,680 |
🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Tesla Model 3 | 10,610 |
🇧🇧 Barbados | Nissan Leaf | 1,040 |
🇧🇾 Belarus | Tesla Model S | 14,480 |
🇧🇪 Belgium | Chery QQ Ice Cream | 304,200 |
🇧🇿 Belize | Lexus RZ | 490 |
🇧🇲 Bermuda | BMW i3 | 620 |
🇧🇯 Benin | VinFast VF 9 | 9,600 |
🇧🇹 Bhutan | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 1,140 |
🇧🇴 Bolivia | Beijing EU5 | 3,800 |
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Rimac Nevera | 13,280 |
🇧🇼 Botswana | BMW iX | 730 |
🇧🇷 Brazil | Porsche Taycan | 670,500 |
🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands | Lexus RZ | 140 |
🇧🇳 Brunei | Lexus RZ | 1,880 |
🇧🇬 Bulgaria | BMW i3 | 24,500 |
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | VinFast VF 9 | 5,310 |
🇧🇮 Burundi | VinFast VF 9 | 280 |
🇰🇭 Cambodia | VinFast VF 9 | 7,400 |
🇨🇲 Cameroon | Lexus RZ | 9,920 |
🇨🇦 Canada | Kia EV6 | 916,500 |
🇨🇻 Cape Verde | Mazda MX 30 | 260 |
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | Tesla Model 3 | 470 |
🇨🇫 Central African Republic | Lexus RZ | 120 |
🇹🇩 Chad | VinFast VF 9 | 370 |
🇨🇱 Chile | VinFast VF e34 | 48,300 |
🇨🇳 China | Tesla Model 3 | 10,200 |
🇨🇴 Colombia | Tesla Model S | 56,600 |
🇰🇲 Comoros | Kia EV6 | 100 |
🇨🇰 Cook Islands | Nissan Leaf | 110 |
🇨🇷 Costa Rica | BMW iX | 13,090 |
🇭🇷 Croatia | Rimac Nevera | 60,700 |
🇨🇾 Cyprus | Nissan Leaf | 7,490 |
🇨🇿 Czech Republic | Porsche Taycan | 74,900 |
🇨🇩 DRC | Lexus RZ | 3,140 |
🇩🇰 Denmark | Polestar 2 | 316,500 |
🇩🇯 Djibouti | Tesla Model 3 | 230 |
🇩🇲 Dominica | Lexus RZ | 15,600 |
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | VinFast VF 9 | 15,600 |
🇨🇩 Congo | Lexus RZ | 3,140 |
🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | Tesla Model 3 | 120 |
🇪🇨 Ecuador | Chery QQ Ice Cream | 22,000 |
🇪🇬 Egypt | Volkswagen ID.4 | 29,690 |
🇸🇻 El Salvador | Tesla Model 3 | 4,110 |
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | Lexus RZ | 820 |
🇪🇷 Eritrea | Tesla Model 3 | 50 |
🇪🇪 Estonia | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 12,120 |
🇸🇿 Eswatini | BMW iX | 210 |
🇪🇹 Ethiopia | Volkswagen ID.4 | 10,940 |
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands | Kia EV6 | 890 |
🇫🇯 Fiji | Nissan Leaf | 900 |
🇫🇮 Finland | Polestar 2 | 210,900 |
🇫🇷 France | Tesla Model 3 | 1,909,000 |
🇬🇫 French Guiana | Arcfox Alpha-S | 1,030 |
🇵🇫 French Polynesia | Tesla Model 3 | 1,000 |
🇬🇦 Gabon | Lexus RZ | 1,100 |
🇬🇲 Gambia | Lexus RZ | 490 |
🇩🇪 Germany | Tesla Model 3 | 1,954,000 |
🇬🇪 Georgia | VinFast VF 9 | 21,500 |
🇬🇭 Ghana | Lexus RZ | 38,300 |
🇬🇮 Gibraltar | Kia EV6 | 190 |
🇬🇷 Greece | Tesla Model 3 | 90,600 |
🇬🇱 Greenland | Subaru Solterra | 630 |
🇬🇹 Guatemala | Arcfox Alpha-S | 5,660 |
🇬🇺 Guam | Lexus RZ | 1,200 |
🇬🇬 Guernsey | Volkswagen ID.Buzz | 630 |
🇬🇳 Guinea | VinFast VF 9 | 9,600 |
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | Polestar 2 | 130 |
🇬🇾 Guyana | Geometry EX3 | 2,180 |
🇭🇳 Honduras | Tesla Model 3 | 4,350 |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Tesla Model Y | 122,200 |
🇭🇺 Hungary | BMW i3 | 142,700 |
🇮🇸 Iceland | Kia EV6 | 18,440 |
🇮🇳 India | Tata Nexon | 2,364,000 |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | Wuling Air Ev | 992,120 |
🇮🇶 Iraq | Lexus RZ | 4,530 |
🇮🇷 Iran | BMW iX | 10 |
🇮🇪 Ireland | Kia EV6 | 123,700 |
🇮🇲 Isle of Man | Vauxhall Vivaro | 820 |
🇮🇱 Israel | Aiways U5 | 58,600 |
🇮🇹 Italy | Tesla Model 3 | 911,000 |
🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire | Tesla Model 3 | 2,750 |
🇯🇲 Jamaica | Lexus RZ | 3,360 |
🇯🇵 Japan | Lexus RZ | 190,600 |
🇯🇴 Jordan | Dongfeng EM10 | 46,200 |
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | VinFast VF 9 | 49,000 |
🇰🇪 Kenya | Lexus RZ | 17,700 |
🇽🇰 Kosovo | Porsche Taycan | 4,140 |
🇰🇼 Kuwait | Lexus RZ | 10,170 |
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | Lexus RZ | 9,270 |
🇱🇦 Laos | Tesla Model 3 | 2,110 |
🇱🇻 Latvia | Nissan Leaf | 10,960 |
🇱🇧 Lebanon | Volkswagen ID.4 | 14,380 |
🇱🇸 Lesotho | Tesla Model X | 220 |
🇱🇷 Liberia | Lexus RZ | 340 |
🇱🇾 Libya | Lexus RZ | 600 |
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 870 |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | Nissan Leaf | 24,000 |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | Kia EV6 | 13,620 |
🇲🇴 Macao | Tesla Model Y | 1,500 |
🇲🇬 Madagascar | IVECO eDaily | 480 |
🇲🇼 Malawi | Beijing EU7 | 450 |
🇲🇱 Mali | VinFast VF 9 | 1,020 |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | BMW iX | 167,300 |
🇲🇻 Maldives | Tesla Model 3 | 910 |
🇲🇹 Malta | Honda E | 5,090 |
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | Ford F-150 Lightning | 80 |
🇲🇷 Mauritania | Lexus RZ | 570 |
🇲🇺 Mauritius | Kia EV6 | 25,160 |
🇲🇽 Mexico | Tesla Model 3 | 375,500 |
🇲🇩 Moldova | BMW iX | 8,520 |
🇲🇨 Monaco | Tesla Model 3 | 470 |
🇲🇳 Mongolia | Lexus RZ | 6,530 |
🇲🇪 Montenegro | Rimac Nevera | 3,010 |
🇲🇦 Morocco | Tesla Model 3 | 15,780 |
🇲🇿 Mozambique | Lexus RZ | 900 |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | Lexus RZ | 3,860 |
🇳🇦 Namibia | Nissan Leaf | 1,100 |
🇳🇷 Nauru | Lexus RZ | 70 |
🇳🇵 Nepal | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 18,910 |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | Kia EV6 | 764,000 |
🇳🇨 New Caledonia | Kia EV6 | 980 |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | Nissan Leaf | 80,400 |
🇳🇮 Nicaragua | Tesla Model S | 2,010 |
🇳🇪 Niger | VinFast VF 9 | 1,960 |
🇳🇬 Nigeria | Lexus RZ | 328,500 |
🇲🇰 North Macedonia | Rimac Nevera | 4,850 |
🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 180 |
🇳🇴 Norway | Tesla Model Y | 388,600 |
🇴🇲 Oman | Lexus RZ | 7,950 |
🇵🇰 Pakistan | Audi e-tron GT | 28,100 |
🇵🇼 Palau | Tesla Model X | 120 |
🇵🇸 Palestine | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 1,390 |
🇵🇦 Panama | Lexus RZ | 5,510 |
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | Lexus RZ | 290 |
🇵🇾 Paraguay | Tesla Model 3 | 10,050 |
🇵🇪 Peru | Tesla Model S | 26,200 |
🇵🇭 Philippines | Tesla Model S | 64,000 |
🇵🇱 Poland | IVECO eDaily | 281,100 |
🇵🇹 Portugal | Kia EV6 | 199,400 |
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 17,160 |
🇷🇴 Romania | Arcfox Alpha-S | 174,600 |
🇷🇼 Rwanda | Beijing EU5 | 480 |
🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 50 |
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | Lexus RZ | 170 |
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | Lexus RZ | 1,030 |
🇲🇫 Saint Martin | Tesla Model Y | 60 |
🇵🇲 Saint Pierre & Miquelon | Tesla Model 3 | 90 |
🇼🇸 Samoa | Tesla Model X | 120 |
🇸🇲 San Marino | Tesla Model 3 | 410 |
🇸🇹 Sao Tome & Principe | Kia EV6 | 100 |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | Lexus RZ | 35,900 |
🇷🇸 Serbia | Rimac Nevera | 27,000 |
🇸🇳 Senegal | Arcfox Alpha-S | 1,710 |
🇸🇨 Seychelles | Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 490 |
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | Lexus RZ | 920 |
🇸🇬 Singapore | BYD e6 | 57,000 |
🇸🇰 Slovakia | Kia EV6 | 60,400 |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | BMW i4 | 15,960 |
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | Tesla Model 3 | 90 |
🇸🇴 Somalia | Arcfox Alpha-S | 490 |
🇿🇦 South Africa | BMW iX | 106,800 |
🇰🇷 South Korea | BMW i4 | 99,200 |
🇪🇸 Spain | Tesla Model 3 | 816,122 |
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | Geometry EX3 | 37,100 |
🇸🇩 North Sudan | Tesla Model X | 520 |
🇸🇸 South Sudan | Arcfox Alpha-S | 10 |
🇸🇷 Suriname | Lexus RZ | 2,340 |
🇸🇪 Sweden | Kia EV6 | 499,000 |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | Tesla Model 3 | 201,300 |
🇹🇼 Taiwan | Chery QQ Ice Cream | 208,200 |
🇹🇯 Tajikistan | Lexus RZ | 4,380 |
🇹🇿 Tanzania | Lexus RZ | 3,080 |
🇹🇭 Thailand | Ora Good Cat | 573,100 |
🇹🇬 Togo | Lexus RZ | 2,520 |
🇹🇴 Tonga | Tesla Model S | 80 |
🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | Nissan Leaf | 5,010 |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | Sono Motors Sion | 7,620 |
🇹🇷 Turkey | Porsche Taycan | 434,200 |
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | Lexus RZ | 7,360 |
🇹🇻 Tuvalu | Tesla Model S | 20 |
🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands | Lexus RZ | 630 |
🇺🇬 Uganda | Lexus RZ | 3,340 |
🇦🇪 UAE | Volkswagen ID.4 | 114,920 |
🇬🇧 UK | Tesla Model 3 | 1,258,500 |
🇺🇾 Uruguay | BYD e2 | 19,620 |
🇺🇸 U.S. | Tesla Model 3 | 6,855,000 |
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | Tesla Model 3 | 26,300 |
🇻🇺 Vanuatu | Tesla Model 3 | 100 |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | Tesla Model S | 10,190 |
🇻🇳 Vietnam | Lexus RZ | 204,800 |
🇼🇫 Wallis & Futuna | Kia EV6 | 60 |
🇪🇭 Western Sahara | Tesla Model S | 180 |
🇾🇪 Yemen | Lexus RZ | 590 |
🇿🇲 Zambia | VinFast VF 9 | 2,360 |
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | Beijing EU7 | 2,700 |
Aside from popular global brands, GRIDSERVE’s database also highlights regional automakers. For example, Croatian manufacturer Rimac Automobili’s Nevera was the most highly searched-for electric vehicle in multiple Balkan countries. In India, the country’s own Tata Nexon dominated search volume.
And Vietnamese brand VinFast’s electric vehicles were the top EVs of interest in neighboring Cambodia and 12 other countries across the world (though not Vietnam itself, which searched more for the Lexus RZ).
In China, where Google isn’t the most-used search engine, results favored the Tesla Model 3. But Tesla was distinctly outsold by Chinese automaker BYD in 2022.
It’s also worth noting that most of the top searches were for a sedan or crossover SUV, but not all. In the British crown dependencies Guernsey and Isle of Man, the most searched EVs were an electric minivan (Guernsey) and van (Isle of Man).
The Most Googled Electric Vehicle In the U.S.
In the U.S., the Tesla Model 3 was the most searched-for electric vehicle in 2022. Breaking down results by states highlights its massive local footprint:
The Tesla tide across the map is unsurprising, given its aggressive market entry and role in popularizing EVs in the country. But as new entries continue to chip away at the market, warnings around Tesla’s projected decline in market share have begun to spring up.
Of the nine states that searched more for other electric vehicle makers, six of them were for foreign manufacturers Hyundai and Kia and three of them preferred U.S. carmakers Rivian and Cadillac.
The Most Searched-For Electric Vehicle By Search Volume
Tesla’s popularity in countries like the U.S., Germany, and France helps gave it the most searched-for electric vehicle by sheer volume, despite Lexus winning first place in more locations.
Here are the top 10 most searched for electric vehicles by total volume in 2022:
Electric Vehicle | Google Search Volume (2022) |
---|---|
Tesla Model 3 | 19,989,872 |
Kia EV6 | 15,815,185 |
Tesla Model Y | 13,908,451 |
Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 12,689,787 |
Tesla Model S | 11,459,099 |
Porsche Taycan | 10,511,286 |
Tesla Model X | 9,535,778 |
Polestar 2 | 8,212,142 |
Lexus RZ | 7,186,840 |
BMW i4 | 7,063,510 |
The Model 3’s sheer popularity put it in first place. The company’s Model Y and Model S were also in the top five, where they were joined by the Korean-made Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5.
The Lexus RZ, by contrast, ranked as the 9th-most-popular electric vehicle by search volume. It had less than half of the Model 3’s search volume and was also behind the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model X, and Polestar 2.
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