Look Blog: 15 Biggest Fast Food Chains in the World Right Now (2024)

The fast food sector is booming worldwide, and younger consumers are largely responsible for its success. The biggest fast food companies in the world are driving this massive expansion thanks to their continually rising revenues and market success. Some of the best fast food chains in the world are at the vanguard of the rapidly developing fast food business, and their brands and signature menu items are instantly recognizable all over the globe. This piece covers 15 of the biggest fast-food chains globally.

1.McDonald's

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McDonald's Corporation is a QSR chain established in 1940 and headquartered in San Bernardino, California. McDonald's has over 69 million customers per day throughout its 40,031 locations in over 100 countries. McDonald's annual revenue of $24.194B for the 12 months ended June 30, 2023, was up 2.54% over the previous year. Something notable about the franchise is the implementation of McDonald's digital menu boards, which makes the ordering process seamless.

2. Subway

Subway has about 36,592 shops across the globe, spread out within 99 countries ranging from Singapore (125 restaurants in a country of fewer than 300 square miles) to Germany (645 outlets, including one within a windmill). Subway's annual revenue by the end of 2022 was $16.1B, and it is one of the fast food chains taking advantage of digital signage. Their digital menu boards are an excellent choice for customers looking for a quick and effective solution to ease ordering their food items.

3. Starbucks

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Starbucks is the world’s leading coffee house chain. For the twelve months ended June 30, 2023, Starbucks reported $35.016B in revenue, an increase of 9.48% over the previous year. Some of the company's 33,833 locations in 80 countries provide seasonal or regionally relevant goods and services. If you're a coffee fan, you may be certain that Starbucks can satisfy your needs. Some Starbucks locations experimented with computerized menus with daily updates to highlight different products. These QSR menus took off to a good start improving the overall customer experience.

4. Kentucky Fried Chicken

The biggest location of the fourth-largest fast food business in the world is not in Kentucky but rather at the former Sabunchu railway station in Baku, Azerbaijan, which spans over 17,000 square feet. The food chain's revenue for 2022 was $31.116 billion. Over the years, KFC has incorporated digital signage into its marketing strategy. A good example is Louisville, KY's outdoor digital menu board installation.

5. Burger King

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With more than 19,247 locations in more than 95 countries, Burger King has quickly become one of the world's most well-known fast food chains. It continues to record a growing revenue. It made over $1.9 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending in 2022, which increased from the previous year's total of $1.81 billion. Even better, Burger King now uses various digital signage displays in most locations, making the food chain more recognizable to existing and potential clients.

6. Domino's Pizza

Domino's Pizza is the sixth-best fast-food restaurant worldwide. It had sales of $4.54 billion in the United States in 2022. The company's first location opened in 1960 and has since expanded to more than 100 countries. Currently, Domino's menu in the United States features a broad array of Italian-American main and side dishes, which vary by location. These menus are embracing digital signage significantly. For instance, in 2020, Domino's started using digital signage to facilitate faster mobile order pickup.

7. Pizza Hut

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Pizza Hut, an American fast food chain is a Wichita, Kansas establishment by brothers Dan and Frank Carney that has been in operation since 1958. Besides their famous pan Pizza, they also provide spaghetti, breadsticks, chicken wings, fries, and Italian tacos. More than 18,848 Pizza Hut restaurants are in over 100 countries and boast an annual revenue of $6.8B. You can count on a wonderful pizza topped with fresh ingredients in each restaurant. It's also one of the establishments using digital signage to great effect. Recently they revealed a smart table where customers can design their perfect pie.

8. Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts serves 3 million customers daily worldwide and sells 2.9 billion doughnuts annually in 36 distinct varieties. You may get green tea glazed doughnuts in China and Japan with mochi rings; in Taiwan, you can get pineapple glazed doughnuts. The most recent fiscal filings from Dunkin Brands reveal Trailing 12 months (TTM) revenue of $1.25 billion. 2019 the firm earned $1.31 billion in sales, up from $1.27 billion in 2018. Dunkin' Donuts is another food chain embracing digital signage to display menu boards, promotional items, weather stats, and more.

9. Taco Bell

Taco Bell, established in 1962 by Glen Bell, is a renowned fast-food restaurant chain that offers a diverse range of Mexican-inspired cuisine. It caters to a substantial consumer base of more than two billion individuals annually, operating a vast network of 7,072 stores throughout the globe. It has an annual revenue of $2.0B. Likewise, this fast food chain now has self-order digital kiosks in different locations. They help improve menu appreciation and the ordering process.

10.Wendy's

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Dave Thomas started the Wendy's chain of fast-food restaurants in 1969. More than 6,949 Wendy's locations are in over 100 countries thanks to the company's decades-long international expansion. This food chain's revenue in 2022 was about $2.1 billion, an increase from the previous year's total of $1.9 million. This growth is due to incorporating digital signage into its campaigns. An excellent example is the Dubai digital menu board solution.

11.Hunt Brothers Pizza

Hunt Brothers Pizza is a cornerstone of the convenience store pizza tradition. Pizza experts in the fast food business make pies with premium ingredients and innovative seasonings that will blow your mind. To make its Pizza readily accessible, Hunt Brothers Pizza has over 8,000 stores in 30 countries. Its annual revenue is $3.3M.

12.Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme is an American fast-food chain known for its doughnuts and coffee, with over 1,400 locations globally. Its present TTM revenue is $1.57 Billion, as shown in the company's most recent financial reports. In addition, the company's 2022 revenue of $1.52 billion is an increase above 2021's revenue of $1.38 billion.

13. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle is a fast food restaurant in the United States that serves Mission-style burritos and tacos in various international locations. The fast food franchise, which began in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, has expanded to serve customers in various locations and has annual revenue of $8.6 billion.

14.Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A, originally called the Dwarf House, opened in 1946 and quickly became famous for its chicken sandwiches and Sunday closures. In 1967, S. Truett Cathy founded the first official Chick-fil-A restaurant using the chicken sandwich recipe he had perfected while working at the Dwarf House.

The quality of Chick-fil-A's franchisees has contributed to the company's success with its income in 2022 reaching $6. 4 billion. Over 20,000 individuals apply to become Chick-fil-A franchisees annually even though there are only little more than 2,000 locations throughout the nation. It allows Chick-fil-A to pick and choose the people who run its locations. Chick-fil-A now has stores in both Canada and the United Kingdom.

15.Baskin Robbins

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Baskin Robbins is the undisputed king of the ice cream and cake specialty market across more than 6,700 stores in almost 50 countries. The fast-food chain has launched over 1,300 new flavors since it first opened. According to available reports, Baskin Robbins' revenue for 2021 was $2.4 billion.

Enhance customer experience in your fast food business using digital signage

These international giants have successfully expanded their reach, offering diverse menus, innovative marketing strategies such as digital signage, and convenient dining experiences worldwide. The biggest fast food chain in the world will always look for a way to adapt to changing consumer preferences and emerging trends while shaping the future of fast food. Their restaurant profit depends on their adaptability to a diverse market. Look digital signage products can help make your food chain visible to clients, while at the same time enrich the customer experience in your establishment.

Look Blog: 15 Biggest Fast Food Chains in the World Right Now (2024)

FAQs

What are the largest fast-food chains in the world? ›

List of the largest fast food restaurant chains
Country of originName
1United StatesMcDonald's
2United StatesSubway
3United StatesStarbucks
4ChinaMixue Ice Cream & Tea
108 more rows

What is the biggest fast food chain today? ›

Compass Group and Starbucks are the two largest restaurant companies as of 2023. McDonald's is the largest fast-food chain. Yum! Brands is based in China and is the largest quick-service restaurant company in the world.

Which fast food chain has the most stores worldwide with a total of 41053? ›

With 40,953 locations worldwide, Subway beats out McDonald's as the largest global chain. McDonald's currently has 37,855 locations globally.

What is the most consumed fast-food in the world? ›

With more than 69 million customers daily across 100 countries, McDonald's is the most popular fast food chain. Dominos Pizza has approximately 17,000 stores globally making it the largest pizza chain worldwide. Subway has the highest number of outlets globally with over 41,000 stores.

Is Chick-fil-A bigger than McDonald's? ›

McDonald's, which is the largest U.S. restaurant chain by sales, has a clear size advantage over Chick-fil-A, with roughly 14,000 U.S. locations, and plans to build 900 more by 2027. But McDonald's hasn't been able to match Chick-fil-A's massive annual unit volumes or its reputation for customer service.

What is the richest fast food chain in America? ›

These are the largest fast-food chains by revenue in the United States, including all system-wide sales (which includes franchise sales) as reported by QSR Magazine: McDonald's: $37 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. Starbucks: $13 billion in system-wide U.S. sales. Subway: $10.8 billion in system-wide U.S. sales.

What is the least popular fast food restaurant? ›

When it comes to brand loyalty, McDonald's is by far the least popular fast food restaurant in America. Only 28 percent of people surveyed said they would eat there because of the brand., meaning people typically visit the Golden Arches out of pure convenience.

What is the most successful fast food chain? ›

When it comes to total sales, nobody holds a candle to McDonald's. The fast-food behemoth, in 2017, reported $37,480.67 (in millions) across its 14,000 domestic units—more than double its nearest competitor.

Who is bigger, Subway or McDonald's? ›

Subway is now officially the largest restaurant chain in the world. The company passed McDonald's in the United States in 2002 but it has now passed it worldwide.

What is known as the best restaurant in the world? ›

Central, the acclaimed tasting menu restaurant in Lima, landed at No. 1 on the 2023 World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

Why is Subway better than McDonald's? ›

Looking at the overall meal, the Subway meal in terms of protein and sugar was slightly healthier than McDonald's and provided more vegetables, however it was higher in sodium. Remember both meals contributed the same total number of calories but on top of that, it was a large amount of calories.

What is the number 1 fast food in us? ›

Ranked: Fast Food Brands by 2022 Revenue

The Golden Arches take the golden crown for most revenue earned in 2022, easily beating out the competition. McDonald's made nearly $48 billion in sales last year, 74% more than the next big brand. Here's the full ranking of most revenue earned by fast food brands in 2022.

What is the most eaten food in the world today? ›

Rice is often considered the most consumed staple food globally. It serves as a dietary staple for a large portion of the world's population and is a major source of calories and nutrition for billions of people.

What is the most eaten food in the world daily? ›

Rice is a food staple for more than 3.5 billion people around the world, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. Rice has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. Scientists believe people first domesticated rice in India or Southeast Asia.

What is the 2 biggest fast food chain? ›

World's Largest Fast Food Chains
  • 01 of 10. McDonald's. Deutschlandreform / Shutterstock. ...
  • 02 of 10. Subway. Joe Raedle / Getty Images. ...
  • 03 of 10. Starbucks. Paul Weaver / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images. ...
  • 04 of 10. Kentucky Fried Chicken. ...
  • 05 of 10. Burger King. ...
  • 06 of 10. Domino's. ...
  • 07 of 10. Pizza Hut. ...
  • 08 of 10. Dunkin' Donuts.
Jun 20, 2023

Is Subway bigger than McDonald's? ›

Subway is now officially the largest restaurant chain in the world. The company passed McDonald's in the United States in 2002 but it has now passed it worldwide. Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide at the end of last year, according to company reports, and McDonald's Corp. had 32,737.

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