Americans love fast food. The top 15 fast food chains in the nation
raked in a combined $115 billion in sales last year, and their 105,000
total stores blanket the landscape.
We asked food industry research firm Technomic
to put together a list of the biggest fast food brands in America.
They're defined as LSRs — "limited service restaurants" — which include
burger joints, sandwich shops, coffee cafés, pizza places and more.
#1 McDonald's
2011 U.S. sales: $34.2 billion
Number of locations: 14,098
McDonald's
unsurprisingly takes the prize for the biggest fast food chain across
the U.S. Sales increased by about 5% last year, the company opened up
71 new locations and recently appointed a new CEO. There's just no
stopping the Golden Arches.
[Related: Over the top burgers]
#2 Subway
2011 U.S. sales: $11.4 billion
Number of locations: 24,722
Subway,
which has the most locations globally of any restaurant on the planet,
is the number one quick sandwich shop in the U.S. It saw a 7.5% increase
in profits, and a whopping 872 new locations were opened up last year
alone.
#3 Starbucks
2011 U.S. sales: $9.75 billion
Number of locations: 10,787
Starbucks'
profits surged by 7.5% last year even though the company decided to
close more than 300 locations around the country. Starbucks still has
almost 3,800 more units open than Dunkin' Donuts, and it's starting to
expand its store brands with Evolution Fresh and Tazo tea.
#4 Wendy's
2011 U.S. sales: $8.5 billion
Number of locations: 5,876
Sales
at hard-charging Wendy's increased by 2% last year amidst a marketing
revamp that has lifted it into the number two burger spot.
#5 Burger King
2011 U.S. sales: $8.4 billion
Number of locations: 7,231
Burger
King ranks third in the competition for the top fast food burger
restaurant in the nation. It's having trouble, though. Last year, sales
dropped by nearly 4% and the chain was passed by a certain red-headed
rival.
#6 Taco Bell
2011 U.S. sales: $6.8 billion
Number of locations: 5,674
Taco
Bell, the only top fast food Mexican restaurant in the country, is
going through a big turnaround. A bunch of crazy new products have hit
the menus, including the infamous — and incredibly successful — Doritos
Locos Tacos.
#7 Dunkin' Donuts
2011 U.S. sales: $5.92 billion
Number of locations: 7,015
Sales
at Dunkin' Donuts increased steadily last year and the company opened
up 115 new locations. This Massachusetts-based company is the number two
coffee café behind Starbucks.
#8 Pizza Hut
2011 U.S. sales: $5.4 billion
Number of locations: 7,595
Funny
enough, sales at Pizza Hut stayed exactly the same last year even
though the company opened up 53 new units. The red roof company
currently holds the title for most popular fast food pizza in the
nation.
#9 KFC
2011 U.S. sales: $4.5 billion
Number of locations: 4,793
Sales
at KFC fell steadily last year and the Colonel had to close 262
locations. The company almost had to forfeit its title as the leading
chicken chain to Chick-Fil-A.
#10 Chick-Fil-A
2011 U.S. sales: $4.05 billion
Number of locations: 1,600
Chick-Fil-A
saw a 13% increase in sales this year yet it still fell short of
beating out its top competitor, KFC. This Atlanta-based company opened
64 new units last year alone.
[Related: Marketers Now Track Shoppers' Retinas]
#11 SONIC Drive-Ins
2011 U.S. sales: $3.68 billion
Number of locations: 3,531
Known
for its retro 1950's style drive-in, SONIC is currently the fourth most
popular fast food burger restaurant in the nation. Though the company
had to close several locations last year, sales did increase.
#12 Domino's Pizza
2011 U.S. sales: $3.4 billion
Number of locations: 4,907
This
well-known pizza chain made a name for itself in the 1960s in Ann
Arbor, Michigan but now is a household name across the country. The
company closed 22 stores last year.
#13 Panera Bread
2011 U.S. sales: $3.30 billion
Number of locations: 1,480
Panera
Bread, a chain of fast-casual cafes that began in St. Louis, opened
exactly 100 new locations across the United States last year. It's
considered to be a healthy alternative to the classic fast food joint
and a segment leader.
#14 Arby's
2011 U.S. sales: $3.03 billion
Number of locations: 3,484
Arby's,
best known for its roast beef and curly fries, was forced to close 39
units this year but still managed to increase profitability in its
remaining locations.
#15 Jack in the Box
2011 U.S. sales: $3.01 billion
Number of locations: 2,221
Jack
in the Box is the fifth most popular fast food burger joint in the
United States, but with direct competitors like McDonalds and Burger
King, this California-born chain only saw a 1% growth in profit last
year.
Source: Technomic
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