Globally, McDonald's is the #1 most popular fast-food chain by revenue and recognition, serving millions daily with unparalleled brand value, though other chains like China's Mixue (by sheer location count) and Subway (in Australia) lead in specific metrics or regions. Its dominance stems from massive global reach, consistent marketing, and adaptation, despite competition from giants like Starbucks, KFC, and emerging players.
The fast food brand awareness ranking for 2023 shows McDonald's is still leading, but KFC and Burger King are quickly closing the gap with ratings of 96% and 95% respectively. UK consumers rated plant-based options in fast-food venues, getting Burger King top of the list, followed by Subway and McDonald's.
Top 50 Fast Food Chains in the U.S.
Subway has the most number of locations with 1,249 locations across 8 states and territories. McDonald's has 1,059 and KFC has 795 locations in Australia. These three together make 50.74% of the largest 10 food chains in Australia.
By U.S. systemwide sales, including both company-owned sales and franchised-unit sales, it's no surprise that McDonald's leads the rankings, followed by Subway and Starbucks Coffee. All three chains dominate the domestic landscape and have weathered the recession better than most.
McDonald's has a massive presence, with over 13,000 locations in the United States. This makes it the most extensive fast-food chain in the country. Burger King, on the other hand, operates around 7,000 locations across the U.S., which is roughly half of McDonald's footprint.
By U.S revenue, McDonald's is the top fast food chain with over $10.38 billion generated in 2023. By number of U.S chains, Subway is the top fast food chain in the U.S with over 19,000 chains.
KFC's brand is ranked #130 in the list of Global Top 1000 Brands, as rated by customers of KFC. Their current valuation is $32.95B. McDonald's's brand is ranked #85 in the list of Global Top 100 Brands, as rated by customers of McDonald's. Their current valuation is $167.91B.
Each of our signature hamburger patties is made using only 100% beef. All patties are grilled on a proprietary broiler developed for BURGER KING restaurants, then cooked over real flames. The grilling process last between 2 and 3 minutes, depending on size and thickness of the burger patty.
Some of my favorite memories from growing up revolve around eating cheeseburgers with my family at Burgermaster. The Laurelhurst location was even my dad's unofficial office in the early days of the Gates Foundation. If you're ever in Seattle, there's nowhere better. Happy National Burger Day!
McDonald's. McDonald's maintains its position as the world's most profitable fast food chain, with McDonald's revenue for the twelve months ending June 30, 2025, at $26.060 billion, a 1.18% increase year-over-year .
With over 34,000 restaurants … Subway outpaces every single brand chain – including McDoanld's and only trails Yum! Brands --- who own Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC.
A&W (1919) predates White Castle (1921), McDonald's (1940), Burger King (1954), and other major chains by significant margins. This makes A&W the definitive answer to the common question: “What is the oldest fast-food chain still in business with the same product ?”
While Taco Bell takes the crown for speed, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Chick-fil-A is America's slowest drive-thru chain of 2025. Chick-fil-A has an average total service time of 427.0 seconds (7 minutes, 7 seconds)—almost three minutes longer than Taco Bell's.
According to our calculations, the Five Guys cheeseburger is the most unhealthy in its class, primarily because it has 73% more saturated fat than any other fast-food cheeseburger. Burger King and McDonald's cheeseburgers are tied on relatively low unhealthiness scores (18 points).
The Cheapest Fast Food Chains in the U.S.
The fast food landscape has shifted dramatically, with the United States firmly claiming the title as the world's most fast food obsessed country in 2024.
Out of these restaurants, Chick-fil-A is currently the most prolific seller of chicken. In 2024, the fast-casual franchise sold $7.49 million average unit volumes (AUVs) of chicken at its 3,109 locations, followed by Raising Cane's ($6.56 million) and Jollibee ($4.44 million) (via Nation's Restaurant News).
Trophic levels are the order the organism is placed on the food chain. These levels are divided into producers (first), consumers (second, third and fourth) and decomposers (fifth).