Who are America’s top 7 fast-food restaurants? Fast food is a popular food choice for providing a meal solution for families. It’s no surprise why the quick-service restaurant industry in the United States is one of the most well-established globally.
Fast-food restaurants have transitioned amid the trying times of COVID-19 more smoothly than full-service restaurants, thanks to the drive-thru services, delivery infrastructure, and most importantly, having customers who are comfortable with dining off-premises.
Here is a list of the seven largest fast-food restaurants based on the number of locations in 2020-21.
- Subway
Headquarters – Bridgeport, Connecticut
No of outlets – 23,801
Fred Deluca and Peter Buck founded the sandwich company in 1965. It’s known for serving healthy fast-food options; submarine sandwiches that are made from fresh meats, cheeses, and vegetables.
Moving forward, Subway plans to up the customer experience game by inducing chef-recommended new and exciting ingredients – from its bread, proteins to add-ons. It intends to redesign Subway’s digital ordering experience and app and add new in-store merchandising.
- McDonald’s
Headquarters – Chicago, Illinois
No of outlets – 13,452
Founder Ray Kroc bought the McDonalds franchise in 1955, and three years later, McDonald’s sold its 100 millionth hamburger.
It earned more than $10 billion in digital sales in 2020 across its top six markets. Amid the pandemic, the winner was its drive-thru which improved its service by about 30 seconds in major markets.
In 2021, McDonald’s planned to scale up about $2.3 billion in the capital, segregating $500 million to modernize 1,200 U.S. restaurants. Over 90 percent of the modernization projects are expected to be finished by the year-end. (QSR 2021)
- Starbucks
Headquarters– Seattle, Washington
No of outlets – 8,947 company-operated & 6,497 licensed stores
Starbucks brought the second wave of coffee culture in 1971. Founded by business partners Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, the multinational coffee chain is known for its range of coffee brews and pre-packaged foods.
Navigating through the changing climatic conditions, Starbucks initiated ways to re-engage and serve guests, make improvements based on COVID service trends, and move forward.
The brand has recently invested in A.I., dubbed Deep Brew, along with the asset transformation. Starbucks is all set to build a promising future filled with more potential than ever. (QSR 2021)
- Burger King
Headquarters – Miami, Florida
No of outlets – 7,257
Originally named Insta-Burger King was founded in 1953 in Florida. Two Miami-based franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore bought it and renamed it “Burger King.” It is the second-largest hamburger focussed restaurant chain in the U.S.
Over the years, the menu has evolved to offer a variety of breakfast, dessert, and signature food options. Burger King also released a unique burger option called “Impossible Whopper,” made with a plant-based patty for customers looking for a no-meat burger.
In the last two years, many Burger Kings got a makeover. For example, the new menu boards can integrate loyalty programs and display customized menu items to customers based on their purchases and redemption history. The remote contactless payment enables customers to order and pay simultaneously and speed up drive-thru lanes. (QSR 2021)
- Taco Bell
Headquarters – Irvine, California
No of outlets – 7,543
Glen Bell founded the fast-food Tex-Mex restaurant in 1962, and it is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc; owners of KFC and Pizza Hut. Apart from its signature Mexican-inspired taco, the restaurant chain offers many other options, including quesadillas, burritos, nachos, and “value menu” items.
Recently, it became the first of Yum! ‘s chains to test an advanced POS system, described as a modern and customizable tablet-based application.
The latest is the “Go Mobile” unit previewed last year. This store has a dual drive-thru offering a homogenous digital experience through ‘smart kitchen’ technology integrated with Taco Bell’s app. The store can also detect customers’ arrival and accordingly suggest the fastest route to order. (QSR 2021)
- Wendy’s
Headquarters – Irvine, California
No of outlets – 7,543
Wendy’s gained its name in the U.S. market and is positioned as the third-largest hamburger chain. Its signature square-shaped patty is an instant recall of the food chain. It was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas. He named it after his daughter, Wendy, and even used her choices to add elements to the brand logo.
Wendy’s success in 2020 was driven by two factors – the launch of breakfast and the growth in its digital sales. The breakfast option continued to see momentum at 7 percent of sales in the first quarter of 2021. (QSR 2021)
The brand’s key breakfast metrics boosted—sales dollars, frequency, awareness, and customer satisfaction scores.
- Chick-fil-A
Headquarters – Atlanta, Georgia
No of outlets – 2774
Founded in 1946, the journey of Chick-fil-A started as the Dwarf House. Founder S. Truett Cathy opened Chick-fil-A’s first outlet in 1967. The food chain is thriving across all outlets for its delicious small menu and excellent customer service.
The chain gained massive popularity amid the pandemic. Trust anyone in the Southwest to tell you about how Chick-fil-A’s never-ending drive-thru lanes delivered at their best.
Recent developments include an automated delivery test and a delivery-only concept creation set to launch in Nashville. Chick-fil-A is also interested in modular construction—the first such store opened outside of Atlanta last October—and shows clear signs of growth in all aspects.
Continued Momentum for Fast Food Restaurants
Those restaurants in leadership positions in this report are there because they have done the hard work of anticipating customer expectations. Knowing each customer’s preferences and demands and using technology to boost important service delivery options keep customers coming back. We look forward to continuing to serve these forward-thinking enterprises by making technology advances in communications a key performance driver.
Work Cited
QSR , Special Report. “The QSR 50: The Fast-Food Industry’s Leading Annual Report.” QSR Magazine, Aug. 2021, www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/2021-qsr-50.
