Date: 2024-04-28 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00017888
Food / Nutrition
Fast Food
Ranked: Biggest Fast Food Chains in America
The mainstream (mainly US led) economic model has been problematic for a long time ... certainly all my adult life. These companies have delivered a high economic return for investors but the damage that has been done to customers' health, especially young customers, is huge and ignored. These chains have also contributed mightily to the decline of community. They are uniform and boring and essentially without any local character. And, of course, they have a lot of buying power that is wielded on behalf of the profit seeking owners so that small and/or local and/or sustainable agriculture are sidelined and likely out-of-business. Yes ... profitable big business, but otherwise a disaster.
Peter Burgess
Ranked: The Biggest Fast Food Chains in America ... Fast food is a supersized business in America.
The average American spends as much as $1,200 every year on fast food — and roughly a quarter of the U.S. population eats three or more fast food meals per week.
Today’s unique infographic, via TitleMax, shows just how dominant the quick serve food industry is, and which brands are leading the pack in terms of revenue and store locations.
Billions Served
All of the biggest fast food chains now top $1 billion in sales annually. McDonald’s leads the pack with almost triple the sales of the number two chain, Starbucks.
Below are the top 30 fast food chains in the United States by revenue:
| Rank | Chain | Sales (U.S., 2017) | # of Locations (U.S.) | ||
| 1 | McDonald's | $37.5B | 14,036 |
In 2017, the top 30 fast food chains rang up $1 72 billion in sales at over 140,000 locations across the United States. When smaller chains are also included, annual industry revenue tops a whopping $200 billion.
Location, Location
Fast food can be a profitable business, but certain chains are runaway successes when sales-per-unit are considered. Chick-fil-A’s sales average out to $4.3 million per location — 53% higher than McDonald’s, which brings in $2.8 million of sales per location.
Subway, which is known for having a low franchise fee and no exclusive territory rights, has the lowest sales-per-unit in the top 30 ($419,792).
That said, no one can compare to Subway in terms of sheer volume. The chain has over 25,000 locations, making it not only the biggest fast food chain in the country, but the most common retailer overall (even beating out dollar stores). It’s possible that America has seen peak Subway though — the number of locations has been steadily dropping since 2011.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Starbucks. The Seattle-based coffee chain has been relentlessly expanding over the past decade.
Regional Preferences
Of course, not all fast food chains have the ubiquity of Subway and McDonald’s. Many of these brands have achieved impressive sales numbers in specific regions. Whether you’re loyal to Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A, or In-N-Out may depend heavily on where you live.
dunkin donuts vs starbucks
Source
Will America’s next big fast food powerhouse come from an already-strong regional chain, or will it be the result of a new phenomenon, completely?
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irector at Mikebarryeco 18h • US’ top 30 fast food chains racked up $170bn of sales through 140,000 outlets. They have to be at the heart of building a more sustainable food system No alt text provided for this image Ranked: The Biggest Fast Food Chains in America visualcapitalist.com
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39 7 Comments Like Comment Share Top Comments Peter Burgess
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Peter BurgessStatus is online Peter Burgess You Founder/CEO at TrueValueMetrics.org developing True Value Impact Accounting 15s The mainstream (mainly US led) economic model has been problematic for a long time ... certainly all my adult life. These companies have delivered a high economic return for investors but the damage that has been done to customers' health, especially young customers, is huge and ignored. These chains have also contributed mightily to the decline of community. They are uniform and boring and essentially without any local character. And, of course, they have a lot of buying power that is wielded on behalf of the profit seeking owners so that small and/or local and/or sustainable agriculture are sidelined and likely out-of-business. Yes ... profitable big business, but otherwise a disaster. Like Peter Burgess’ comment
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David Hoghton-Carter David Hoghton-Carter 2nd degree connection2nd Impact & innovation strategist, progressive thinker, purpose-driven founder, writer. Looking for a new ethical project. 4h There is no realistic way to do that. The business models these big chains run on is completely contingent on an approach that can never be sustainable. Too much high-volume animal agriculture, for a start, and that's before you get into supply chain issues, manufacturing, waste, and employee rights, all of which are so far below genuine sustainability and ethical conduct as to be a bad joke with one Hell of a horrific punchline. The only way to make eating out sustainable is to completely remove the big chains from the equation. Encourage much smaller volume, better economics, better practices, in ways these industry titans would never, and could never, go for. Like David Hoghton-Carter’s comment · 5 Likes 5 Likes on David Hoghton-Carter’s comment
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Tim N. Tim N. 2nd degree connection2nd 'There's no planet B.' 17h All super healthy-organic, free from hormons, antibiotics or pesticides, with low fructose content and without bleached flour...grown without heavy diesel-agromachines or phosphorous fertilizer and on small fields surrounded by natural meagre-grass... ...oh...that's not good for the share price? Then let's do it in the opposite way and write suitable laws. If we don't teach people in school or media, they will eat it anyway. (edited) Like Tim N.’s comment · 4 Likes 4 Likes on Tim N.’s comment
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Dr Maria Caserio Dr Maria Caserio 2nd degree connection2nd sustainable eco design network, resilient city planning, coaching, thought leader, systems thinking 4h Educate people about the food they are putting into their bodies...teach kids how to cook! Have fun cooking parties instead of meeting in a fast food restaurant, we are all part of the solution 😊 Like Dr Maria Caserio’s comment · 1 Like 1 Like on Dr Maria Caserio’s comment
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Robert Robb Robert Robb 2nd degree connection2nd Waste Resources Manager with North Ayrshire Council.Passionate about extending the life of stuff. Passionate about other stuff which changes daily. Family, Words, Waste, Ayrshire, Golf, Resources, Social, Circular 5h Amazing stats. Interesting use of space x revenues. Clearly shocking data about number of visits although different climate, environment, habits and culture issues needs to be considered. Potential positive outcome and impacts from the size of the opportunity shouldn’t be ignored. Like Robert Robb’s comment
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Mark Knight Mark Knight 2nd degree connection2nd Freelance Consultant for Small Scale EfW plants and Industrial Biomass CHP plants at M K Energy Consulting Ltd 2h What affect has that had in the health system? Like Mark Knight’s comment
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Adam Smith FRSA Adam Smith FRSA 2nd degree connection2nd Founder at The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) 13h They should be the farthest away from building a sustainable future. Just because they’re making money, doesn’t make them right!
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