Since the fast food concept originated in 1940 by McDonald
brothers, it is widely accepted and loved by customers because the meals are
quick and tasty and most importantly cheap. McDonald’s still remains the most
popular and favorite fast food chain in the U.S. with $46 billion sales in the
last year.
The Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Magazine has a detailed report on America’s top 50 fast food chains. The most famous brands are sized by their 2021 systemwide sales and divided into six broad categories. The categories are: Chicken, Burger, Pizza, Sandwich, Snack, and Global.
Let’s have a closer look at the fast food chains that are on the top 10 list of sales in America.
|
Rank |
Company |
Systemwide Sales (2021) |
Category |
|
1 |
McDonald's |
$46.0 billion |
Burger |
|
2 |
Starbucks |
$24.3 billion |
Snack |
|
3 |
Chick-fil-A |
$16.7 billion |
Chicken |
|
4 |
Taco Bell |
$12.6 billion |
Global |
|
5 |
Wendy's |
$11.1 billion |
Burger |
|
6 |
Dunkin' |
$10.4 billion |
Snack |
|
7 |
Burger King |
$10.0 billion |
Burger |
|
8 |
Subway |
$9.4 billion |
Sandwich |
|
9 |
Domino's |
$8.6 billion |
Pizza |
|
10 |
Chipotle |
$7.5 billion |
Global |
Some of the chains that are well recognized overall may not
be quite well known in a particular area. Like Bojangles is loved in the
Southeast parts while people on the West Coast may never have even heard of it.
Upcoming Trends in the Fast Food Industry:
America’s fast food industry is one of the rapid growing
ones and it is expected to make $331 billion sales in the year 2022. Fast food
chains are ideal for the pandemic situations because of the drive-through
facility and the fast service they offer. Their business model also does not emphasize
on sitting down to eat.
Starbucks, the most well-known coffee house of America
claims that 90% of its new stores will have the facility of drive-throughs. They
will promote digital sales and transactions with limited contact making the
process even faster and convenient. Starbucks’ app service has grown 400% over the
last five years and in 2021 the delivery facility of their business grew 30% according
to the QSR report.
There are a lot of fast food chains in America, but the favorite
still remains burgers providing $92.2 billion of collective sales.
