McDonald's topped the list as the biggest fast-food chain in the country.
Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell also ranked highly.
In the US, fast food is king. However, some chains are simply bigger than others.
From McDonald's to Taco Bell, quick-service and fast-casual chains fared far better last year compared to casual-dining chains like Chili's and Applebee's, Restaurant Business reported in June. However, those chains are attempting to level the playing field this year with value-focused initiatives and comparable menu items — and it might be winning customers over.
The research firm Technomic recently identified the top 500 biggest chain restaurants in the US. The report, which Technomic said is based on "decades of historical data," analyzes trends in the food service industry and includes each chain's annual sales and unit counts for 2023, which were also reported by Nation's Restaurant News.
We looked at the top 15 chains listed as quick-service or fast-casual. We didn't include casual-dining or family-style chains like Cracker Barrel or Applebee's in this ranking. We also listed the year the company was founded, its 2023 sales, and restaurant count, per Technomic's report.
Here are the biggest chain restaurants in the US.
15. Popeyes
A Popeyes restaurant in Chicago.
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Year founded: 1972
Sales (2023): $5.5 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 3,051
14. Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Year founded: 1953
Sales (2023): $5.5 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 3,521
13. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Year founded: 1958
Sales (2023): $5.6 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 6,593
12. Panda Express
A customer walks past a Panda Express restaurant.
REUTERS/Fred Prouser
Year founded: 1983
Sales (2023): $5.9 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 2,420
11. Panera Bread
Panera Bread.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Year founded: 1987
Sales (2023): $6.5 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 2,178
10. Domino's
Domino's.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Year founded: 1960
Sales (2023): $9 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 6,854
9. Chipotle
Chipotle.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Year founded: 1993
Sales (2023): $9.9 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 3,371
8. Subway
Subway.
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Subway
Year founded: 1965
Sales (2023): $10 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 20,133
7. Burger King
Burger King.
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Year founded: 1954
Sales (2023): $11 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 6,778
6. Dunkin'
Dunkin'.
AP
Year founded: 1950
Sales (2023): $12 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 9,580
5. Wendy's
Wendy's sign.
Dan Tian/Getty Images
Year founded: 1969
Sales (2023): $12.3 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 6,030
4. Taco Bell
Taco Bell Cheez-It Crunchwrap.
Taco Bell
Year founded: 1962
Sales (2023): $15 billion
Restaurant count (2023): 7,405
3. Chick-fil-A
A Chick-fil-A restaurant.
Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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