For fast food restaurants, the three D’s drove growth in 2021: Drive-thru, delivery and digital.
So-called quick-service restaurants, which include the likes of Starbucks (SBUX), McDonald’s (MCD), Taco Bell, owned by Yum! Brands (YUM), Chipotle (CMG) and Panda Express, adapted more easily to pandemic conditions than traditional sit-down restaurants, and many have continued to reduce their in-person dining footprints to focus on online ordering, drive-thru, takeout and delivery service.
Restaurant industry sales overall were down $65 billion in 2021, compared with 2019's pre-pandemic levels, according to the National Restaurant Association, and 90,000 restaurant locations temporarily or permanently closed because of the pandemic.
But quick-service outlets fared far better, according to an annual report by QSR Magazine, and major growth prospects are on the table for fast casuals and fast-food outlets.
McDonald’s, for example, the largest fast-food chain, set a sales record in 2021: $112 billion—a new high mark in company history, and up 21% from the previous year, according to QSR’s annual report, the QSR50, which ranks the biggest fast-food chains.
Digitally-enabled stores like Pizza Hut and Popeye’s steered away from the dine-in space and expanded their drive-thru lanes and haven’t looked back.
Sonic parent company Inspire Brands opened more than 1,400 units in 2021, including over 500 U.S. franchises. The group includes Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’, and Jimmy John’s, and generated domestic digital sales growth over 35%, year-over-year, to more than $6 billion, the report says.
To rank the limited-service restaurant companies, QSR Magazine and FoodserviceResults, a research and consulting firm specializing in the foodservice industry, collected information directly from the companies from March to May 2022, filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and data from other sources. In some instances, estimates were made.
Here are the biggest fast-food restaurants, ranked by total U.S. systemwide sales, according to the QSR50 report. All information reflects 2021 fiscal performance.
1. McDonald’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $45.96 billion
- 2021 total units: 13,438
McDonald’s leads in the burger segment, followed by Wendy’s, Burger King and Sonic. The second year of the pandemic didn’t slow down the golden arches: McDonald’s system-wide sales rose 21% in 2021 to more than $112 billion—a new high in the company's history, according to the QSR50 report.
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2. Starbucks
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $24.3 billion
- 2021 total units: 15,450
Starbucks leads in the snack segment, followed by Dunkin’, Dairy Queen and Krispy Kreme.
3. Chick-Fil-A
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $16.7 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,732
Chick-Fil-A leads in the chicken segment, followed by KFC, Popeye’s, Raising Cane’s and Wingstop.
4. Taco Bell
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $12.6 billion
- 2021 total units: 7,002
Taco Bell leads in the global segment, followed by Chipotle, Panda Express and Del Taco.
5. Wendy’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $11.11 billion
- 2021 total units: 5,938
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6. Dunkin’
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $10.42 billion
- 2021 total units: 9,244
Dunkin
7. Burger King
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $10.03 billion
- 2021 total units: 7,105
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8. Subway
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $9.35 billion
- 2021 total units: 21,147
Subway leads the sandwich segment, followed by Panera, Arby’s and Jimmy John’s.
9. Domino’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $8.64 billion
- 2021 total units: 6,560
Domino’s leads the pizza segment, followed by Pizza Hut, Little Caesars and Papa John’s.
10. Chipotle
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $7.55 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,966
11. Sonic
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $5.84 billion
- 2021 total units: 3,552
12. Panera Bread
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $5.65 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,080
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13. Pizza Hut
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $5.5 billion
- 2021 total units: 6,548
Shannon O'Hara/Getty Images for Pizza Hut
14. KFC
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $5.1 billion
- 2021 total units: 3,953
15. Popeyes
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.78 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,754
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16. Dairy Queen
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.49 billion
- 2021 total units: 4,339
17. Arby’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.46 billion
- 2021 total units: 3,409
18. Panda Express
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.45 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,334
19. Little Caesars
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.19 billion
- 2021 total units: 4,181
20. Jack in the Box
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $4.08 billion
2021 total units: 2,218
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21. Papa Johns
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $3.49 billion
- 2021 total units: 3,164
Papa Johns
22. WhatABurger
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $3.09 billion
- 2021 total units: 873
23. Culver’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.49 billion
- 2021 total units: 837
Culver's
24. Raising Cane’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.38 billion
- 2021 total units: 567
25. Jimmy John’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.3 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,657
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26. Wingstop
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.28 billion
- 2021 total units: 1,534
Wingstop
27. Zaxby’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.23 billion
- 2021 total units: 980
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28. Jersey Mike’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.2 billion
- 2021 total units: 2,100
29. Hardee’s
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.1 billion
- 2021 total units: 1,734
30. Five Guys
- 2021 U.S. systemwide sales: $2.09 billion
- 2021 total units: 1,390
See the list of all 50 biggest chains at QSR.
