20 Fast Food Chains with the Most Locations in the World

Published on February 29, 2024 at 3:24 pm by Fateha Maqbool in Business, Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will take a look at the top 20 fast-food chains with the most locations in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the global fast food industry, you can directly go to 5 Fast Food Chains with the Most Locations in the World.

In one of our previous articles, we looked at the 20 most popular fast-food restaurants in the world based on the number of countries the restaurants were present in. In this article, we will look at the total number of locations each fast-food chain has across the globe. Most fast-food chains listed in our article originate from the US and we will dig deeper into the global fast-food industry to understand how the US dominates this industry.

Key Trends in the Global Fast-Food Industry

According to a report by Precedence Research, the global fast-food industry was estimated to have reached a value of $700 billion in 2022. The market is expected to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.70% from 2023 to 2032, reaching a value of $1 trillion by the end of the forecasted period. According to a report by IBIS World, in 2023 the global fast-food restaurant industry reached $978.4 billion.

North America, i.e. the United States and Canada, are the largest markets for fast food. The high levels of fast-food consumption in the United States are largely because major fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Subway, Starbucks, and many others, exist in large numbers and are preferred by the younger generation. An American family, on average, spends at least 10% of their annual income on fast food each year. Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are among the fast-growing markets for fast-f00d restaurants, after North America.

Fast food first became easily accessible through drive-thrus as a result of growing urbanization in US cities. In the last few years, accessibility to fast food has increased even more with the increase in digitization. E-commerce has led to the use of online fast-food delivery services by restaurants and cafes. Globalization and global distribution networks have made it far easier for fast food chains to set up franchises in other countries as well. These companies evolve and create a wider range of products that help them fit in new markets and broaden their customer base.

Some of the major fast-food chains in the world are Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD), and KFC, owned by Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM). You can also take a look at 25 Most Popular Fast Food Restaurants in America and 13 Worst Rated Fast Food Restaurants in America According to Reddit.

Major Players in the Global Fast-Food Industry

McDonald’s is one of the largest fast-food chains in the world. The company has chains in over 100 countries across the globe and has over 69 million customers. On February 5, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) reported earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2023. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.95, surpassing EPS estimates by $0.12. McDonald’s Corp (NYSE:MCD) reported a revenue of $6.41 billion and outperformed revenue estimates by $47 million. Here are some comments from the McDonald’s Corporation’s (NYSE:MCD) Q4 2023 earnings call:

While macroeconomic pressures persisted throughout 2023, the resilience and power of our system was on full display, and we are heading into the new year in a position of strength. In 2023, we achieved global comp sales growth of 9%. Delivered comp guest count performance of nearly 3% globally with positive traffic across each of our segments, and maintained our leading market share across most of our major markets.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is one of the world’s largest coffee houses, offering specialty arabica coffee. On February 15, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) announced its latest partnership with the Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), one of the largest financial institutions in the US. The partnership will provide additional benefits to Bank of America cardholders and members of the Starbucks Rewards. The partnership is launched through Bank of America’s BankAmeriDeals program and offers customers cash back on various deals.

KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) has been operating since 1952. The franchise has expanded to over 150 countries and offers a wide menu of Kentucky fried chicken and much more. On January 19, KFC announced the appointment of Thuthuka Nxumalo as the new Chief Operations Officer for KFC in the United States. Nxumalo was previously overseeing the KFC Africa division as the chief operations officer and also has experience at companies including SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev.

With this context, let’s take a look at the 20 fast food chains with the most locations in the world.

A close-up of a hamburger, french fries, and a soft drink, representing the fast food chain.

Methodology

To compile our list of the top 20 fast-food chains with the most locations in the world, we relied on data provided by Statistics and Data Report for the biggest fast-food chains in the world. The data in the report dates back to 2021, therefore we double-checked the number of locations each fast-food chain had across the globe by checking the official sites of each restaurant. Once we had gathered the information from the official sites of each restaurant, we ranked the fast-food chains in ascending order of the number of locations they had.

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20 Fast Food Chains with the Most Locations in the World

20. Costa

Number of Locations in the World: 3,821

First up on our list of the top 20 fast food chains with the most locations in the world is Costa. It is primarily a UK-based coffee house, however, the brand has expanded to several countries across the world. There are 3,821 Costa locations in the world.

19. Wallace

Number of Locations in the World: 4,000

Second up on our list of top fast food chains with the most locations in the world is Wallace. It is a subsidiary of the Chinese company Fujian Wallace Food Co. Ltd. Its menu includes Western fast-food items such as burgers, fries, and drinks. There are 4,000 Wallace locations in the world.

18. Little Caesars

Number of Locations in the World: 5,463

Ranking 18th on our list of fast-food chains with the most locations is Little Caesars. This fast-food chain is famous for its variety of pizzas such as soft pretzel crust pizza and bacon-wrapped deep pizza. There are 5,463 Little Caesars locations in the world.

17. Dairy Queen

Number of Locations in the World: 6,800

Dairy Queen offers a vast range of fast-food items such as fried chicken, hot dogs, fries, chicken strips, tacos, onion rings, and much more. There are 6,800 Dairy Queen locations in the world.

16. Tim Hortons

Number of Locations in the World: 4,949

Ranking 16th on our list of the fast-food chains with the most locations in the world is Tim Hortons. It is a Canadian fast-food chain that offers coffee and donuts in a large variety. There are 4,949 Tim Horton locations in the world.

15. Papa John’s Pizza

Number of Locations in the World: 5,400

Founded in Indiana, US, Papa John’s Pizza is one of the most famous pizza restaurants in the world. Its menu includes chicken wings, desserts, and a variety of flavors of pizzas. There are 5,400 Papa John’s Pizza locations in the world.

14. Orange Julius

Number of Locations in the World: 5,710

Ranking 14th on our list of fast-food chains with the most locations in the world is Orange Julius. It is a chain of beverages and its most famous drink is the Orange Julius fruit drink. There are approximately 5,710 Orange Julius locations in the world.

13. Hardee’s

Number of Locations in the World: 5,812

Hardee’s ranks 13th on our list of the fast-food chains with the most locations in the world. It is a subsidiary of CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., and has expanded a large number of franchises across the globe. Its menu includes a wide range of sandwiches, burgers, fries, ice creams, and drinks. There are 5,812 Hardee’s locations in the world.

12. Baskin Robbins

Number of Locations in the World: 6,700

Baskin Robbins is one of the most famous ice cream and cake shops in the world. Operating since 1948, the company has created a wide range of delicious ice cream flavors and other frozen desserts. There are 6,700 Baskin Robbins locations in the world.

11. Wendy’s

Number of Locations in the World: 6,828

Wendy’s ranks 11th on our list of the top fast-food chains with the most locations in the world. Their menu includes burgers, salads, fries, and drinks. With headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, the fast-food chain has rapidly expanded across the globe. There are over 6,828 Wendy’s locations in the world.

10. Taco Bell

Number of Locations in the World: 7,791

Ranking 10th on our list of the top 20 fast-food chains with the most locations in the world is Taco Bell. It is a Mexican-inspired fast-food chain in the US. Their menu offers a variety of items such as tacos, nachos, and burritos. Their menu is available for both meat lovers and vegetarians separately. There are 7,791 Taco Bell locations in the world.

9. Hunt Brothers Pizza

Number of Locations in the World: 8,000

Hunt Brothers Pizza is a pizza chain that usually operates within convenience stores, offering pizza slices and on-demand pizzas for customers. It was founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1991. There are 8,000 Hunt Brothers Pizza locations in the world.

8. Dunkin’

Number of Locations in the World: 11,300

Dunkin’ is a well-known multinational chain for coffee and donuts. Their wide range of desserts, mainly donuts and cupcakes are paired with their special coffees. There are 11,300 Dunkin’ locations in the world.

7. Pizza Hut

Number of Locations in the World: 17,639

Pizza Hut is one of the most famous pizza chains in the world and one of the oldest as well. Dating back to 1958, the restaurant has a wide variety of pizzas on its menu, such as the famous stuffed crust pizza and the pan pizza. There are 17,639 Pizza Hut locations in the world.

6. Domino’s

Number of Locations in the World: 18,848

Domino’s ranks 6th on our list of 20 fast-food chains with the most locations in the world. It is a famous pizza delivery chain that also offers pasta and sandwiches on its menu. Domino’s has 18,848 locations in the world.

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