Why has fast food become a popular choice for people? With the increase in the pace of life in modern societies, fast foods have gained a high level of popularity. As a result, chain fast food restaurants are increasingly being embraced worldwide, and fast foods have become a prominent part of our meals. It is no longer possible to overlook the significant impact of these types of foods on our daily lives. Often accompanied by a universal attitude, whenever the term "fast food" is mentioned, all minds are drawn to foods based on sausages, ham, pizza, and so on. While this trend may be correct to some extent, not all thinking involves creating fast foods. Foods like burgers, pizza, donuts, tacos, pancakes, coffee, cake, and some other quickly prepared dishes are called "fast food." Fast food has created many changes in human lifestyles and eating habits.
Some of these restaurants close down due to changes in the fast food market structure and their lack of coordination with it within a short period. However, there are other groups of restaurants that, by improving the quality of their food day by day, have expanded and grown larger and have formed extensive chain branches, becoming well-known worldwide. Ultimately, as the world moves forward at an ever-increasing pace and parents work late, fast food can be an easy and affordable meal. Below is a list of some of the most prominent and largest chain fast food restaurants in the world, ranked according to their sales.
Subway Restaurants
With over 36,000 locations worldwide, Subway is popular for its healthier fast food options. Subway entered the fast food market when everything was dominated by hamburger chain restaurants, but it managed to find its place and become a contender in the industry.
The largest chain of healthy sandwich restaurants with salads and cold cuts was born in 1965. Subway quickly took over the fast food market with its healthy and fresh options in the form of long sandwiches.
Subway fast food services are provided in 112 countries and 42,998 restaurants. The brand's healthy sandwiches with salads are among its most popular products. Customers can choose from 38 million different Subway sandwiches.
The brand serves 7.6 million sandwiches daily. In fact, Subway produces so many sandwiches annually that they could cover the Earth's surface 14 times.
There are debates about whether Subway has surpassed McDonald's as the world's largest chain restaurant. Some say that Subway has more stores, but McDonald's has a higher income throughout the year.
First place: McDonald's Chain Restaurant
If you guessed that McDonald's is at the top of the list of the world's best chain restaurants, you're right. McDonald's is considered the largest fast-food chain in the world.
This fast-food empire was born in California in 1940 by Richard McDonald and quickly became famous around the world. With more than 38,520 restaurants in over 119 countries, finding a McDonald's hamburger with French fries during your travels anywhere in the world is not difficult at all.
Today, McDonald's has more than 1.7 million employees. This chain restaurant has also collaborated with some companies in the entertainment industry on a global scale and is now the world's largest distributor of toys. Nearly 68 million customers visit McDonald's restaurants around the world daily. This figure is more than the entire population of the UK.
Initially, McDonald's chain restaurants cooked barbecue in their restaurant, but after 8 years, Richard McDonald decided to start cooking hamburgers and fast food. In 1955, Ray Kroc joined them, but later bought all of McDonald's shares and introduced it to the world.
Hamburgers are the symbol of McDonald's restaurants. The company sells 75 hamburgers every second. Chicken sandwiches, French fries, various desserts, and non-alcoholic beverages are other McDonald's products. 60% of McDonald's sales come from outside the US.
Today, McDonald's is considered the most famous and popular fast-food chain in the world, with an estimated annual net income of over $20 billion.
Undoubtedly, the most famous and largest chain restaurants that focus on pizza are the famous Domino's Pizza restaurants. A company based in Michigan, USA, which began its activity in 1960 and is currently the second largest pizza delivery company in the world, along with Pizza Hut. Domino's Pizza has over 10,000 locations in 70 countries worldwide. The company is currently publicly traded and its management is conducted in the stock market. The Monaghan brothers, with just $75 in cash and borrowing $500, founded a small fast food shop near the University of Michigan in 1960.
Starbucks
No list is complete without mentioning this giant in the coffee industry. Starbucks chain cafes, this American brand, are the largest of their kind worldwide. Starbucks was born in Seattle in 1971 with three partners who were looking to create a very high-quality cafe. Today, they sell their own coffee all over the world. Starbucks now has more than 2,100 locations in 65 countries worldwide, with annual revenue of over $15 billion. Starbucks continues to expand its branches worldwide.
KFC
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is ranked third in the fried chicken industry. It was started by Colonel Sanders in 1930 during the Great Depression and remained in the fried chicken space for years until the early 1990s, when it expanded its menu to include a much larger world of foods, from pizza to finger foods. However, the first branch of this brand was founded in 1952. The KFC brand is also at the level of McDonald's in terms of sales.
In 1987, Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC, became the first chain fast-food restaurant to enter China. Shortly thereafter, McDonald's also followed suit in 1990. One-third of KFC's sales belong to China. Today, KFC has over 20,000 branches in 123 countries around the world. Of course, KFC itself is owned by a larger food company called Yum! Brands, which also owns other companies such as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.
The recipe for KFC fried chicken is still a secret. This secret recipe is kept in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC leaves aside any chicken that has not been sold within 90 minutes of production in order to ensure the freshness of its products.
The main products available on KFC's menu include fried chicken, popcorn chicken, and various finger foods. Fans of KFC believe that the secret to the success of this chain restaurant lies in the presence of 11 herbs and spices used to flavor the chicken.
Pizza Hut Restaurants
One of the biggest fast-food giants in the world is the well-known brand Pizza Hut, which is just as fiery as its name suggests. Pizza Hut has over 17,000 branches in more than 100 countries around the world. It is an authentic American brand that started in Texas. The Carvey brothers, who were looking for work, eventually decided to open a restaurant for themselves. They borrowed $600 from their mother to establish their first restaurant in 1958, and this was the beginning of the development of the Pizza Hut brand. However, in 1977, PepsiCo purchased this brand and eventually sold it to the large company Yum. Yum, apart from Pizza Hut, is also the owner of the famous KFC brand.
Burger King
Burger King is an American fast-food and burger chain with its headquarters located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was founded in 1953 under the name Insta-Burger King in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally, the Burger King menu only consisted of various milkshakes, sodas, and French fries, but it has since expanded to include a wide range of other food items.
As of September 30, 2016, Burger King has launched nearly 15,243 restaurants in 100 different countries worldwide, and the brand has recently opened branches in Asian countries such as India and Pakistan. Nearly half of these restaurants are located in the United States, and 99.5% of them are privately owned.
Hunt Brother Pizza
Hunt Brothers Pizza has been located in Nashville, USA since 1991, although its roots date back to 1962 when four brothers from Evansville, Indiana - Don, Lonnie, Jim, and Charlie Hunt - started a local grocery store called Pepe's Pizza that sold pre-baked pizza crusts and other pizza items to restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, and drive-in theaters.
By 1994, the company had over 750 locations, and as of 2015, it had collaborated with the military and the Air Force Exchange Service to open five stores at U.S. bases in Germany.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell started its business in California by Glen Bell and became the most popular and successful brand for Mexican food. Initially named Taco Tia, the brand sold tacos from a food stand. In 1962, Glen Bell opened his first restaurant and named it Taco Bell.
Today, Taco Bell has more than 6,500 restaurants worldwide, and they serve around 2 billion customers annually. They are undoubtedly successful in their business to have such a huge customer base.
Dunkin
Dunkin' Donuts is the most popular donut producer in the United States with its brand. It was founded by William Rosenberg in Massachusetts in 1950. They specialize in offering donuts, coffee, and breakfast items and are considered the main competitor of Starbucks.
Today, Dunkin' Donuts has 3,100 branches in 30 different countries outside the US. Dunkin' Donuts has been a global name for over 40 years.
