The 15 biggest fast-food chains in the US, ranked

McDonald's topped the list as the biggest fast-food chain in the country.

• Technomic data analyzed by Nation's Restaurant News ranks the top 15 US fast-food restaurants.
• 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

Year founded: 1972

Sales (2023): $5.5 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 3,051

14. Sonic Drive-In

Year founded: 1953

Sales (2023): $5.5 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 3,521

13. Pizza Hut

Year founded: 1958

Sales (2023): $5.6 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 6,593

12. Panda Express

Year founded: 1983

Sales (2023): $5.9 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 2,420

11. Panera Bread

Year founded: 1987

Sales (2023): $6.5 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 2,178

10. Domino's

Year founded: 1960

Sales (2023): $9 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 6,854

9. Chipotle

Year founded: 1993

Sales (2023): $9.9 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 3,371

8. Subway

Year founded: 1965

Sales (2023): $10 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 20,133

7. Burger King

Year founded: 1954

Sales (2023): $11 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 6,778

6. Dunkin'

Year founded: 1950

Sales (2023): $12 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 9,580

5. Wendy's

Year founded: 1969

Sales (2023): $12.3 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 6,030

4. Taco Bell

Year founded: 1962

Sales (2023): $15 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 7,405

3. Chick-fil-A

Year founded: 1967

Sales (2023): $21.6 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 2,964

2. Starbucks

Year founded: 1971

Sales (2023): $31.6 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 16,466

1. McDonald's

Year founded: 1955

Sales (2023): $53.1 billion

Restaurant count (2023): 13,457