Largest Fast Food Chains 1990 - 2026 | Rise & Fall

37 years of fast food in one race - every major chain ranked by its number of restaurants worldwide. McDonald's started the 1990s far ahead. Subway, and now a Chinese ice cream and tea chain most people have never heard of, have both taken the crown since. Lead changes: 2010 - Subway overtakes McDonald's (3:49) 2020 - McDonald's takes the crown back from Subway (6:24) 2024 - Mixue overtakes McDonald's (8:02) Chapters: 0:00 1990 - McDonald's rules the world 0:16 1994 - Subway passes KFC 0:30 1996 - Subway is number two 0:52 2000 - The coffee boom 1:21 2002 - Subway wins America 2:50 2007 - Starbucks is number three 3:05 2008 - The crash 3:37 2010 - Subway takes the crown 4:29 2013 - 40,000 Subways 5:06 2016 - Subway's peak 6:12 2020 - The pandemic year 7:02 2022 - The Snow King 7:26 2023 - Luckin doubles 7:50 2024 - A new number one 8:10 2025 - 36 new stores a day 8:25 2026 - Coffee climbs to fourth Which of these chains is closest to where you live - and have you ever been to a Mixue? Data: restaurant and store counts at each year-end (fiscal year-end for Starbucks and Domino's) from company annual reports, 10-K filings and IPO prospectuses (McDonald's, Yum! Brands, Restaurant Brands International, Starbucks, Domino's, Mixue, Luckin, Guming, Chagee), plus Technomic and press reports for private chains (Subway, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins, Little Caesars, Dairy Queen, Wallace, Cotti). 2026 is the latest count reported in mid-2026. KFC and Pizza Hut include Yum China's restaurants. Mixue counts all its group's stores, including its Lucky Cup coffee brand. Some years for private chains are estimated between published figures. Music: 'Legacy' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au 'Catalyst' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au