People love to knock chain restaurants, especially the fast food variety, but we all have our favorites. Call it a “guilty pleasure,” but sometimes you just get an overwhelming urge to pull into a drive-thru and order up a sack full of greasy goodness. Sure, your doctor wouldn’t approve but it’s not like you this every day. Or maybe you do. I’m not here to judge.
So what are your favorite chain restaurants? Money talks, right? The Top 500 Countdown has just come out from Nation’s Restaurant News, revealing the top chain restaurants in the country based on their sales performance last year. They compiled sales figures of the 500 largest restaurant chains in the U.S. for 2022.
Say what you will about the Golden Arches, but they still bring it. McDonald’s was America’s top restaurant chain in 2022 with $48.67 billion in U.S. sales last year. Mickey D’s has been on top for years and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Starbucks, its next closest competitor, only did $ 27.5 billion in sales for 2022. Chick-fil-A comes in third with $18.81 billion, Taco Bell is fourth with $12.92 billion, and Wendy’s rounds out the top-five with $11.69 billion in sales.
As for the pizza wars, Domino’s continues to dominate and had $8.57 billion in sales in 2022. It’s also the 10th highest-earning chain overall. Pizza Hut is 13th overall with $5.27 billion in sales, Little Caesars is 16th with $4.72 billion, and Papa John’s is 26th with $3.71 billion.
Top 10 U.S. Chain Restaurants (based on 2022 sales)
10. Domino's
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $8.57 Billion
The store front of Domino’s® 18,000th location on July 1, 2021 in La Junta, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images for Dominos)
9. Chipotle
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $8.63 Billion
A customer orders food at a Chipotle restaurant on April 26, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
8. Subway
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $9.19 Billion
A Subway sandwich is seen on a table at a Subway restaurant on January 12, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo Illustration by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
7. Burger King
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $10.28 Billion
A general view of a Burger King restaurant on September 15, 2022 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
6. Dunkin’
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $11.28 Billion
A Dunkin’ Donuts sign hangs on a window September 7, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
5. Wendy’s
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $11.69 Billion
A view of a Wendy’s restaurant on May 12, 2021 in Pinole, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
4. Taco Bell
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $12.92 Billion
Taco Bell is continuing to innovate with tastes and flavors less familiar to other regions, while infusing familiarity and authenticity in every item. Photographed during the Taco Bell International Menu Tasting at Taco Bell Headquarters on December 9, 2019 in Irvine, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Taco Bell)
3. Chick-fil-A
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $18.81 Billion
It’s the one that made them famous: a classic breaded chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A. (Photo by Geno/BBGI)
2. Starbucks
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $27.5 Billion
The Starbucks logo is display on a cup and bag at a Starbucks store on October 29, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
1. McDonald's
2022 U.S. Systemwide Sales: $48.67 Billion
A sign is posted in front of a McDonald’s restaurant on April 28, 2022 in San Leandro, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
