Top 15 Fast-Food Chains in the U.S. - Technomic 2024 Ranking

Technomic has officially released its highly anticipated annual ranking of the 500 biggest restaurant chains in the U.S., based on 2024 sales and unit counts. The list includes fast food, fast casual, and casual dining establishments, highlighting how competitive the American restaurant landscape remains.

While McDonald’s held on to the top spot, the overall growth rate for the top three brands slowed to just 1.2% in 2024 — a stark contrast to the 11% growth they saw in 2023.

Despite these headwinds, loyalty programs and strategic marketing are helping brands hold ground. McDonald’s, for instance, saw its loyalty program usage rise 30% year over year. Starbucks and Chick-fil-A rounded out the top three, with Chick-fil-A continuing to dominate despite having significantly fewer locations than its peers. Texas Roadhouse made the biggest move in the Top 15, jumping four spots to become the nation’s largest casual-dining chain by sales.

Here are the Top 15 Restaurant Chains in the U.S. for 2024, ranked by sales:

• Segment: Quick Service

• Sales: $53.5 billion

• Units: 13,557

• Rank Change: 0

• Sales: $31.5 billion

• Units: 16,941

• Sales: $22.7 billion

• Units: 3,109

• Sales: $16.2 billion

• Units: 7,604

• Sales: $12.6 billion

• Units: 5,933

• Sales: $12.5 billion

• Units: 9,768

• Segment: Fast Casual

• Sales: $11.2 billion

• Units: 3,644

• Rank Change: +2

• Sales: $11 billion

• Units: 6,701

• Rank Change: -1

• Sales: $9.5 billion

• Units: 19,502

• Units: 7,014

• Sales: $6.2 billion

• Units: 2,505

• Rank Change: +1

• Sales: $6.1 billion

• Units: 2,216

• Sales: $5.7 billion

• Units: 3,148

• Sales: $5.6 billion

• Units: 6,557

• Segment: Casual Dining

• Sales: $5.5 billion

• Units: 664

• Rank Change: +4