There are many great fast food chains in America, and they’ve become a staple of our culture. Whether you want to grab a quick bite or just see what everyone’s talking about on social media, there’s something for everyone. Here are some of the most popular fast food chains in America ranked by average sales per store:
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A is the most popular fast food chain in the US. It has more than 2,200 restaurants in 43 states and Washington, D.C. The average sales per store comes out to around $4 million per year.
Raising Cane’s
Raising Cane’s is a fast food restaurant chain that was founded in 1996. It has more than 450 locations across the United States and Canada, including one in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The company’s slogan is “Raising Cane’s: It’s chicken fingers, done right.” This popular eatery serves up traditional American fare with a unique twist: they only offer fresh hand-battered chicken fingers made from all white meat chicken (never frozen). You can order your fingers smothered with sauce or dipped in any combination of sauces–from honey mustard to sweet BBQ to spicy buffalo. If you’re looking for something other than chicken fingers, there are also burgers on their menu as well as grilled cheese sandwiches made with Texas toast instead of ordinary bread slices!
Shake Shack
Shake Shack is a New York-based fast-casual restaurant chain. It was founded in 2004 by Danny Meyer and Union Square Hospitality Group, which also operates fine dining restaurants including Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. Shake Shack serves burgers, hot dogs, shakes and other desserts. The menu items are cooked to order using an open flame grill called “Flip” that cooks both sides of the burger at once. In addition to its hamburgers, the chain offers chicken sandwiches (the most popular being the Chick’n Shack), lamb burgers as well as vegetarian options such as cheese fries (made with Daiya cheese sauce). Its signature menu item is its custard concrete dessert called “concretes” which can be ordered with various mix-ins including chocolate sauce or candy pieces.
Whataburger
Whataburger is a Texas-based fast food chain that has more than 850 locations across 10 states. Whataburger has become known for its cult following and its limited edition burgers, which can sometimes sell out in minutes. Whataburger was founded by Harmon Dobson in 1950 and began franchising in 1961. The company’s signature item is the A1 Thick & Hearty Burger, which features two beef patties, cheese slices (or cheese sauce), lettuce tomato onion pickles mustard mayo ketchup on a toasted bun served with fries or onion rings.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s is the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries across 35,000 outlets. The company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles. Businessman Ray Kroc joined the company as an franchise agent in 1955, acquired the chain from them shortly thereafter and began to expand it globally. The corporation has its headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois with revenues of $22 billion dollars (2017).
Culver’s
Culver’s is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in frozen custard and butter burgers. It has more than 700 locations across the United States and Canada. The first Culver’s was opened in 1984 by Craig and LeRoy Culver in Sauk City, Wisconsin. They started out selling custard from their farm stand as well as cheese curds, which are similar to mozzarella sticks but made with white cheddar instead of processed cheese product. The company now offers a variety of menu items including sandwiches, salads, chicken tenders and wings (they call them “boneless wings”). You can also order your favorite item with a choice of toppings such as sauteed mushrooms or grilled onions; they call these “deluxe” versions because they cost extra money compared to basic burgers without any extra ingredients added onto them!
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a fast casual restaurant chain with over 2,000 locations. The company was founded in 1981 by Ron Shaich and has been publicly traded since 2007. Panera Bread is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, where it maintains its headquarters as well as several bakeries that supply its restaurants nationwide. JAB Holding Company acquired Panera Bread from Au Bon Pain Co-Founder Louis Kane in July 2017 for $7 billion USD. Since then, JAB has worked to increase efficiency across all aspects of operations including store layout design. They’ve also expanded into new markets like China and India.
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger is a chain of fast food restaurants in California. It’s known for its fresh ingredients and friendly customer service, which has earned it a strong following among people who grew up in California. In-N-Out Burger also offers some of the best shakes in the business; if you want to try one out, make sure to ask for extra napkins–you’ll need them!
If you’re looking for a fast food chain that’s popular in your area, it can be helpful to know which ones are most popular nationwide. By comparing sales per store across different regions and brands, we can see which chains will give us the best bang for our buck.
