
Royalty Fast food is a category of mass-produced, commercially resold food that places a high value on the expediency of service. It is a term used in commerce to describe meals provided in packaging for takeout or takeaway and sold in a restaurant or store containing frozen, warmed, or pre-cooked components. Fast food was developed as a business strategy to serve a huge number of harried-wage employees, travelers, and commuters. Globally, the fast-food sector was predicted to be worth $570 billion in 2018.
Pre-cooked meals are the quickest type of “fast food” as they cut waiting times to just a few seconds. Other fast-food restaurants, especially those that serve hamburgers like McDonald’s, cook the meat and fries fresh before assembling “to order” using mass-produced, pre-prepared items (bagged buns and sauces, frozen beef patties, veggies that have been cleaned and/or chopped).
The drive-through has always been a distinguishing feature of fast food establishments. Outlets could be fast food joints, stalls, or kiosks that don’t offer seating or protection from the elements (also known as quick-service restaurants). Standardized goods are transported from central sites to each restaurant in franchise operations that are a part of restaurant chains.
Many quick foods have a tendency to be rich in calories, salt, sugar, and saturated fat. Fast food has been associated with a higher risk of depression, colon cancer, high cholesterol, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Even after adjusting for confounding lifestyle factors, these correlations are still significant, pointing to a clear link between eating fast food and a higher chance of developing diseases and dying young.
History
The idea of pre-cooked food being sold has a tight relationship with urban development. Homes in developing cities frequently lacked the room or the tools necessary for food preparation. Additionally, buying cooking fuel may be as expensive as buying produce. Food frying in scorching oil proved to be both expensive and risky. A cooking fire that started accidentally “could easily conflagrate an entire neighborhood,” according to homeowners. Therefore, wherever possible, urbanites were encouraged to buy pre-prepared meats or starches, such as bread or noodles. Additionally, this prevented customers with extremely limited time (such as commuters stopping to buy dinner to send home to their families or hourly workers taking a quick lunch break) from experiencing the annoyance of having to wait for their meal to be prepared on the spot (as is expected from a traditional “sit down” restaurant). Cities in ancient Rome had street stands, which were basically large counters with a container in the center where food and drink were served. Americans started to spend more and purchase more during post-World War II economic boom as the country’s economy expanded and a culture of consumerism grew. Both members of the household started to work outside the home as a result of this new ambition to have it all and the advancements made by women while the men were abroad. Going out to eat, which was once thought of as a luxury, started to happen frequently and eventually became necessary. For both lunch and dinner, workers and working families needed rapid service and affordable meals. The usage of takeout fast food is gradually replacing the customary family dinner. As a result, less time is spent on food preparation, with the average American woman spending 47 minutes daily and the average American guy only spending 19 minutes in 2013.
Ranking The Top 50 Fast-Food Chains in America
RANK | COMPANY | CATEGORY | 2018 US SYSTEMWIDE SALES MILLIONS | 2018 AVERAGE SALES PER UNIT THOUSANDS | 2018 FRANCHISE LICENSE UNITS | 2018 COMPANY UNITS | 2018 TOTAL UNITS | TOTAL CHANGE IN UNITS FROM 2017 |
1 | MCDONALD’S | BURGER | 38,524.05 | 2,768.73 | 13,229 | 685 | 13,914 | -122 |
2 | STARBUCKS | SNACK | 19,700.00 | 1,349.32 | 6,332 | 8,493 | 14,825 | 895 |
3 | SUBWAY | SANDWICH | 10,410.34 | 420 | 24,798 | 0 | 24,798 | -1,110 |
4 | TACO BELL | GLOBAL | 10,300.00 | 1,600.00 | 6,126 | 462 | 6,588 | 142 |
5 | CHICK-FIL-A | CHICKEN | 10,000.00 | 4,166.67 | 2,400 | 0 | 2,400 | 175 |
6 | WENDY’S | BURGER | 9,993.70 | 1,636.40 | 5,825 | 353 | 6,711 | 77 |
7 | BURGER KIN | BURGER | 9,950.00 | 1,357.00 | 7,278 | 49 | 7,327 | 101 |
8 | DUNKIN | SNACK | 8,787.00 | 933 | 9,419 | 0 | 9,419 | 278 |
9 | DOMINO’S | PIZZA | 6,600.00 | 1,123.00 | 5,486 | 390 | 5,876 | 258 |
10 | PANERA BREAD | SANDWICH | 5,734.63 | 2,739.91 | 1,131 | 963 | 2,093 | 50 |
11 | PIZZA HUT | PIZZA | 5,500.00 | 878 | 7,432 | 24 | 7,456 | -41 |
12 | CHIPOTLE | GLOBAL | 4,800.00 | 2,000.00 | 0 | 2,491 | 2,491 | 83 |
13 | SONIC DRIVE-IN | BURGER | 4,447.10 | 1,250.00 | 3,427 | 179 | 3,606 | 13 |
14 | KFC | CHICKEN | 4,400.00 | 1,210.00 | 4,019 | 55 | 4,074 | -35 |
15 | ARBY’S | SANDWICH | 3,886.90 | 1,177.00 | 2,197 | 1,132 | 3,329 | 46 |
16 | LITTLE CAESARS | PIZZA | 3,800.00 | 874 | 3,700 | 562 | 4,262 | -74 |
17 | DAIRY QUEEN | SNACK | 3,650.00 | 1,204.58 | 4,404 | 2 | 4,406 | -49 |
18 | JACK IN THE BOX | BURGER | 3,466.13 | 1,553.00 | 2,100 | 137 | 2,237 | -14 |
19 | PANDA EXPRESS | GLOBAL | 3,400.00 | 1,616.00 | 125 | 1,979 | 2,104 | 93 |
20 | POPEYES | CHICKEN | 3,325.00 | 1,415.00 | 2,327 | 41 | 2,368 | 148 |
21 | PAPA JOHN’S | PIZZA | 2,720.00 | 815 | 2,691 | 646 | 3,337 | 23 |
22 | WHATABURGER | BURGER | 2,416.00 | 2,928.50 | 126 | 699 | 825 | 4 |
23 | JIMMY JOHN’S | SANDWICH | 2,200.00 | 772 | 2,748 | 55 | 2,803 | 48 |
24 | HARDEE’S | BURGER | 2,120.00 | 1,131.00 | 1,745 | 119 | 1,864 | 16 |
25 | ZAXBY’S | CHICKEN | 1,850.00 | 2,060.00 | 757 | 141 | 898 | 21 |
26 | FIVE GUYS | BURGER | 1,615.84 | 1,274.80 | 866 | 492 | 1,358 | 37 |
27 | CULVER’S | BURGER | 1,580.00 | 2,390.00 | 680 | 6 | 686 | 45 |
28 | CARL’S JR. | BURGER | 1,425.00 | 1,239.00 | 1,106 | 50 | 1,156 | -7 |
29 | BOJANGLES | CHICKEN | 1,296.21 | 1,741.06 | 440 | 319 | 759 | 225 |
30 | WINGSTOP | CHICKEN | 1,261.03 | 1,139.00 | 1,095 | 29 | 1,252 | 0 |
31 | RAISING CANE’S | CHICKEN | 1,185.00 | 2,963.00 | 70 | 330 | 400 | 0 |
32 | JERSEY MIKE’S | SANDWICH | 1,148.49 | 769 | 1,412 | 82 | 1,494 | 151 |
33 | STEAK ‘N’ SHAKE | BURGER | 1,035.00 | 1,739.00 | 185 | 409 | 594 | 9 |
34 | IN-N-OUT BURGER | BURGER | 950 | 2,794.00 | 0 | 338 | 338 | 10 |
35 | EL POLLO LOCO | CHICKEN | 870 | 1,798.00 | 271 | 213 | 484 | 7 |
36 | QDOBA | GLOBAL | 835 | 1,132.00 | 354 | 389 | 743 | 17 |
37 | CHECKERS/RALLY’S | BURGER | 824.64 | 972.42 | 628 | 254 | 882 | 6 |
38 | DEL TACO | GLOBAL | 817.77 | 1,508.29 | 258 | 322 | 580 | 16 |
39 | FIREHOUSE SUBS | SANDWICH | 810.95 | 711.66 | 1,078 | 37 | 1,115 | 40 |
40 | PAPA MURPHY’S | PIZZA | 795.58 | 568 | 1,331 | 106 | 1,437 | -86 |
41 | TIM HORTONS | SANDWICH | 760 | 1,027.00 | 727 | 0 | 727 | -11 |
42 | CHURCH’S CHICKEN | CHICKEN | 750 | 714 | 811 | 165 | 1,086 | -46 |
43 | MOE’S | GLOBAL | 734.56 | 1,021.64 | 714 | 5 | 719 | 14 |
44 | MCALISTER’S DELI | SANDWICH | 678.12 | 1,633.51 | 415 | 29 | 444 | 35 |
45 | JASON’S DELI | SANDWICH | 654.32 | 2,520.00 | 105 | 173 | 278 | 5 |
46 | MARCO’S PIZZA | PIZZA | 621.77 | 721.99 | 844 | 39 | 883 | 16 |
47 | BASKIN-ROBBINS | SNACK | 612 | 240 | 2,550 | 0 | 2,550 | -10 |
48 | AUNTIE ANNE’S | SNACK | 558.24 | 538.18 | 1,282 | 13 | 1,295 | -16 |
49 | BOSTON MARKET | CHICKEN | 557.77 | 1,259.00 | 19 | 435 | 454 | 7 |
50 | WHITE CASTLE | BURGER | 555 | 1,480.00 | 3 | 372 | 375 | -5 |