RestaurantData historical ranking
Top 25 US Restaurant Companies in November 2017
RestaurantData’s November 2017 Top 25 ranked restaurant concepts by US location count. The original ranking, classifications and estimates are preserved below, alongside separately labeled current REI ownership connections.
Historical research: 2017-11 Restoration prepared October 21, 2026
RestaurantData historical research. About these reports.
Historical ranking
Current REI ownership connections below were reviewed October 21, 2026. Arrows run from the named parent toward the highest linked REI parent. These are present-day research connections, not ownership claims for the historical report period. The public REI does not list a separate parent profile for every company.
Linked historical company names open their current REI profiles. Where a current parent is identified, the parent name links to its REI profile.
25 records
| Rank | Concept as recorded | Cuisine | Service type | US locations | Estimated sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SUBWAYCurrent REI parent: Roark Capital Group. | Sandwich | QSR | 27,461 | $10,297,875,000 |
| 2 | MCDONALD’S | Burger | Fast Casual | 14,456 | $39,031,200,000 |
| 3 | STARBUCKS COFFEE CO | Coffee | Fast Casual | 13,200 | $14,520,000,000 |
| 4 | DUNKIN DONUTSCurrent REI parent: Inspire Brands → Roark Capital Group. | Donut | QSR | 9,026 | $6,769,500,000 |
| 5 | TACO BELLCurrent REI parent: Yum! Brands. | Mexican/Latin | QSR | 7,090 | $10,635,000,000 |
| 6 | BURGER KINGCurrent REI parent: Restaurant Brands International. | Burger | QSR | 6,965 | $8,706,250,000 |
| 7 | PIZZA HUTCurrent ownership noted in REI: LongRange Capital. No separate REI owner profile is listed. | Pizza | Casual/Family | 6,323 | $4,679,020,000 |
| 8 | WENDY’S | Burger | QSR | 5,881 | $8,821,500,000 |
| 9 | DOMINO’S | Pizza | QSR | 5,540 | $5,817,000,000 |
| 10 | DAIRY QUEENCurrent ownership noted in REI: Berkshire Hathaway. No separate REI owner profile is listed. | Ice Cream Yogurt | QSR | 4,497 | $3,597,600,000 |
| 11 | KFCCurrent REI parent: Yum! Brands. | Chicken | QSR | 4,427 | $4,869,700,000 |
| 12 | LITTLE CAESAR’SCurrent ownership noted in REI: Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. → Ilitch Holdings. No separate REI owner profile is listed. | Pizza | QSR | 4,334 | $3,683,900,000 |
| 13 | SONIC DRIVE-INCurrent REI parent: Inspire Brands → Roark Capital Group. | Burger | QSR | 3,655 | $4,751,500,000 |
| 14 | PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA | Pizza | QSR | 3,335 | $2,934,800,000 |
| 15 | ARBY’SCurrent REI parent: Inspire Brands → Roark Capital Group. | Sandwich | QSR | 3,266 | $3,674,250,000 |
| 16 | JIMMY JOHN’S GOURMET SANDWICH SHOPCurrent REI parent: Inspire Brands → Roark Capital Group. | Sandwich | Fast Casual | 2,700 | $2,295,850,000 |
| 17 | BASKIN ROBBINSCurrent REI parent: Inspire Brands → Roark Capital Group. | Ice Cream Yogurt | QSR | 2,332 | $583,000,000 |
| 18 | JACK IN THE BOX | Burger | QSR | 2,242 | $3,363,000,000 |
| 19 | CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL | Mexican/Latin | Fast Casual | 2,200 | $3,795,000,000 |
| 20 | POPEYE’S LOUISIANA KITCHENCurrent REI parent: Restaurant Brands International. | Chicken | QSR | 2,137 | $2,991,800,000 |
| 21 | PANERA BREADCurrent REI parent: Panera Brands. | Bakery Cafe | Fast Casual | 2,072 | $5,283,600,000 |
| 22 | CHICK-FIL-A | Chicken | Fast Casual | 2,038 | $6,623,500,000 |
| 23 | HARDEE’SCurrent REI parent: CKE Restaurants → Roark Capital Group. | Burger | QSR | 1,946 | $1,128,680,000 |
| 24 | APPLEBEE’S NEIGHBORHOOD GRILL & BARCurrent REI parent: Dine Brands. | American | Casual/Family | 1,809 | $4,341,600,000 |
| 25 | DENNY’SCurrent REI parent: Yadav Enterprises. | American | Casual/Family | 1,805 | $2,933,125,000 |
| Top 25 totals as printed | 140,737 | $166,128,250,000 | |||
Reading this report today
The source reports 140,737 locations and estimated sales of $166,128,250,000 across the 25 concepts. Service classifications and all figures follow the original November 2017 image; they are not current estimates.
View the original November 2017 ranking image
