Restaurant chains in America range from internationally known giants like McDonald’s, with units numbering in the five figures, to small regional operations like HopCat in Michigan with fewer than 20 locations each – and they specialize in everything from burgers and subs to pasta and pizza to chicken and, well, more chicken. (Here’s a list of 18 new chicken dishes that debuted in 2022.)
Nobody knows exactly how many restaurant chain businesses there are in America today, in part because it’s difficult to define “chain” (does a place with two locations count? three?), and also because new ones open or spring from single-unit establishments all the time. It’s clear that there are at least 500 worth considering, however, judging from the ranking of the country’s top 500 chains published last month by the top industry trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News.
To determine the 50 most successful restaurant chains in America out of that 500 – ranging from grab-and-go fast food purveyors to sit-down dinner houses – 24/7 Tempo reviewed NRN’s 2023 Top 500 Countdown, produced each year by the publication in partnership with Datassential and its Firefly platform.
A successful restaurant chain can post impressive numbers. According to the NRN ranking, at least 50 of them recorded systemwide U.S. sales of over $1 billion last year, and the seven largest exceeded $10 billion – with first-place McDonald’s bringing in almost $50 billion. (Here’s a look at the most popular fast food chain in every state.)
Note that the ranking below differs slightly from NRN’s original. In cases where sales were tied, we ranked chains with greater year-over-year growth higher. (The number of U.S. locations for each chain comes from the data company ScrapeHero’s Location Intelligence Reports, and was current on various dates between early May and late June of this year.)
Click here for a list of the most successful restaurant chains in America
While the pandemic put a dent in sales for many chain operations, and while they still face “challenges such as inflation, a shallow labor pool and the supply chain” (to quote NRN), it should be noted that 45 of the 50 chains here posted gains in 2022 over 2021 – with one of them, the Louisiana-based chicken-fingers specialist Raising Cane’s, jumping a remarkable 31.2%.
50. Firehouse Subs
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.2 billion
> Change from 2021: 13.7%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,210
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49. BJs
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 15.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 216
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48. Waffle House
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 6.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,981
47. Golden Corral
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 19.7%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 395
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46. Red Robin
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.5 billion
> Change from 2021: 10.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 500
45. Bojangles
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.6 billion
> Change from 2021: 8.5%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 816
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44. Carl’s Jr.
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 12.6%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,064
43. In-N-Out Burger
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $1.9 billion
> Change from 2021: 13.9%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 391
42. Hardee’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 11.0%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,659
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41. Jimmy John’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 2.8%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,747
40. Zaxby’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 9.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 925
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39. Five Guys
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 13.0%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,443
38. Longhorn Steakhouse
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 16.6%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 500
37. Denny’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.5 billion
> Change from 2021: 5.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,518
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36. Cheesecake Factory
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.6 billion
> Change from 2021: 14.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 211
35. Outback Steakhouse
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 3.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 691
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34. Red Lobster
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 13.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 653
33. Wingstop
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 16.8%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,777
32. Jersey Mike’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 22.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,538
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31. Cracker Barrel
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.8 billion
> Change from 2021: 8.6%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 661
30. Culver’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $2.8 billion
> Change from 2021: 13.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 943
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29. Raising Cane’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.1 billion
> Change from 2021: 31.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 694
28. Whataburger
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 8.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 943
27. IHOP
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 7.7%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,693
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26. Papa John’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 6.5%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 3,117
25. Chili’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.8 billion
> Change from 2021: 8.6%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,238
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24. Buffalo Wild Wings
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $3.9 billion
> Change from 2021: 5.9%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,243
23. Texas Roadhouse
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4 billion
> Change from 2021: 15.9%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 622
22. Jack in the Box
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.1 billion
> Change from 2021: -1.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,194
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21. Applebee’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.4 billion
> Change from 2021: 4.7%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 1,562
20. Arby’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.5 billion
> Change from 2021: 1.6%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 3,403
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19. Dairy Queen
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.6 billion
> Change from 2021: 1.9%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 4,316
18. Olive Garden
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.6 billion
> Change from 2021: 4.5%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 906
17. KFC
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.7 billion
> Change from 2021: -8.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 3,899
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16. Little Caesars
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 11.5%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 4,184
15. Popeyes
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $4.9 billion
> Change from 2021: 6.5%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,970
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14. Panda Express
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $5.1 billion
> Change from 2021: 16.1%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,258
13. Pizza Hut
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $5.3 billion
> Change from 2021: -4.3%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 6,823
12. Sonic Drive-In
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $5.5 billion
> Change from 2021: -5.8%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 3,547
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11. Panera Bread
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $6.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 12.3%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,132
10. Domino’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $8.6 billion
> Change from 2021: -0.8%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 6,726
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9. Chipotle
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $8.6 billion
> Change from 2021: 14.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 3,200
8. Subway
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $9.2 billion
> Change from 2021: 5.0%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 20,603
7. Burger King
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $10.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 2.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 7,257
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6. Dunkin’
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $11.3 billion
> Change from 2021: 8.3%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 9,450
5. Wendy’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $11.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 5.2%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 5,994
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4. Taco Bell
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $12.9 billion
> Change from 2021: 2.4%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 7,815
3. Chick-Fil-A
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $18.8 billion
> Change from 2021: 12.8%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 2,945
2. Starbucks
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $27.5 billion
> Change from 2021: 12.0%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 15,988
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1. McDonald’s
> U.S. systemwide sales (2022): $48.7 billion
> Change from 2021: 5.9%
> Number of units (U.S. only): 13,509
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