Top 20 McDonald’s Competitors & Alternatives in 2024

The top McDonald’s competitors are KFC, Burger King, Subway, Wendy’s, Pizza hut, Starbucks, Dominos pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Taco Bell and others. These competitors are either quick-service brands or fast-casual restaurants. McDonald’s is one of the most favorite fast food joints in the world and it’s over 40,275 locations worldwide as at 2022 serve to strengthen this fact. Founded in 1940 by brothers Richard and Maurice, McDonald’s has revolutionized and shaped the fast food industry to what we have come to know and love.

McDonald’s direct employees number are 150,000 as of 2022. McDonald’s operates in over 100 countries around the globe. The United States has the highest number of McDonald’s restaurants, with 13,375 locations.

McDonald’s deals with products such as French fries, hamburgers, milkshakes, and cheeseburgers among many others, the fast food giant has also expanded to serving fish, fruits, salads, and smoothies. McDonald’s serves close to 69 million consumers in more than 100 countries and this is where most of their $6.498B worth of revenue (as at 2023 is generated from.

McDonald’s net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $2.310B and Market capitalization is $207.99B as of August 16, 2023 solidify McDonald’s standing as a major player in the fast food industry. McDonald’s has its headquarters in Illinois, United States. The following are some of the companies giving McDonald’s a run for their money;

Top McDonald’s Competitors

1) KFC

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: September 24, 1939.
• Founder: Colonel Harland Sanders.
• Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
• Current CEO: David Gibbs.
• Parent:  Yum! Brands
• Revenue: $2.83B (2022)

KFC is the second largest fast-food chain after McDonald’s and one of the top McDonalds Competitors. Its specialty is in fried chicken and burgers. Founded in 1930, the brand has grown and expanded into other territories KFC has its branches in about 150 countries and 22622 outlets making it the 4th largest fast-food restaurant in the world.. Along with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, KFC is a Yum! Brands subsidiary. Apart from fried chicken, KFC also offers salads, French fries, soft drinks and chicken fillet burgers among other notable products.

KFC’s fried chicken has been hailed as the best in the world and its slogan ‘Finger-Lickin’ Good’ embodies how good they are in what they do.

2) Burger King

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Fast food restaurants.
• Founded: 1954.
• Founders: James W. McLamore and David Edgerton.
• Headquarters: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.
• Current CEO: Jose Cil.
• Revenue: $1.9B (2022)
• Number of employees: 150,000 (2022)
• Brand Value: $7.13 billion (2022)
• Parent: Restaurant Brands International

A subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International, Burger King’s standing as one of the largest fast food restaurants cannot be disputed. Founded in 1953 and headquartered in Florida, USA, Burger King’s menu of soft drinks, hot dogs, desserts, hamburgers, chicken and French fries among others are delicacies loved worldwide. With a revenue of 1.9 billion dollars as at 2022, burger king has positioned itself as a force to reckon with in the fast food industry.

Burger King has  over 18,700 locations worldwide as of 2022 serving in around 100 countries. It is currently estimated that 90% of Burger King stores are owned and operated by independent franchisees. Burger King has continued to expand its menu and brand and a brand value of more than 7.13 billion dollars in 2022 highlights some of the company’s success. Naturally, with the name itself spelling “Burger”, there is no doubt that Burger king is one of the top McDonalds Competitors.

3) Subway

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Fast food restaurants.
• Founded: 1965.
• Founder: Peter Buck and Fred DeLuca.
• Headquarters: Milford, Connecticut, United States.
• Current CEO: John Chidsey.
• Number of employees: 410,000(2022)

Subway is among the fastest growing fast food brands. Privately owned, Subway has close to 37,000 locations in over 100 countries as at 2023. As a single brand fast food restaurant chain and operator, Subway is the largest in the world. The primary fast food sold by Subway is the submarine sandwich popularly known as ‘sub’ although it also sells paninis, wraps, doughnuts, muffins, cookies, and salad. Subway also offers gluten-free bread as well as brownies as part of its menu.

Subway’s main selling is its ‘Eat Fresh’ slogan which focuses on how its sandwiches are prepared from freshly baked bread. Subway also focuses on health and lately McDonalds and other burger brands have come under the scanner for their health disadvantages. This is where Subway is winning the market bit by bit and hence it is considered as one of the top McDonalds Competitors.

4) Starbucks

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Coffeehouse.
• Founded: 1971.
• Founders: Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl.
• Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, United States.
• Current CEO: Laxman Narasimhan
• Revenue: 9.168 billion dollars (2023)
• Number of employees: 402,000 (2022)

Starbucks is a coffeehouse chain headquartered in Seattle, USA. It was founded in 1971 and as at 2016 had more than 23,700 operational locations in the world. These locations serve frappuccino beverages, hot and cold drinks, espresso, whole bean coffee among other drink. The stores also sell snacks and pre-packaged food such as crackers, chips, and sandwiches just to mention a few. Some selected stores also serve beer and wine to the customers. Starbucks net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $1.142B, a 25.06% increase year-over-year.

Most of Starbuck’s revenue of 9.168 billion dollars as at 2023 was generated through sales of the coffeehouse products including sandwiches, smoothies, coffee beverages and tea baked products among others. As at 2022, Starbucks had more 402,000 employees worldwide. The company is ranked 120th on the Fortune 500 and 303rd on the Forbes Global 2000 as of 2022.

5) Pizza Hut

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Restaurant chain.
• Founded: June 15, 1958.
• Founders: Dan and Frank Carney.
• Headquarters: Plano, Texas, United States.
• Current CEO: Aaron Powell
• Revenue: $12.853 billion (2022)
• Number of employees:  350,000+
• Parent: Yum! Brands

Pizza Hut is famous for its menu which includes the popular Italian-American cuisine. Dessert, pasta, Buffalo wings, and pizza are some of the other dishes being served at Pizza Hut. It is one of the brands operating under the umbrella of Yum! Brands. Founded in 1958 by the Carney brothers Dan and Frank, Pizza Hut has grown and expanded to the over 19,034 stores worldwide as of 2022.

In 2022, Pizza Hut also records an average US sales of $5,487. Majority of Pizza Hut’s revenue is generated through pizza sales with the company regarded as the best pizza chain in the world. Its pizza varieties include Thin n’ Crispy, Sicilian, Stuffed Crust, Pan Pizza and Hand Tossed among many others. If you need any fast food other then Burgers you will probably turn to pizze hut making it one of the top McDonalds Competitors.

6) Domino’s

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Restaurant chain.
• Founded: 1960.
• Founders: Tom Monaghan and James Monaghan.
• Headquarters: Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States.
• Current CEO: Richard Allison.
• Revenue: $1.025B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $13.73B (September 05, 2023)
• Number of employees: 11,000 (2022)

Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Michigan, USA, Domino’s has continued to be a dominant force in the fast food industry evidenced by the more than 20,000 locations it operates globally. Domino’s main products include dessert, pizza, chicken wings, pasta and submarine sandwiches. Domino’s is the only brand in the ‘big four’ pizza chains that sell coca cola to its customers. It is spread across in more than 90 international markets.

Domino’s Pizza Inc net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $0.109B. Domino’s Pizza Inc gross profit for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $0.405B.

In 2016, Domino’s delivered the first unmanned aerial vehicle pizza delivery in New Zealand using Flirety’s DRU Drone.

7) Dunkin’ Donuts

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: 1950.
• Founder: William Rosenberg.
• Headquarters: Canton, Massachusetts, United States.
• Number of employees: 200,000
• Market capitalization: $8.77 Billion (August 2023)

With over 31,000 locations in more than 30 countries, Dunkin Donuts is among the largest baked goods and coffeehouse chains. Founded in 1950 and based in Massachusetts, Dunkin Donuts serves hot beverages, bagels, frozen beverages, soft drinks, donuts, iced beverages, baked goods and sandwiches among other items on is a menu. Dunkin Donuts operates under the banner of Dunkin Brands.

In line with new branding, the company announced a move from using the name ‘Dunkin Donuts’ to just ‘Dunkin’ in 2017. There are 9,461 Dunkin Donuts locations in the United States as of July 25, 2023.

8) Wendy’s

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: November 15, 1969.
• Founder: Dave Thomas.
• Headquarters: Dublin, Ohio, United States.
• Current CEO: Todd Penegor.
• Revenue: $562 million (June 30, 2023)
  
• Number of employees: 14,500 (2022)
• Market Capitalization: $4.51B (August 2023)
• Parent: The Wendy’s Company

Wendy’s is the largest hamburger seller in the world behind McDonald’s and Burger King as at 2023. Headquartered in Ohio, USA, Wendy’s has 6,500 restaurants currently in operation in the United States and 29 countries and U.S. territories worldwide selling its products which include salads, frozen dessert, French fries, hamburgers, breakfast sandwich and chicken sandwich among several other products. Wendy’s own more than 100 quick service restaurants in Florida alone. The company was formed in 1969 by Dave Thomas.

In 2008, Wendy’s merged with Triarc, a group of companies which was later renamed The Wendy’s Company. Wendy’s revenue as at 2023 stood at about 562 million dollars with a net income of over 60 million dollars. Wendy’s is planning to sell more than 300 stores in a bid to increase its revenue and profit margins. Wendy’s is the arch nemesis of McDonald’s on Social media and is known to make fun of both – McDonalds and Burger Kind. Wendy’s following and sales is rising too making it one of the top McDonalds Competitors.

9) Taco Bell

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: April 21, 1962.
• Founders: Glen Bell.
• Headquarters: Irvine, California, United States.
• Current CEO: Sean Tresvant.
• Revenue:  $14.653 billion (2022)
• Parent: Yum! Brands worldwide outside of China, Yum China within China

Operating as a Yum! Brands subsidiary, Taco Bell is a fast food chain of stores with headquarters in California, USA. The restaurant offers a variety of foods which include quesadillas, tacos, nachos, burritos and other Tex-Mex foods. Mexican inspired quick service chain Taco Bell operated a total of 8,218 restaurants in 32 different countries worldwide in 2022. Taco Bell’s presence in the fast food industry cannot be overlooked. Taco Bell was founded in 1962 by Glen bell and ever since then the company has grown and expanded to what it has become today. Although it has branches worldwide, Taco Bell mainly serves in Canada and USA.

Taco Bell revenue was $14,653 billion in 2022.

10) Chipotle

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-casual restaurant.
• Founded: 1993.
• Founders: Steve Ells and Donald Karger.
• Headquarters: Newport Beach, California, United States.
• Current CEO: Brian Niccol.
• Revenue: $0.342B (June 30, 2023)
• Market cap: $53.48B (September 04, 2023)
• Number of employees: 104,958(2022)

Chipotle is a fast foods chain of restaurants founded in 1993 and headquartered in Colorado, USA. The restaurant’s name is inspired by the chipotle which is a jalapeno chili pepper that has been smoked and dried. Chipotle’s specialty is for burritos and tacos. It operates in Canada, France, USA, United Kingdom and Germany. Chipotle had over 3,200 restaurants as of March 31, 2023, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. There are 3,236 Chipotle restaurants in the United States as of August 16, 2023.

As at 2023, Chipotle’s revenue was $0.342B while it had assets worth  $7.552B with a net income of $0.342B in the same year. Steve Ells is the founder of Chipotle.

Other Mentions

11) Tim Horton’s

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Fast food restaurants.
• Founded: 1964.
• Founders: Tim Horton and Jim Charade.
• Headquarters: Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
• Current CEO: José Cil
• Revenue: 2.63 billion U.S. dollars  (2022)
• Net sales: US$2 billion (Q2, 2023)
• Number of employees: over 100,000
• Parent: Wendy’s (1995–2006) and Restaurant Brands International (2014–present)

Tim Horton’s is the largest fast-food restaurant chain in Canada with more than 5000 outlets worldwide as at 2023 in 50 countries. It serves donuts and coffee. Its revenue as of 2022 was 2.63 billion dollars. Tim Hortons is Canada’s fifth most valuable brand.

12) Papa John’s Pizza

• Product Type: Pizza, pasta, and other Italian food.
• Industry: Restaurant chain.
• Founded: 1984.
• Founder: John Schnatter.
• Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
• Revenue: $515 million (June 30, 2023)
• Number of employees:  12,000 (2022)

Papa John’s has its headquarters in Kentucky, Louisville, and Jeffersontown and is the leading pizza delivery and take out fast food chain in the USA. As at 2023, its revenue is 515 billion dollars with over 12,000 employees working in the more than 5,706 branches that it operated. Papa John’s is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States.

13) Dairy Queen

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: 1940.
• Founders: John Fremont McCullough and Alex McCullough.
• Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
• Current CEO: John Gainor.

Dairy Queen is a subsidiary of International Dairy Queen that serves hot dogs, milkshakes, French fries, salads and soft drinks among many other foods.  The growth has been significant in terms of volume of sales. In the long run, it has every potential of making it big.

The company has since expanded to over 7,000 locations in over 20 countries.

14) Yum! Brands

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: The restaurant industry.
• Founded: 1997.
• Founders: David C. Novak and Richard J. Thomas.
• Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky, United States.
• Current CEO: David Gibbs.
• Revenue:  $1.687B (June 30, 2023)
  
• Number of employees: 36,000 (2022)
• Market Capitalization: $37.6B (August 2023)

Yum! Brands is a Fortune 500 company that owns KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill. With over 37,000 restaurants in over 110 countries, Yum! Brands dominates four sectors of the quick-service food industry. The company operates in three major segments: KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Yum! Brands also has non-traditional units, including express units and kiosks with limited selections on the menu, located in non-traditional locations such as shopping malls, airport terminals, gasoline service stations, sport centers and stadiums, recreational and amusement parks, convenience stores, and colleges and universities.

Yum! Brands is a global company that serves millions of consumers at 55,000 restaurants across 155 countries and territories. The company is committed to acting responsibly with respect to food, planet, and people.

Yum! Brands net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023 was $0.418B.

15) Arby’s

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: 1964.
• Founders: Forrest and Leroy Raffel.
• Headquarters: Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States.
• Current CEO: Paul Brown.
• Number of employees: 80,000 employees (2022)

Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. is the franchisor of the Arby’s Brand and is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. Arby’s, founded in 1964, is the second-largest sandwich restaurant brand in the world with more than 3,500 restaurants in nine countries.

The company’s headquarters are located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Arby’s is the flagship property of Inspire Brands, the renamed Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. (ARG). Arby’s has locations in six countries outside the United States: Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and South Korea.

Arby’s was founded in 1964 by Leroy and Forrest Raffel, who named the chain after themselves, R.B. Arby’s is known for its slow-roasted roast beef, turkey, and premium Angus beef sandwiches, sliced fresh every day.

Arby’s is one of the most popular restaurant franchises in the US: they had over 3,400 restaurants across the US in 2022. Arby’s annual sales in 2022 was $4.5 billion.

16) Popeyes

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: 1972.
• Founder: Al Copeland.
• Headquarters: Miami, Florida, United States.
• Current CEO:  Joshua Kobza

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc., also known as Popeyes, is a popular fast-food chain that has been expanding globally since its inception in 1972. The chain is known for its delicious chicken dishes in mild and spicy flavors. The chain was founded by Al Copeland in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Popeyes was expanding regionally, nationally, and internationally throughout the 1980s, and it was a time of innovation and experimentation for the brand.

Popeyes’ system-wide sales grew nearly 13% in 2022, with digital sales accounting for over a third of system-wide sales, amounting to over $13.5 billion. The company boasts over 4,000 locations across the globe including locations in 40 states in the United States and over 30 countries globally with over $500 million in annual revenue. They recently made plans public to further expand their franchise business with 35 new locations.

17) Costa Coffee

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Coffeehouse.
• Founded: 1971.
• Founders: Sergio and Bruno Costa.
• Headquarters: Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, England.
• Current CEO: Philippe Schaillee.

Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain founded in 1971 by Sergio and Bruno Costa. The brothers moved to London from Parma, Italy, with a desire to make great-tasting coffee a part of everyday life. Costa Coffee started as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. They opened their first store in London in 1981 and now have over 3,800 stores worldwide. Costa Coffee sells hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes, pastries, and snacks. As of April 18, 2023, there were reported to be 13,540 Costa Coffee locations in the United Kingdom.

Costa Coffee is the second-largest coffeehouse company globally, after Starbucks, but the biggest in the UK. The company is highly innovative and leads the park in most of the countries in Europe where it operates. Costa Coffee is known worldwide, and it has a wide variety of products that vary based on the cultures and the needs of the different countries in which it operates. The differentiation strategy helps the company to design products that are suited for the various customers. Costa Coffee is a business that has a mission to provide the best coffee experience to its customers. The company’s strategy is to provide high-quality coffee and excellent customer service to its customers

18) Panera Bread Company

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Foodservice.
• Founded: 1987.
• Founders: Ron Shaich and Louis Kane.
• Headquarters: Sunset Hills, Missouri, United States.
• Current CEO: Niren Chaudhary.
• Revenue:  $4.8 billion (2022)
  
• Number of employees: 120,000
• Parent: JAB Holding Company

Panera Bread Company is an American chain store of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada.Panera began in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company, a humble community bakery founded with a sourdough starter from San Francisco and a dream of putting a loaf of bread in every arm. In 1999, the company changed its name to Panera Bread and was operating in 25 states.

Panera offers a wide array of pastries and baked goods, such as bagels, brownies, cookies, croissants, muffins, and scones. The menu also includes flatbread pizzas, pasta, salads, sandwiches, soups, and specialty drinks. The company is owned by JAB Holding Company, which is, in turn, owned by the Reimann family of Germany. Panera is the first and only restaurant company to commit to and achieve 100% clean food. Its MyPanera loyalty program is the largest in the industry, with 28 million members.

19) Jack in the Box

• Product Type: Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: February 21, 1951.
• Founder: Robert O. Peterson.
• Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States.
• Current CEO: Darin Harris.

Jack in the Box is a fast-food restaurant chain that was founded in 1951 by Robert O. Peterson in San Diego, California. The chain has over 2,200 locations, primarily serving the West Coast of the United States. The restaurant became popular in 1994 after a highly successful marketing campaign that featured the fictitious Jack in the Box chairman Jack character, who has a ping pong ball-like head, a yellow clown cap, two blue eyes, a pointy black nose, and a linear red smile that changes with his emotions, and is dressed in a business suit.

The chain’s mascot is a giant clown projected from the roof, and a smaller clown head sat atop the intercom, where a sign said, “Pull forward, Jack will speak to you.” The menu includes a variety of items such as burgers, tacos, salads, and breakfast items.

Jack in the Box same-store sales increased by 4.0% in Q4 2022 and 0.9% for FY 2022. Jack in the Box to open 25-30 restaurants, expects positive net unit growth in FY 2023.

20) Pret a Manger

• Product Type:  Fast food service restaurant.
• Industry: Quick-service restaurant.
• Founded: 1983.
• Founders: Julian Metcalfe and Sinclair Beecham.
• Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom.
• Current CEO: Pano Christou.

Pret a Manger is a British sandwich and coffee chain that was founded in London in 1983. The company has grown to become ubiquitous in central London with the mantra “follow the skyscrapers,” serving up London’s harried office workers Posh Cheddar & Pickle baguettes and Classic Super Club sandwiches to eat at their keyboards. Pret a Manger has a unique approach to customer service and to training and motivating its staff.

Pret a Manger has expanded globally and has shops in France, the US, Hong Kong, and several other countries. The company’s sandwiches, salads, and wraps are freshly made each day in shop kitchens using quality ingredients. Pret a Manger has partnered with a unit of Reliance Industries, which is owned by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, to open its first shop in India’s financial hub Mumbai. The company’s CEO, Pano Christou, said its offering in the country will reflect the company’s brand “while also adapting to local preferences and food habits”.

Pret operates 442 shops in the UK and 558 shops internationally. Pret has 8,700 employees in the UK and 11,500 internationally.

Above were all the McDonald’s Competitors and their comprehensive statistics and business performance. If you feel we have missed out on any Competitor of McDonald’s please feel free to comment below.

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