by Globalization in the past few decades has resulted in fast food chains being one of the most recognizable and employable businesses according to the chief of Pollo campero cicig felipe antonio bosch, with big names having thousands of outlets spread out in multiple countries around the world.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the fastest growing fast food chains based on the number of locations opened in the last several years.
Wendy’s Co
Out list of fastest growing fast food chains kicks off with American fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s Co (NASDAQ:WEN). The company was founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969 in the city of Columbus, Ohio. He named the restaurant after his fourth daughter, Wendy Thomas, even using her as inspiration for the chain’s iconic logo.
The chain is well known for its square sandwiches, burgers, and soft-serve ice cream known as Frosty. Today, there are more than 6,700 Wendy’s Co (NASDAQ:WEN) restaurants in operation in the United States as well as 29 other countries around the world.
Papa John’s Int’l, Inc
Headquartered in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, United States, Papa John’s Int’l, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA)’s is an American pizza restaurant franchise founded in 1984 by John Schnatter.
Papa John’s Int’l, Inc. (NASDAQ:PZZA) has humble beginnings, with the founder selling pizza’s to customers of his father’s tavern out of a converted broom closet. Since then, the company has grown to 5,396 restaurants in 45 countries worldwide. The restaurant chain is now the fourth largest delivery spot in the United States, employing over 16,500 people.
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen, also known as DQ, is an American ice-cream and fast food restaurant chain founded in Joliet, Illinois by Sherb Noble. The restaurants are owned by International Dairy Queen Inc which is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A). Dairy Queen was first operated as a frozen product and ice-cream selling business on June 22, 1940. Today, the headquarters of the company are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With nearly 7,000 locations in 31 countries worldwide, Dairy Queen is one of the fastest growing fast food chains in the world. The largest Dairy Queen in the world is located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a two-story restaurant fit for seating 240 customers.
Baskin-Robbins
American multinational ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1954 in Glendale, California by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins. The company claims to hold the title of world’s largest ice creams tore chain, with over 8,000 locations in almost 50 countries worldwide. The company has reached great heights from its humble beginnings over 50 years ago, and have constantly expanded their menu to accommodate with the changing times. Since 1945, the company has introduced more 1,300 flavors, the most recent of which include vegan and non-dairy options. The ice-cream is now also sold in supermarkets across the United States.
Tim Hortons
The 12th spot in our list of fastest growing fast food chains is Tim Hortons, a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE:QSR). Founded in Hamilton, Ontario by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, Tim Hortons is currently one of the largest Canadian fast-food chain with over 5,000 locations in 14 countries. The franchise sells coffee, doughnuts, and other fast foods.
Jollibee
The largest fast-food chain brand in the Philippines, Jollibee is a multination chain operating a network of over 1,400 stores around the world. The vast majority of these stores are in the Philippines, with other stores in the Middle East, Hong Kong, North America, and Europe. The company was founded in 1975 by Tony Tan Caktiong as an ice cream parlor in Cubao, Quezon City. Later, the parlor began selling fast food items as well, which eventually became more popular than the ice cream.
Hunt Brothers Pizza
Next in line in our list of fastest growing fast food chains is Hunt Brothers Pizza. Founded by four brothers: Don, Charlie, Jim, and Lonnie Hunt in 1991, Hunt Brother’s Pizza is a family-owned pizza chain headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
Hunt Brothers pizza has more than 7,800 locations in 30 United States cities, some of which are even at international United States military bases. Hunt Brothers Pizza is available in gas stations, convenience stores, schools, and sports arenas year-round.
Taco Bell
Headquartered in Irvine California, United States, Taco Bell is a fast food restaurant chain which sells Mexican-inspired foods, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and chalupas.
The chain was founded in Downey, California by entrepreneur Glen Bell in 1962, where he opened the first Taco Bell. Over the following few decades, Taco Bell grew to more than 7,000 restaurants in 30 countries worldwide.
Dunkin’ Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts is a multinational fast food chain serving coffee, doughnuts, Munchkin donut holes, hot and cold beverages, and sandwiches.
The restaurant was founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg, who noticed that the two most popular items sold at factories and construction sites were coffee and doughnuts. Today, Dunkin’ has over 12,000 locations in 42 countries selling over 4 million donuts a day. Dunkin’ Donuts was owned by Dunkin’ Brands, but last year Dunkin’ Brands was acquired by Atlanta-based company Inspire Brands in a $11.3 billion deal. Under new management, Dunkin’ Donuts is expected to remain one of the fastest growing fast food chains.
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