Ever since the first McDonald’s fast food restaurant opened in 1955, the burger chain has been expanding rapidly across the globe. For many years, McDonald's was the top fast food restaurant in the world in terms of number of locations and revenue. However, in 2010, the sandwich chain Subway surpassed McDonald’s as the world's most popular restaurant. Subway has about 44,000 locations worldwide, compared to 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants.
However, while Subway has surpassed McDonald’s in terms of number of locations, it does not make as much in revenue. In 2015, Subway's annual sales were $20 billion (USD), compared to McDonald’s, which brought in $27 billion USD.
More about Subway:
- From 2004 to 2014, Subway opened over 2,000 new locations every year.
- A 2013 study of employee expense reimbursements found that Subway was the most popular restaurant for workers traveling in the United States for business purposes. The average bill was $10.79 USD.
- Surprisingly, teens who eat at Subway, which is known for its healthy menu options, are actually more likely to eat higher calorie meals than when they eat at McDonald’s, according to a 2013 UCLA study. The study reported that teens averaged 784 calories at Subway, compared to 572 calories at McDonald’s.