Burger chains: history, figures and reviews
The major burger chains, global and local, country by country: history, restaurant counts, markets and customer ratings scored the same way.
The biggest international burger chains
The 12 burger chains present in at least 10 countries, ranked by number of restaurants worldwide.
| Rank | Chain | Origin | Restaurants | Countries | Trustpilot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McDonald's | United States | 45,356 | 114 | 3.7/5 | 1.7/5 |
| 2 | Burger King | United States | 19,900 | 126 | 4.0/5 | 3.1/5 |
| 3 | Dairy Queen | United States | 7,800 | 20 | 4.0/5 | 2.0/5 |
| 4 | Wendy's | United States | 7,397 | 39 | 3.8/5 | 2.5/5 |
| 5 | Five Guys | United States | 1,999 | 28 | 4.2/5 | 1.9/5 |
| 6 | Jollibee | Philippines | 1,877 | 19 | 4.1/5 | 2.4/5 |
| 7 | Carl's Jr. | United States | 1,723 | 24 | 3.9/5 | 3.2/5 |
| 8 | Steers | South Africa | 757 | 13 | 4.7/5 | – |
| 9 | Shake Shack | United States | 703 | 20 | 4.3/5 | 2.3/5 |
| 10 | Johnny Rockets | United States | 245 | 26 | 4.0/5 | 3.5/5 |
| 11 | Fatburger | United States | 157 | 12 | 4.2/5 | 2.7/5 |
| 12 | RocoMamas | South Africa | 115 | 11 | 4.6/5 | – |
Burger chains by country
The leading chains of each country, global giants and homegrown brands alike, with their number of restaurants there.
North America
United States 18 chains
- McDonald'sHomegrown13,706 restaurants
- Burger KingHomegrown6,650 restaurants
- Wendy'sHomegrown5,969 restaurants
- Dairy QueenHomegrown4,115 restaurants
- Sonic Drive-InHomegrown3,412 restaurants
- Jack in the BoxHomegrown2,131 restaurants
- Five GuysHomegrown1,517 restaurants
- Hardee'sHomegrown1,492 restaurants
- WhataburgerHomegrown1,200 restaurants
- Culver'sHomegrown1,041 restaurants
- Carl's Jr.Homegrown992 restaurants
- In-N-Out BurgerHomegrown442 restaurants
- Shake ShackHomegrown420 restaurants
- Steak 'n ShakeHomegrown387 restaurants
- White CastleHomegrown336 restaurants
- SmashburgerHomegrown172 restaurants
- Johnny RocketsHomegrown82 restaurants
- FatburgerHomegrown66 restaurants
Canada 7 chains
- McDonald's1,520 restaurants
- A&W CanadaHomegrown1,113 restaurants
- Dairy Queen689 restaurants
- Wendy's460 restaurants
- Harvey'sHomegrown300 restaurants
- Five Guys72 restaurants
- Fatburger62 restaurants
Mexico 5 chains
- Carl's Jr.400 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets27 restaurants
- Shake Shack21 restaurants
- Fatburger6 restaurants
- Jack in the Box3 restaurants
Europe
France 8 chains
- McDonald's1,630 restaurants
- Burger King617 restaurants
- Quick195 restaurants
- Big FernandHomegrown44 restaurants
- Five Guys42 restaurants
- Steak 'n Shake15 restaurants
- Carl's Jr.4 restaurants
- Fatburger2 restaurants
United Kingdom 6 chains
- McDonald's1,507 restaurants
- Burger King572 restaurants
- Five Guys182 restaurants
- Wimpy58 restaurants
- Honest BurgersHomegrown39 restaurants
- Shake Shack17 restaurants
Germany 5 chains
- McDonald's1,382 restaurants
- Burger King753 restaurants
- Hans im GlückHomegrown83 restaurants
- Five Guys35 restaurants
- Hesburger2 restaurants
Spain 5 chains
- Burger King1,000 restaurants
- GoikoHomegrown113 restaurants
- Carl's Jr.45 restaurants
- Five Guys44 restaurants
- Steak 'n Shake1 restaurants
Italy 2 chains
- Five Guys10 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets6 restaurants
Luxembourg 2 chains
- Quick3 restaurants
- Big Fernand1 restaurants
Switzerland 2 chains
- Holy Cow! Gourmet Burger CompanyHomegrown21 restaurants
- Hans im Glück12 restaurants
Austria 1 chain
- Hans im Glück2 restaurants
Belgium 1 chain
- QuickHomegrown76 restaurants
Bulgaria 1 chain
- Hesburger34 restaurants
Denmark 1 chain
- Max Burgers6 restaurants
Finland 1 chain
- HesburgerHomegrown257 restaurants
Netherlands 1 chain
- Hans im Glück2 restaurants
Norway 1 chain
- Max Burgers8 restaurants
Poland 1 chain
- Max Burgers26 restaurants
Romania 1 chain
- Hesburger15 restaurants
Sweden 1 chain
- Max BurgersHomegrown160 restaurants
Asia
South Korea 6 chains
- Lotteria1,300 restaurants
- Burger King517 restaurants
- Shake Shack37 restaurants
- MOS Burger11 restaurants
- Five Guys9 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets9 restaurants
China 4 chains
- McDonald's7,740 restaurants
- Dairy Queen2,000 restaurants
- Burger King1,474 restaurants
- Fatburger2 restaurants
Japan 4 chains
- McDonald's3,025 restaurants
- MOS BurgerHomegrown1,306 restaurants
- Shake Shack18 restaurants
- Fatburger2 restaurants
Singapore 4 chains
- Jollibee29 restaurants
- MOS Burger29 restaurants
- Fatburger3 restaurants
- Lotteria2 restaurants
Philippines 3 chains
- JollibeeHomegrown1,341 restaurants
- McDonald's851 restaurants
- MOS Burger3 restaurants
Saudi Arabia 3 chains
- Five Guys13 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets6 restaurants
- BurgerFuel1 restaurants
United Arab Emirates 3 chains
- Five Guys17 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets11 restaurants
- BurgerFuel1 restaurants
India 2 chains
- Burger King510 restaurants
- Burger SinghHomegrown200 restaurants
Hong Kong 1 chain
- MOS Burger42 restaurants
Indonesia 1 chain
- Grill'd1 restaurants
Kuwait 1 chain
- Johnny Rockets8 restaurants
Qatar 1 chain
- Fatburger3 restaurants
Taiwan 1 chain
- MOS Burger296 restaurants
Thailand 1 chain
- MOS Burger22 restaurants
Vietnam 1 chain
- Jollibee245 restaurants
Oceania
Australia 6 chains
- McDonald's1,092 restaurants
- Hungry Jack'sHomegrown480 restaurants
- Burger King471 restaurants
- Grill'dHomegrown180 restaurants
- Carl's Jr.29 restaurants
- RocoMamas1 restaurants
New Zealand 2 chains
- BurgerFuelHomegrown62 restaurants
- Carl's Jr.17 restaurants
South America
Brazil 5 chains
- McDonald's1,230 restaurants
- Bob'sHomegrown1,054 restaurants
- Burger King970 restaurants
- MaderoHomegrown355 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets32 restaurants
Peru 2 chains
- BembosHomegrown122 restaurants
- Johnny Rockets6 restaurants
Argentina 1 chain
- MostazaHomegrown217 restaurants
Chile 1 chain
- Johnny Rockets27 restaurants
Colombia 1 chain
- El CorralHomegrown221 restaurants
Africa
How we profile burger chains
Each chain page tells the brand's history from its first restaurant, then gives its size: restaurants, countries, sales and the markets where it is strongest. Every figure carries its date and links to its source, usually an annual report, the chain's own website or Wikipedia, and is updated when a newer report comes out.
Customer opinion is measured the same way for every chain. We read the Google ratings of its restaurants in the largest city of its home market with at least three of them, and its Trustpilot rating, and show the two side by side. These ratings say how customers rate the brand, not how we rate its burgers: our own verdicts are in the restaurant reviews.
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