Fast casual has stormed the QSR 50 in the last few years, with Panera Bread entering the top 10 and Chipotle close at its heels. That trend continued in 2015; Panera and Chipotle each padded their sales, with the latter leap-frogging both Sonic and KFC in the rankings. (Of course, Chipotle’s food-safety woes struck at the end of 2015, a sales hit that will likely be reflected in next year’s QSR 50). Elsewhere in fast casual, a pair of sandwich chains—Jersey Mike’s and Firehouse Subs—continued their incredible momentum up the list, while Wingstop similarly managed to jump multiple spots in the rankings.
Meanwhile, legacy quick-service chains were a mixed bag in 2015. McDonald’s finally found its footing after years of disappointing sales returns, and Taco Bell managed to jump Wendy’s and solidify a spot in the QSR 50’s top five. But KFC ceded more ground in the chicken wars, slipping to spot No. 14 overall—only six spots and just over $1 billion in sales ahead of Popeyes, which enjoyed a major boost in 2015.
| Segment Rank | QSR 50 Rank | Company | 2015 U.S. Systemwide Sales (millions) | 2015 U.S. Average Sales per Unit (thousands) | Number of Franchised Units in 2015 | Number of Company Units in 2015 | Total Units in 2015 | Total Change in Units from 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | McDonald's | $35,800.0 | $2,500.0 | 12,899 | 1,360 | 14,259 | -91 |
| 2 | 4 | Burger King* | $9,530.0 | $1,337.4 | 7,074 | 52 | 7,126 | -16 |
| 3 | 6 | Wendy's* | $8,811.9 | $1,540.0 | 5,090 | 632 | 5,722 | -58 |
| 4 | 13 | Sonic | $4,390.0 | $1,200.0 | 3,139 | 387 | 3,526 | 41 |
| 5 | 15 | Carl's Jr./Hardee's | $3,661.3 | $1,248.7 | 2,673 | 285 | 2,958 | 45 |
| 6 | 19 | Jack in the Box | $3,395.5 | $1,510.0 | 1,836 | 413 | 2,249 | -1 |
| 7 | 24 | Whataburger | $1,747.0 | $2,530.0 | 119 | 672 | 791 | 17 |
| 8 | 26 | Five Guys | $1,319.5 | $1,123.0 | 813 | 402 | 1,215 | 52 |
| 9 | 27 | Culver's | $1,196.0 | $2,183.8 | 552 | 7 | 559 | 31 |
| 10 | 29 | Steak n Shake | $1,032.4 | $1,866.9 | 144 | 417 | 561 | 16 |
| 11 | 33 | Checkers/Rally's | $776.1 | $966.5 | 505 | 324 | 829 | 25 |
| 12 | 39 | White Castle | $691.3 | $1,408.7 | 0 | 390 | 390 | 10 |
| 13 | 45 | In-N-Out Burger*^1 | $613.2 | $1,959.2 | 0 | 313 | 313 | 12 |
