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 | 9 | Pizza Hut | $5,703.8 | $725.0 | 7,311 | 511 | 7,822 | -109 |
| 2 | 11 | Domino's Pizza | $4,800.0 | $900.0 | 4,816 | 384 | 5,200 | 133 |
| 3 | 18 | Little Caesars*^1 | $3,453.2 | $815.0 | 3,626 | 611 | 4,237 | 212 |
| 4 | 21 | Papa John's | $2,882.9 | $892.8 | 2,681 | 707 | 3,388 | 48 |
| 5 | 30 | Papa Murphy's | $880.4 | $623.5 | 1,369 | 127 | 1,496 | 35 |
