43rd Annual Ranking of the Top 400 Restaurant Chains
Published
by Restaurants & Institutions
R&I
magazine's annual list, which represents $277.2 billion in sales
and 269,000 locations, has no surprise at the top: McDonald's
still No. 1, exactly where it has stood since 1973.
OAK
BROOK, IL -- The 43rd annual ranking of the Top 400 Chains
by food-and-beverage sales volume was released today by Restaurants
& Institutions magazine. With data on the global sales and
unit counts for the largest U.S.-based chains, the list serves
to illustrate the industry's size and to chart year-over-year
growth. Also contained within the report are menu-segment breakdowns
that indicate areas with the greatest vibrancy and business potential.
"The
chain-restaurant business is intensely competitive and every competition
needs a score card. R&I's Top 400 ranking serves as such a
benchmarking tool, but it also is an indicator of the types of
menus and service styles that connect with consumers and capture
their food-away-from-home dollars. That trend information is immensely
valuable to the total foodservice industry," says Scott Hume,
R&I's Executive Editor.
_
With no arch rivals anywhere near its size, McDonald's tops the
list at No. 1, with global sales of more than $56.78 billion for
2006, up 7.3% from the year previous. Its unit count also grew
2.9% to 31,667, indicating that Big Macs, Egg McMuffins and Chicken
McNuggets still hold strong appeal; more than 47 million people
around the world eat at McDonald's each day.
_
McDonald's is four times larger than its closest competitor, KFC,
with sales of $14.2 billion. The Billionaires Club-those chains
with systemwide sales (company-owned and franchised stores) of
$1 billion or more-has 40 members this year.
_
Coming in at the No. 400 spot with sales of $42 million is Hot
Dog on a Stick. In between are brands familiar to nearly all consumers,
including Burger King (No. 3), Starbucks (No. 4), and Red Lobster
(No. 20 ). There also are numerous less known up-and-comers such
as Bar Louie, Famous Famiglia and Bear Rock Cafe.
_
Represented by such chains as Sonic, White Castle, In-and-Out
Burger and Cheeburger Cheeburger, the hamburger segment dominates;
its $93 billion accounts for nearly 34% of total Top 400 sales.
Casual dining comes in a distant second, with brands such as T.G.I.
Friday's, California Pizza Kitchen, Claim Jumper and Houston's
contributing to total segment sales of $26.6 billion.
The
Top 400 ranking, which R&I first compiled in 1965, provides
a comparative measurement of U.S.-based restaurant brands' global
power and influence.
About
Restaurants & Institutions
Restaurants & Institutions (www.rimag.com),
named the 2005 Magazine of the Year by the American Society of
Business Publication Editors, is one of the nation's most respected
and widely read foodservice magazines. It is a publication of
Reed Business Information (www.reedbusiness.com),
a leading provider of critical information and marketing solutions
to business professionals, and a part of Reed Elsevier plc group,
a world-leading publisher and information provider.
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