5 Biggest Fast-Food Chains in the World

In this article we discuss the 5 biggest fast-food chains in the world. If you want to read our detailed analysis about the fast-food industry, go directly to the 10 Biggest Fast-Food Chains in the World.

5. Pizza Hut, Owned by: Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM)

Pizza Hut first opened its doors in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958. Founded by two student brothers, Dan and Frank Carney, the chain started with just $600 and is now a multi-billion dollar company. Pizza Hut is mainly a pizza shop and includes kinds of pasta, wings, breadsticks, and different desserts on its menu. Recently, Pizza Hut has also partnered with Beyond Meat Inc (NASDAQ: BYND) to cater to the rising health trends worldwide. This new collaboration aims to provide plant-based meat pizzas to its customers. Pizza Hut is the subsidiary of Yum! Brands, which is the largest restaurant company in the world and the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell as well. Like other biggest food chains, Pizza Hut also works on a franchise model, and the franchisees work closely with the consultants from Yum! Brands. There is a specific training program for the franchisees before opening up the new restaurant.

Though Pizza Hut has opened branches in over 100 countries, including Armenia, Iceland, and Russia, the U.S. remains the largest Pizza Hut market, with over 7,000 restaurants. Pizza Hut is also the largest buyer of cheese globally and accounts for 3% of U.S. cheese production. The company uses around 300 million pounds of cheese annually. In 1994, Pizza Hut was one of the first companies to develop online ordering, the service used by almost all restaurants today. The Hut has also delivered pies into space with the help of the resupply rocket; the action caused them over a million dollars. Though the company had to 1,745 of its branches due to the pandemic in 2020, it plans to open in over 125 locations over three years. As of 2021, Pizza Hut has over 18,000 outlets spread over 100 countries. Despite this closure of restaurants in 2020, Pizza Hut increased its same-store sales in the U.S division to 8% in Q4, the highest since 2010, which was 10%.