5 Biggest Fast Food Companies in the World

4. KFC

Number of locations: 26,872

Plano, Texas-based KFC is a global chicken restaurant brand owned by Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM). The brand was launched more than 75 years ago by Colonel Harland Sanders with its fried chicken recipe comprising secret herbs and spices. It has since grown to become one of the largest fried chicken brands with more than 26,000 restaurants across more than 135 countries and territories.

KFC generated system-wide sales of $7.8 billion which led to an operating profit of $304 million, in Q3 2022. During the same quarter, the brand also added 485 gross new restaurants to its network across 56 countries.