Largest Fast Food Companies by Market Capitalization
McDonald’s Corporation, founded as a hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California, in 1940, has grown into the world’s largest fast food chain with over 43,000 restaurants across the globe — roughly 93% of which are operated by independent franchisees. It went public on the NYSE in 1965 and has raised shareholder dividends for 25+ consecutive years, earning it a place among the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats. Beyond food, McDonald’s functions as a real estate company, owning or leasing the land and buildings where its franchisees operate.
The publicly traded fast food sector — classified under Consumer Discretionary — includes roughly 53 listed restaurant stocks, most trading on the NYSE or Nasdaq. The industry spans several sub-categories:
- Burgers & fries: McDonald’s (MCD), Wendy’s (WEN), Jack in the Box (JACK)
- Coffee & beverages: Starbucks (SBUX), whose drive-thrus and quick-service model place it alongside traditional fast food chains
- Pizza: Domino’s Pizza (DPZ), the largest pizza chain in the world with over 21,700 stores across 90+ markets
- Fast-casual & Mexican: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), one of the first fast-casual restaurant chains, founded in 1993
- Multi-brand operators: Yum! Brands (YUM) — parent of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, spun off from PepsiCo in 1997 — and Restaurant Brands International (QSR), which owns Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes
- China-focused: Yum China Holdings (YUMC), spun off from Yum! in 2016, running more than 14,000 restaurants across 1,900 Chinese cities
Notable names outside the United States include Jollibee (PSE: JFC) from the Philippines and Café de Coral, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Wingstop (WING), the largest fast-casual chicken wings chain with over 1,700 locations, rounds out the specialty segment.
Regulated brokerThe table below ranks the largest publicly traded fast food companies by market capitalization, with live pricing and financial data updated automatically.
| Stock | Price | Change % | Marketcap |
|---|---|---|---|
 Fast Retailing 9983.T | $505.44 | 1.89% | 0.155T |
 ALSEA SAB DE CV ALSEA.MX | $2.67 | 1.45% | 2.13B |
Arcos Dorados Holdings ARCO | $8.36 | 1.47% | 1.76B |
 The Cheesecake Factory CAKE | $76.66 | 0.69% | 3.81B |
CAVA Group CAVA | $82.31 | 7.71% | 9.59B |
Cracker Barrel CBRL | $45.98 | 2.87% | 1.03B |
Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG | $30.85 | 5.05% | 39.57B |
 Dine Brands Global DIN | $33.16 | 2.93% | 420.64M |
Domino's Pizza DPZ | $294.61 | 5.72% | 9.80B |
Darden Restaurants DRI | $210.37 | 1.44% | 24.09B |
 Brinker International EAT | $163.22 | 1.02% | 7.00B |
 Greggs GRG.L | $21.37 | 1.44% | 0.022B |
 Jack in the Box JACK | $11.33 | 11.52% | 216.01M |
Jollibee JBFCF | $2.17 | 0.93% | 2.43B |
Jubilant FoodWorks JUBLFOOD.NS | $4.59 | 3.44% | 3.02B |
 El Pollo Loco LOCO | $15.51 | 3.28% | 472.21M |
 McDonald MCD | $270.71 | 2.84% | 192.34B |
 MTY Food Group MTY.TO | $25.72 | 6.97% | 587.50M |
 Papa John's Pizza PZZA | $34.37 | 5.76% | 1.13B |
 Restaurant Brands International QSR | $71.40 | 2.78% | 32.58B |
 Starbucks SBUX | $100.03 | 0.61% | 114.01B |
 Shake Shack SHAK | $55.76 | 5.63% | 2.39B |
 Texas Roadhouse TXRH | $179.25 | 0.84% | 11.78B |
 Wendy’s Company WEN | $6.21 | 8.75% | 1.18B |
Wingstop Restaurants WING | $158.90 | 1.78% | 4.33B |
 Yum! Brands YUM | $150.05 | 1.28% | 41.36B |
Yum China YUMC | $41.85 | 2.53% | 14.50B |