The golden arches might be famous around the globe, but another fast food outlet has usurped McDonald’s as the world’s largest restaurant chain.
Sandwich group Subway is the new leader with 33,749 locations around the world, compared to 32,737 for McDonald’s, according to Subway spokesperson Les Winograd.
The US-based chain has made a major push into international markets over the years with a successful business model that focuses on small, low-cost outlets.
Established in 1965 in the US, Subway now has restaurants in 95 countries around the world and the privately owned company says it has been “on a great run”.
In light of the news, McDonald’s has responded that it is growing but is committed to being better and not just bigger.
“We remain focused on listening to and serving our customers, and are committed to being better, not just bigger,” McDonald’s representative Heidi Barker told the Daily Mail.
As the current second largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s has locations in 117 countries around the world, employing 1.7 million people and 75% of its restaurants are franchised.
Last year, McDonald’s revenue was £14.85bn (US$24bn) compared to £9.2bn (US$15.2bn) for Subway.
The international presence of some other fast food giants:
KFC: 20,200 locations worldwide in 109 countries
Starbucks: 17,009 locations in 50 countries
Pizza Hut: 13,100 locations in 97 countries
Burger King: 12,100 locations around the world
