Every year it seems like a different fast food restaurant becomes the most popular in the United States. But what makes any restaurant popular? What is the criteria for popularity? It seems like one of the criteria used for figuring out the most popular restaurants is figuring out how many times it’s actually searched for online.
There are a lot of casual dining and fast food restaurants to choose from when you are looking for a meal. And of course, that means that you have a lot of options out there for what might be a popular chain. So what is the most popular restaurant in America? Where are people going for a quick meal?
According to a study that was conducted by PriceListo, there are a few restaurants that are the most searched for every month, and they are also some of the highest earning restaurants across the country. Some might not be surprising, while others may shock you a bit. The most popular fast food restaurant was actually searched for over 14 million times in a single month. And it is the most popular chain in 22 states.
Can you guess what the most popular fast food restaurant is in the United States? (Well, we won’t leave you waiting for long.) And do you know what the other most popular fast food restaurants are? Luckily, we have the answer! Here are the top five most popular, fast food restaurants in the U.S.
5 of the most searched for fast food restaurants in the country based on internet searches
1. McDonald’s
This might be the least surprising number one ever. It turns out that McDonald’s is not only the most searched for fast food restaurant in the United States, but it is also the most popular in general.
This restaurant gets monthly searches of 14,879,233 nearly every month. And it is the most popular restaurant in 22 states. Among the states where McDonald’s is the most popular, we have Massachusetts, Alaska, Florida, and Maryland, to name a few.
While they do not talk about what the most popular menu item is at McDonald’s, they have everything from french fries and cheeseburgers, to sweet treats like apple pie. There is something for everyone at McDonald’s. Or at least, there’s something for everyone looking for a quick meal.
The fact that there are 13,515 golden arches across the country, has us feeling like it was a given that McDonald’s would be the most searched for fast food restaurant. And yes, it also makes sense that it is one of the most popular.
Can you ever go wrong with an order of chicken nuggets and honey mustard dipping sauce? Considering the Big Mac is one of the most iconic burgers out there, we are not surprised by this level of popularity. But we want to know what you think. Are you surprised that McDonald’s is the most searched for and even popular fast food restaurant in the country?
2. Dominos
The second most popular fast food restaurant based on searches is actually a pizza chain! It’s actually not that surprising that pizza is at the top of the list of any popular restaurant search, but we were surprised to see Dominos in the number two spot of chains.
However, when we learned that on average people are searching for Dominos 11,638,991 times in a month, it was mind-blowing. And it is actually the most searched for fast food restaurant in 14 states, including Arkansas, Vermont, and Louisiana. Plus there are 6,708 locations across the U.S., which means there are plenty of restaurants for people to head out to in order to get their pizza fixes.
Not only can you build your own pizza at Dominos, but there are also plenty of specialty options too. And that doesn’t even take into account that there are plenty of crusts to choose from such as the Brooklyn Style Pizza, the Crunchy Thin Crust, and even a Gluten Free Crust. So with all of those options, it actually makes sense for the restaurant to be so popular.
Are you surprised to see Dominos in the number two spot for popular fast food restaurants? Are you a fan of the chain? Do you have a favorite pizza from them when you want a cheesy fix? Let us know.
3. Chick-Fil-A
The third most searched for and popular fast food restaurant chain has just 2,909 locations across the country. But, it probably doesn’t surprise anyone that Chick-fil-A is in the top five of this list because so many people love their chicken sandwiches and nuggets (and even their sweet tea).
There are seven states where Chick-fil-A is the most searched for fast food restaurant, which includes Delaware, Virginia, and Texas. And in other states it hits as the second or third most popular chain, which all combines to give us a chain that people are searching for every day.
According to the chain themselves, in 2022 the most popular items on the menu included the Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich (which was also the most popular item in 2021), the Chick-fil-A Nuggets, and even the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. None of these items are surprising, as we know that the nuggets and classic chicken sandwich are always a go-to for many of us.
Does it surprise you to see this chicken chain in the number three spot of most popular and searched for fast food restaurant in the U.S.? Are you a fan of Chick-fil-A? Do you have a favorite menu item? We want to know!
4. Starbucks
I don’t know about you, but I was a bit surprised to see Starbucks making the number four spot of the most searched for fast food restaurants. One reason for our surprise is the fact that we don’t often think of the chain as being fast food. While they do have food options, for us it’s all about the drinks, so we just don’t often associate them with the idea of fast food.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter how we would categorize Starbucks, because they made the list and that’s what counts. Not only do they have over 15,000 locations across the country, but it seems that on average people are searching for Starbucks 13,693,050 every month. It’s impressive to see that number of monthly searches, especially since people seem to be searching for the chain even more than they are Dominos!
The chain is the most popular search in just six states, including California, Colorado, and New York. We aren’t even surprised by those states (maybe Colorado is a bit of a shock, but we are here for it), and we are here for the search wins.
We are fans of Starbucks so this is one of those chains we approve of on this list. And we will never say no to their Frappuccinos, Lattes, and Macchiatos.
Are you a Starbucks lover? What’s your go-to order? Are you surprised to see the chain on this list or in the number four spot?
5. Pizza Hut and Papa John’s
It’s a tie in the fifth position! And we love the fact that it is actually two pizza chains in the number five spot for both most searched for and most popular fast food restaurants.
We are big fans of Pizza Hut, so this is a win for us. And apparently they pull in 9,110,850 searches on average every month compared to Papa John’s which gets 5,446,094 searches per month. But what brings these two chains into a tie position is the fact that Pizza Hut has 6,862 restaurants across the country to 3,122 Papa John’s locations. The number of restaurants combined with how many searches per month are made actually makes this tie make sense for us.
Unlike the rest of the top five chains, we are only looking at one state each in terms of popularity (or at least searches). Pizza Hut is only in the number one spot in one state, Kansas. And Papa John’s is only in the number one spot for the state of Kentucky.
Honestly, I just love the fact that in the top five of most searched for and popular fast food restaurants we have not one, not two, but three pizza chains! It reminds us that pizza really is one of the best food options around.
But are you surprised to see both Pizza Hut and Papa John’s at the top of the list for popular fast food restaurants? Are you a fan of either of these chains? We want to know!