Based on global location counts and brand value as of 2024-2026, the top 5 food franchises are generally considered to be McDonald's, Subway, Starbucks, KFC, and Domino's. These brands are recognized for their massive international presence, high brand valuation, and proven operational models, with Mixue Ice Cream & Tea recently emerging as a top contender in volume.
Costa Express, Greggs and Costa Store are the largest food chains in the United Kingdom in 2025 based on the number of locations. Costa Express has the most number of locations with 13,836 locations across 5 countries. Greggs has 2,653 and Costa Store has 2,596 locations in the UK.
Catering is a flexible and highly profitable food business. Many successful caterers begin by specializing in specific cuisines or event types and rely heavily on positive referrals to drive growth. Decide on your catering niche.
What are the UK's favourite and biggest restaurant chains? Greggs, JD Wetherspoon, and McDonald's top the list of most popular fast-food chains in the UK. As for the largest food chains, Co-op Food is the biggest by number of locations in the UK, followed by Greggs and Subway.
The most profitable food franchises consistently include Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Raising Cane's, known for high average unit volumes (AUV) and strong brand value, often driven by efficient operations and customer loyalty, with other top contenders being Starbucks, Taco Bell, and KFC, depending on whether you focus on per-unit sales or overall brand valuation, says QSR Magazine and Portugal Business News. Other strong performers for franchise investment include Jersey Mike's, Dunkin', Popeyes, and Culver's, often appearing on lists for overall food franchise opportunities by Entrepreneur.
McDonald's maintains its position as the world's most profitable fast food chain, with McDonald's revenue for the twelve months ending June 30, 2025, at $26.060 billion, a 1.18% increase year-over-year .
Humans are thought to be “the king” of the food chain because they eat various sorts of plants and animals but are not consistently devoured by any creatures. This is because of the way humans have advanced themselves as a species so that they are able to defend themselves again predators.
types of takeaway cuisines in Great Britain found that Chinese cuisine took the number one spot, while Pizza came in second. When it comes to popularity, Uber Eats had the highest favourability score of leading food delivery brands in the UK as of January 2025.
The world's largest food companies by market capitalisation continue to be dominated by global FMCG giants, with Nestlé retaining the top spot, followed by McDonald's and Unilever.
What is the most profitable food franchise to own?
The most profitable food franchises consistently include Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, and Raising Cane's, known for high average unit volumes (AUV) and strong brand value, often driven by efficient operations and customer loyalty, with other top contenders being Starbucks, Taco Bell, and KFC, depending on whether you focus on per-unit sales or overall brand valuation, says QSR Magazine and Portugal Business News. Other strong performers for franchise investment include Jersey Mike's, Dunkin', Popeyes, and Culver's, often appearing on lists for overall food franchise opportunities by Entrepreneur.
The 30/30/30/10 rule for restaurants is a budgeting guideline allocating revenue: 30% to Food Costs, 30% to Labor Costs, 30% to Overhead, and 10% to Profit. It serves as a balanced framework for managing expenses, controlling spending, and ensuring profitability, though modern realities often make hitting the 10% profit target difficult, with many restaurants averaging much lower.
