(Stacker) – Fast food restaurants became famous in the 1950s and 1960s with the advent of the American highway system. The pair seemed like a marriage in heaven: driving long open roads for hours takes a lot of energy, and few options feel better than a stop at a fast food restaurant along the way.
McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and others, which you’ll find along California’s freeways and suburban thoroughfares, catered to America’s nomadic lifestyle and car-centric infrastructure.
In recent years, some Americans have become more aware of the unhealthy nature of certain fast food options. New options have emerged to meet the new demand for cleaner, healthier fast food. Rather than hoping people change their minds and go back to their greasy burgers and salty fries, mainstream restaurants have pivoted to introduce healthier, plant-based options, often with resounding success.
Stacker compiled a list of the most common fast food chains in California using data from Georgia Tech’s Friendly City Lab. Amazingly, In-N-Out didn’t even make the cut. While it may be No. 1 in people’s hearts, it would have taken at least 275 locations to break the top 20. In reality, there are only 263 In-N-Out locations in California.
Note that chains are ranked by number of locations in California in 2021. Since many restaurants have closed during the pandemic, these numbers should differ from the current actual number. Fast food, fast casual, and cafe chains were considered for the list.
Data was available for 88,559 restaurants in California, of which 34,397 are restaurant chains.
Table of Contents
#20. Jersey Mike’s Subs
– Pitches: 274
#19. Wendy’s
– Pitches: 290
#18. Pizza Round Table
– Pitches: 318
#17. Little Caesars
– Pitches: 355
#16. Del Taco
– Pitches: 363
#15. El Pollo Loco
– Pitches: 365
#14. Jamba juice
– Pitches: 418
#13. Baskin Robbins
– Pitches: 420
#12. Chipotle Mexican Grill
– Pitches: 441
#11. KFC
– Pitches: 450
#ten. Panda Express
– Pitches: 496
#9. pizza hut
– Pitches: 531
#8. Burger King
– Pitches: 550
#seven. Dominos Pizza
– Pitches: 570
#6. Carl’s Jr.
– Pitches: 668
#5. Taco Bell
– Pitches: 869
#4. jack in the box
– Pitches: 936
#3. McDonald’s
– Pitches: 1,241
#2. Starbucks
– Pitches: 1,361
#1. Subway
– Pitches: 2,420