Wendy's, Burger King Both Less Popular Than Starbucks
Wendy's has edged Burger King out of a close second place win, taking a title that the fast food chain has claimed since 1972. Despite the close call however, both still lag far behind McDonald's.
Wendy's is now officially the second best selling hamburger chain in the country right now, according to Technomic. The industry research firm has collected data since 1972, during which year it ranked McDonald's as number one and Burger King as number two in terms of highest selling burger chains.
The newly announced ranking was a close race for second place, with Wendy's total sales valued at $8.5 billion and Burger King hitting $8.4 billion. McDonalds, whose sales topped $34 billion, came in a solid first place. All three appear to face more serious competition in the following years. Five Guys was ranked as the overall fastest growing chain.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In terms of non-burger chains, Subway and Starbucks both saw more growth in terms of sales than either Wendy's or Burger King. Both chains grew 7.5 percent over the past year. Starbucks also launched its first non-coffee chain Monday, with the opening of Evolution Fresh, a juice bar targeted towards the health food sector.
The numbers show a promising future for McDonalds whose sales have gone up 26 percent in the past year. Wendy's sales have also gone up 9 percent while Burger King's sales maintained a steady rate without increasing any. The sales figures are not promising for Burger King, who has 7,200 locations compared to Wendy's 5,900 locations.
With growing competition Burger King has been forced to readjust its marketing campaigns.
"Burger King has been reevaluating its business since it was acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in 2010. The privately held company based in Miami recently retired its mascot "The King" last year and launched a new advertising campaign focused more on food," USA Today reported.
