Fast Food Chain Expansion Over Time

This moving chart from Data is Beautiful tracks the number of fast food outlets from 1955 to 2026. You might wonder what Howard Johnson's is doing there, as did I, since they were fairly standard table service restaurants, although famously franchised. Bob's Big Boy also had table service. I also wondered about Baskin Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts, and Starbucks, since they are so specialized. Well, Starbucks started selling breakfast sandwiches in 2003, so I guess they count. It's all in how you define fast food. A&W never was all that fast, but it was a drive-in, so no table service. 

Anyway, I was surprised that Dairy Queen started out at the top. I was also surprised at how fast KFC expanded in the 1960s. Subway is no surprise; my small town has four Subways and only three McDonald's, which makes it seem like a big town, but we do have two interstate exits. Mixue, Luckin Coffee, and Wallace are Chinese chains that have exploded recently. (via Geeks Are Sexy)