The hamburger has long been America's most iconic player on the international culinary stage, but that's changing. The Subway sandwich chain now has more outlets worldwide than any other chain restaurant, even McDonald's. Here, a brief guide, by the numbers, to Subway's global domination:
33,749
Number of Subway outlets worldwide at the end of last year. The company has boosted its rapid growth by opening outlets in "non-traditional locations," says Julie Jargon in The Wall Street Journal, such as an ice arena in Nova Scotia and an appliance store in Brazil.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
32,737
Number of McDonald's outlets worldwide at the end of last year. "We remain focused on listening to and serving our customers, and are committed to being better, not just bigger," says a company representative.
38,000
Total number of outlets worldwide for the Yum! Brands group of smaller fast-food chains, including KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut
$15.2 billion
Revenue generated by Subway last year
$24 billion
Revenue generated by McDonald's last year. It's "still the leader when it comes to sales," says Jargon.
95
Number of countries in which Subway operates restaurants
117
Number of countries in which McDonald's has restaurants. "Most fast-food companies are pursuing aggressive international development campaigns, and the burger chain wins on that front," says Nick Carbone in TIME.
60
Former pants size of Jared Fogle, Subway's spokesman who famously lost weight on a diet of the chain's sandwiches
245
Number of pounds Fogle lost on the Subway diet. While "McDonald's has made a serious effort to provide healthy options for its customers," says Emily Abbate at The Stir, "when it comes down to it, it's much easier to choose between one of the several healthier sub options at Subway than try to decipher which item is 'the healthiest' at McDonald's."
24.5
Number of pounds filmmaker Morgan Spurlock gained in one month while eating only McDonald's food for his 2004 film, Super Size Me
Sources: Wall Street Journal (2), Daily Mail, TIME, Marketwire, The Stir, Epicurious
Today's political cartoons - February 1, 2025
5 humorously unhealthy cartoons about RFK Jr.
Brodet (fish stew) recipe
