The year 2020 was unprecedented in countless ways — the pandemic forced humanity to radically shift how we live, work, play, and even eat. Of course, these changes affected every industry in varying degrees; some experienced explosive growth, while others struggled to stay afloat. According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurant industry sales in 2020 were initially projected to reach $899 billion. But how much did the restaurant industry actually make in 2020 amid the staggering impact of COVID-19? Restaurant sales fell short of the projections by a jaw-dropping $240 billion. Of course, how restaurants navigated the rocky waters of the pandemic varied greatly. How To Cook Recipes the most successful restaurants in 2020, which should provide insight into the industry and how fast-food sales during COVID rose or fell:
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What Was the Most Profitable Restaurant in 2020?
It comes as no surprise that McDonald’s was the restaurant with the most sales in 2020 — people just can’t resist the golden arches! McDonald’s was the most successful restaurant chain in 2020 with sales of $39.53 billion. With 0.4% growth over the previous year’s sales, it’s evident that the pandemic had little effect on McDonald’s annual sales. So what fast-food restaurant made the most money in 2020 after McDonald’s? Here are the 20 top restaurants by sales in 2020:
- McDonald’s: $39.53 billion
- Starbucks: $18.71 billion
- Taco Bell: $11.31 billion
- Chick-fil-A: $10.80 billion
- Wendy’s: $10.29 billion
- Burger King: $9.66 billion
- Subway: $9.17 billion
- Dunkin’ Donuts: $8.76 billion
- Domino’s: $7.35 billion
- Sonic: $5.68 billion
- Panera: $5.66 billion
- Pizza Hut: $5.40 billion
- Chipotle: $5.34 billion
- KFC: $4.70 billion
- Popeyes: $4.58 billion
- Arby’s: $4.21 billion
- Dairy Queen: $3.98 billion
- Little Caesars: $3.78 billion
- Jack in the Box: $3.61 billion
- Panda Express: $3.60 billion
Unfortunately, restaurant closures in 2020 were inevitable. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, more than 10% of U.S. restaurants closed permanently during the pandemic. While restaurant chains generally fared better than individual locations, many still suffered dramatic losses during the pandemic. Here are the least successful restaurant chains among the top 50 in 2020 and how much their sales decreased from the previous year:
- Applebee’s: -31%
- Red Robin: -28.8%
- Cheesecake Factory: -26.8%
- IHOP: -25%
- TGI Friday’s: -18.2%
While McDonald’s was the most successful restaurant chain in 2020 based on overall sales, Sonic experienced the greatest growth over the previous year, at 21.2%, among the top 50. However, out of all restaurants, Shake Shack was the fastest-growing restaurant chain in 2020, with a delicious growth of 34.5%!
Here are the Top 50 Restaurants by Sales in 2020
| Restaurant | 2020 Sales + Year-Over-Year Change |
| 1. McDonald’s | $39.53 billion 0.4% |
| 2. Starbucks | $18.71 billion -5% |
| 3. Taco Bell | $11.31 billion -0.4% |
| 4. Chick-fil-A | $10.80 billion 3.8% |
| 5. Wendy’s | $10.29 billion 4.8% |
| 6. Burger King | $9.66 billion -5.4% |
| 7. Subway | $9.17 billion -8.2% |
| 8. Dunkin’ Donuts | $8.76 billion -5.1% |
| 9. Domino’s Pizza | $7.35 billion 11% |
| 10. Sonic | $5.68 billion 21.2% |
| 11. Panera Bread | $5.66 billion -8.7% |
| 12. Chipotle | $5.34 billion 5.7% |
| 13. Pizza Hut | $5.40 billion -2% |
| 14. KFC | $4.70 billion 4% |
| 15. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | $4.58 billion 20% |
| 16. Arby’s | $4.21 billion 8.5% |
| 17. Dairy Queen | $3.98 billion 5.9% |
| 18. Little Caesars | $3.78 billion -5.0% |
| 19. Jack in the Box | $3.61 billion 2.5% |
| 20. Panda Express | $3.60 billion 2.3% |
| 21. Olive Garden | $3.55 billion -12% |
| 22. Papa John’s | $3.48 billion 19% |
| 23. Chili’s | $3.21 billion -9.3% |
| 24. Buffalo Wild Wings | $3.11 billion -15% |
| 25. Applebee’s | $2.78 billion -31% |
| 26. Whataburger | $2.70 billion 5.6% |
| 27. IHOP | $2.51 billion -25% |
| 28. Denny’s | $2.40 billion -15% |
| 29. Texas Roadhouse | $2.37 billion -14.5% |
| 30. Red Lobster | $2.24 billion -7.3% |
| 31. Cracker Barrel | $2.17 billion -21% |
| 32. Outback | $2.10 billion -18% |
| 33. Hardee’s | $1.99 billion -11.7% |
| 34. Zaxby’s | $1.94 billion 3.9% |
| 35. Jimmy John’s | $1.93 billion -8.5% |
| 36. Culver’s | $1.73 billion 3% |
| 37. Raising Cane’s | $1.72 billion 17.5% |
| 38. Wingstop | $1.61 billion 21% |
| 39. Longhorn Steakhouse | $1.59 billion -17% |
| 40. Five Guys | $1.57 billion 3% |
| 41. Cheesecake Factory | $1.53 billion -26.8% |
| 42. Golden Corral | $1.48 billion -17.4% |
| 43. Carl’s Jr. | $1.33 billion -6% |
| 44. Bojangles | $1.29 billion 3.5% |
| 45. Jersey Mike’s | $1.29 billion 7% |
| 46. Waffle House | $1.22 billion -7.3% |
| 47. Red Robin | $1.17 billion -28.2% |
| 48. In-N-Out | $1.07 billion 9.5% |
| 49. Krispy Kreme | $876.3 million 1.5% |
| 50. TGI Fridays | $874.4 million -18.2% |
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This page was last updated by Megan Miller