Top 11+ Best Burger King competitors and Alternatives

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Burger King is the second-largest cheeseburger restaurant chain in the United States, with approximately 100 locations. It was founded in 1954, just a year before McDonald’s.

The Whopper, Burger King’s most renowned menu item, was conceived in 1957 – as a way to differentiate the restaurant from McDonald’s and its little burgers.

The competition between the two companies began even before that, with some even claiming that Burger King’s founders got the concept for the company after visiting the McDonald’s establishment.

Would you like to learn more about Burger King’s competitors and how they compare to one another in the food industry?

A few of Burger King’s competitors are Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Subway, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and KFC, both domestically and internationally.

Burger King’s competitor list:

Subway

With maximum locations and food chain outlets, Subway has become the strongest competitor of Burger King.

Friends Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck opened this widely known sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut (USA), in 1965.

Subway quickly expanded outside North America after opening locations in Canada in 1996.

Since 2010, this sandwich place has surpassed another massive food chain McDonald’s, as the world’s largest restaurant chain by number of outlets. It now has over 41,500 locations around the world. 

McDonald’s

McDonald’s is usually the first place that springs to mind. McDonald’s has cultivated a different fast-food culture in numerous ways worldwide.

McDonald’s was first commercialized by Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940 in California, USA. As a result, it is one of Burger King’s main competitors worldwide.

Under the direction of businessman Ray Kroc, McDonald’s grew from a small California burger chain to a global fast-food megabrand.

The brand quickly grew across North America, bringing a cascade of new products and services. Presently their efforts have become standard fare in any modern fast-food joint, with over 37,900 franchises worldwide.

Starbucks 

Established in 1971, Starbucks is now the world’s third-largest fast-food business. With a specialization in coffee beverages rather than fast food, Starbucks has framed itself as a luxury gourmet shop for every level.

Founded by three American friends – Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl, Starbucks focuses on brewing and selling their own coffee rather than high-quality coffee beans.

Hence, the brand quickly rose to prominence on the West Coast of the United States, particularly in Seattle, Washington (headquarters), and expanded the business worldwide. 

KFC

The fourth-largest and the oldest fast-food chain globally, KFC, is another robust competitor of Burger King. It’s the abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken, founded by Harland Sanders in Kentuck.

Since 1930, KFC has sustained to be precise in the level of taste, quality, and service. It’s a subsidiary brand of Yum! Brands. By selling original pressure-fried chicken with 11 herbs and spices, Sanders’s fried chicken recipe won the heart of millennials in every country.

Presently, this American Fast food restaurant company generates US$27.9 billion or over yearly. 

Pizza Hut

Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut is the seventh-largest fast-food chain, with a number of locations launched by Dan and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas. Pizza Hut has swiftly become a household name in the United States.

In 1977, the Darney brothers sold the business to PepsiCo, which established Pizza Hut internationally.

Nowadays, with over 18,500 locations worldwide, Pizza Hut is the world’s largest pizza maker and seller. The firm and fast-food franchise have relocated to Plano, Texas. Yum!

Taco Bell 

Taco Bell was commercialized in 1962, and it now has over 6,500 outlets in the United States alone. Taco Bell is from the same house as Pizza Hut and KFC – the Yum! Brands.

Noted for its distinctive branding, affordable menu, and constantly changing goods. Taco Bell is another strongest rival of Burger King globally.

It also teamed up with famous brands like Mountain Dew and Frito Lay to create dynamic menu items like Baja Blast Mountain Dew and Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos. 

Yum China

Yum China, an American fast-food restaurant company, is another top competitor of Burger King. It ranked 4th on the list of BizVibe’s and is famed as one of the top-rated fast-food chains worldwide.

Yum China made USD 8.41 billion in revenue last year, placing it fourth among the top ten fast-food companies in terms of revenue.

Yum China is a massive company owning various top-rated fast-food chains, such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Huang Ji Huang, Little Sheep, etc., to name a few. 

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle is a renowned America-based fast-casual restaurant brand established on July 13, 1993. The company has spread its reach outside America to the UK, France, Germany, Canada, etc.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is ranked 6th on this list of the top 10 largest fast-food restaurants worldwide.

With extensive sales and revenues of USD 5.58 billion last year, it stands as a strong rival of Burger King in recent times. 

Being one of the first gourmet restaurant chains, Chipotle has become the main rival of Burger King with Moe’s Southwest Grill, Qdoba Mexican Grill, etc. 

Wendy’s

With annual revenue of USD 1.59 billion, Wendy’s is ranked 9th among the world’s top ten fast-food chains. Commercialized by Dave Thomas, Wendy’s, is constantly sustaining its taste, quality, and reliability since 1969.

This American restaurant is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Currently, this company is a reputed and strongest rival of Burger King globally. 

Frosty, sea salt fries, soft-serve ice cream with carbohydrates, and especially square hamburgers, are on-demand items of Wendy’s.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts, known for its coffee and doughnut, is the next popular competitor of Burger Kind. This America-based company ranks among the top 10 largest fast-food franchises on BizVibe’s list.

William Rosenberg started Dunkin’ Donuts in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950, and it now has 12,900 outlets in 42 countries.

The company made USD 1.37 billion last year in terms of annual revenues, making it the world’s tenth-largest fast-food chain.

Burger King Competitors

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