The 10 biggest restaurant chains in the U.S. by unitsThe 10 biggest restaurant chains in the U.S. by units

Every year, Nation’s Restaurant News presents the Top 500 report in collaboration with Datassential, ranking restaurant chains by U.S. systemwide sales. But there’s more data than just sales — the report also includes domestic unit counts for all 500 chains.

Among the 10 largest chains by unit count, six experienced unit growth in 2021. All have more than 4,000 units. And perhaps not surprisingly, all 10 are quick-service restaurants.

Even among restaurant chains that closed net units in 2021, many still managed to grow their sales, getting more revenue out of each footprint.  

In this gallery, see the 10 biggest restaurant chains in the United States by unit count in 2021.