1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Jamba Juice
2. Chick-fil-A
   KFC

Colonel Sanders laid the groundwork for future franchising in 1952 when he met Pete Harman, a restaurant owner from Utah, at a food seminar. The two struck a deal, and Harman opened the first location called Kentucky Fried Chicken in Salt Lake City. When Sanders sold the company, the gravy recipe changed.

1. Captain D's
   Subway
2. Jamba Juice
   Einstein Bros. Bagels

With more than 44,000 locations across 110 countries, Subway is a huge franchise. Subway serves about 5,300 sandwiches every 60 seconds, which is roughly 320,000 sandwiches every hour. That is 7.6 billion subs every day!

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Bojangles
2. Starbucks
   Arby's

Starbucks has grown by an average of about two stores per day for the past 27 years. Starbucks plans to open 3,400 stores in China by 2019. There are 36,000 possible frappuccino combinations you could make. Starbucks uses 4 billion cups around the world each year.

1. Jamba Juice
   Captain D's
2. Taco Bell
   McDonald's

Taco Bell's tacos were originally 19 cents per taco. Apparently, customers pronounced them “Tay-Kohs” at first. Other menu items included tostadas, burritos, and chili burgers. The first location featured fire pits and mariachi bands. The company sold to Pepsico in 1978.

1. Dairy Queen
   Burger King
2. Chick-fil-A
   Subway

The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois. To promote the store, founder Sherb Noble held an "all you can eat for 10 cents" sale. The promotion was so popular, Noble worried the stampede of customers would break the glass windows of the storefront.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Dunkin' Donuts
2. Subway
   Starbucks

When the founder William Rosenberg opened his first donut shop in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1948, it was originally named Open Kettle. Two years later, it was renamed Dunkin’ Donuts. Back in the late '70s and into the '80s, the franchise used to sell so-called Easter egg donuts.

1. Sonic Drive-In
   Captain D's
2. Subway
   McDonald's

Sonic Drive-In is the biggest chain of drive-in restaurants still in existence, Sonic serves 3 million customers across 44 states every day. Sonic was originally a root beer stand, and it was almost called Top Hat instead of Sonic.

1. Burger King
   Panera Bread
2. Subway
   McDonald's

From a small Missouri chain known as St. Louis Bread Company to almost 2,000 bakery-cafes in 46 states, Panera bakes more loaves of fresh bread every day than any other fast-casual restaurant in the country. The franchise was purchased by Au Bon Pain, and some stores still retain their original names.

1. Captain D's
   McDonald's
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Jamba Juice

McDonald's serves around 68 million customers daily, in 119 countries, across 36,538 outlets. It actually started out as a barbecue restaurant but was reorganized to focus on hamburgers in 1948. The first McDonald's with arches opened in 1953, in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. Captain D's
   Jamba Juice
2. Panda Express
   Starbucks

Panda Express is the biggest Chinese fast food restaurant chain in the United States. It has over 1,800 locations and 27,000 employees around the world. It started with a sit-down restaurant called Panda Inn. It is still family owned and operated.

1. Bojangles
   Starbucks
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Wendy's

Wendy's is named after Dave Thomas' daughter Melinda. As a child, she had the same issue pronouncing Rs and Ls that many kids do, and she referred to herself as “Wendy” or “Wenda.” Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's, actually dropped out of high school.

1. Krispy Kreme
   Jersey Mike's Subs
2. Burger King
   Starbucks

The top-secret recipe for Krispy Kreme doughnuts is kept in a vault in the company’s Winston-Salem, North Carolina, plant, which also manufactures the same dry mix used in the 190 Krispy Kreme stores around the country. Krispy Kreme now has 1,003 locations.

1. Jamba Juice
   Chipotle
2. Chick-fil-A
   Wendy's

Chipotle is one of the fastest-growing chains in the U.S., with more than 1,800 locations and 200 more going up this year. The CEO studied art history and also attended the Culinary Institute of America. The inspiration for the chain came from San Francisco.

1. Starbucks
   Domino's
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Captain D's

Tom Monaghan, the owner of Dominos, tried to go to college in Michigan originally. He briefly studied as an architect at the University of Michigan but, unable to pay tuition, he and his brother Jim went in on a small pizzeria that was for sale. They bought DomiNick's in 1960 with a $900 loan.

1. Captain D's
   Einstein Bros. Bagels
2. Arby's
   Subway

Arby's name is a play on the letters R and B. Despite some claims that it’s an ode to their classic sandwich, it doesn’t stand for roast beef. RB stands for Raffel Brothers, a nod to founders Leroy and Forrest Raffel, who opened the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio, on July 23, 1964.

1. Starbucks
   Little Caesars
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   McDonald's

The name Little Caesars was inspired by a co-founder’s nickname. The logo was first sketched on a napkin. Little Caesars started with a former minor league baseball player named Mike Ilitch, who founded the company along with his wife, Marian, in 1959.

1. Wingstop
   Jamba Juice
2. White Castle
   Subway

Wingstop is a chain of aviation-themed restaurants where the sole focus is on chicken wings. Wingstop locations are decorated following a 1930s and 1940s "pre-jet" aviation theme. The restaurant chain was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas.

1. Captain D's
   Einstein Bros. Bagels
2. Pizza Hut
   Starbucks

There are more than 15,000 locations in over 90 countries, and Pizza Hut U.S.'s parent company, Yum Brands, is No. 713 on the Forbes Global 2000 list, with an estimated market cap of $34.6 billion. It was founded by two brothers while they were still in college.

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Captain D's
2. Qdoba
   McDonald's

Qdoba is a chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada, serving Mexican-style fare. The company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box since 2003. It origins go back to the opening of the Zuma Fresh Mexican Grill in 1995, by Colorado native Anthony Miller.

1. Papa Murphy's
   White Castle
2. Starbucks
   Little Caesars

Papa Murphy's opened in 1981. The first location opened in Hillsboro, Oregon, under the name Papa Aldo. Two years later, the first franchise opened in McMinnville, Oregon. In 1995, Papa Aldo's and Murphy's Pizza merged, and so did the names. It grew exponentially, opening its 500th store by 1999.

1. Burger King
   Jamba Juice
2. Starbucks
   In-N-Out Burger

When it opened in October 1948, In-N-Out was California’s first drive-thru hamburger stand; its founders, Harry and Esther Snyder, were newly married. In-N-Out is credited as the first chain to have a two-way speaker system for drive-thru ordering.

1. Whataburger
   Chick-fil-A
2. Arby's
   Subway

The first Whataburger opened in Texas in 1950, then Whataburger's first out of state location opened in 1959. There are now hundreds of locations all across the southern U.S. and the southwest. Whataburger invented the five-inch bun. Dobson originally wanted to make a burger so big you had to hold it with two hands.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Church's Chicken
2. Subway
   Burger King

Church's Chicken is a U.S.-based chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in fried chicken, also trading outside North America and Asia as Texas Chicken. The chain was founded as Church's Fried Chicken To Go by George W. Church, Sr., in 1952.

1. Chick-fil-A
   Jamba Juice
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Jimmy John's

The company Jimmy John's was founded by 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud. Liautaud's father promised $25,000 toward his son's potential venture. Jimmy John took the cash and entered the service industry. It was originally going to be a hot dog stand.

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
2. Chick-fil-A
   McDonald's

The chain, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, is named for Gene Hackman, not the sailor. Founder Al Copeland named his place for Gene Hackman’s character from The French Connection, Popeye Doyle, basically because he liked his style. The founder actually got his start in donuts.

1. Culver's
   Jamba Juice
2. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Subway

Wisconsin’s well-known chain features buttery cheeseburgers and smooth custard with enough variety to make dairy lovers happy. Four members of the Culver family, George, Ruth, their son Craig, and daughter-in-law Lea, came together to launch the first Culver’s restaurant in 1984.

1. Moe's Southwest Grill
   McDonald's
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Captain D's

Moe's Southwest Grill's name originated as an acronym for Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers, a meaning that’s reflected in the music and music-related artwork at Moe’s restaurants. In 2010, Moe’s even held a contest to scout musician lookalikes.

1. Jack in the Box
   Jamba Juice
2. Starbucks
   McDonald's

Robert O. Peterson opened the first Jack in the Box restaurant in San Diego, California, in 1951, by converting one location of his Oscar’s restaurant chain into a new animal altogether: a drive-thru hamburger stand. The company has made enough Jack ornaments for 11% of all the cars on the planet.

1. Chick-fil-A
   Jamba Juice
2. Bojangles
   Einstein Bros. Bagels

Chick-fil-A has been voted one of the nation's top fast-food joints. The chicken biscuit was the first breakfast menu item. The gay marriage controversy actually boosted the company's profits. The company has sold over 3 billion sandwiches since opening.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Jamba Juice
2. Long John Silver's
   Baskin-Robbins

Long John Silver’s is known for their platters of fried shrimp, cod, and chicken. Of their famous sides, they sell roughly six million pounds of hush puppies each year. The restaurant's name comes from the novel Treasure Island.

1. Jamba Juice
   McDonald's
2. Subway
   Baskin-Robbins

Baskin-Robbins was founded by men named Baskin and Robbins, two brothers-in-law named Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins, both World War II veterans, in 1945. Today there are about 2,500 locations of Baskin-Robbins around the US, with about 7,300 worldwide.

1. Captain D's
   Jamba Juice
2. Starbucks
   Steak 'n Shake

Steak 'n Shake has been serving up all-American fare at all hours to generations of hungry diners. Founder Gus Belt and his wife, during the Great Depression, began offering fried chicken, fries, and coleslaw at their Illinois Shell station for $.45. After the town council voted 2 to 1 to ban the sale of alcohol, the Belts decided to open a burger restaurant, and in 1934 Steak 'n Shake was born.

1. Captain D's
   Jersey Mike's Subs
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   White Castle

White Castle may not be the largest burger chain, but it arguably has the most devoted following, with fans writing songs, directing movies, getting married inside restaurants, and carting their sliders all over the world. Their burgers are square and have holes to let steam escape during cooking.

1. Starbucks
   Einstein Bros. Bagels
2. Tim Hortons
   McDonald's

Tim Hortons is a 50-year-old coffee-and-doughnut chain and it is now an international business, but it is still Canadian at heart. At Tim Hortons, you’re supposed to order a “double-double” coffee with two creams and two sugars. The chain represents 76 percent of the baked goods and coffee market in the country.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Captain D's
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Checkers/Rally's

Checkers was founded by Jim Mattei, a native of Alabama. Mattei first gained experience in the fast-food industry by building several Wendy’s franchises. According to Checkers CEO, Rick Silva, the average Checkers customer lives in a household where the income is $35,000 or less.

1. Captain D's
   Firehouse Subs
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Starbucks

Jacksonville's Firehouse Subs has been building an impressive empire of its own, conquering 41 states and counting. Firehouse Subs was founded by two former firefighter brothers in 1994. At the owners' ranches, even the stuffed animals are cowboys.

1. McDonald's
   Starbucks
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Burger King

Einstein Bros. Bagels is an American bagel and coffee chain. Einstein Bros. was created by the chain restaurant corporation Boston Chicken - now Boston Market. Noah's Bagels, in 1996, was sold to Einstein Bros. for $100 million.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Captain D's
2. Burger King
   Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr. has been serving hamburgers for 60-some years, and what started as a small-time hot dog stand has now expanded across the country. With four successful hot dog stands, Karcher opened a full-service restaurant in Anaheim, California, in 1945. It was named Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue

1. Captain D's
   McDonald's
2. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Zaxby's

There are 700 Zaxby's locations in 16 states. The first restaurant was opened in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1990. The founders pooled together $16,000 to open that first location. Since 2007, Zaxby's has used a variety of celebrities to campaign for their chain.

1. Bojangles'
   Einstein Bros. Bagels
2. McDonald's
   White Castle

The co-founder developed Bojangles’ biscuits while at Hardee's. Jack Fulk started at Hardee’s, where he served as a Wilkesboro franchise owner in the early 1970s. During this time, he worked on perfecting the from-scratch biscuit recipe that would eventually become a signature item at Bojangles’.

1. Jamba Juice
   El Pollo Loco
2. McDonald's
   Einstein Bros. Bagels

The first American location of El Pollo Loco opened in 1980. While El Pollo Loco is technically an American chain, it has its roots in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Founder Juan Francisco Ochoa opened the first location in 1975. It was once owned by Denny’s.

1. Jamba Juice
   Captain D's
2. Subway
   Burger King

No chain has been able to capitalize better on the smoothie craze than Jamba Juice, which has 868 locations around the world and counting. Their "secret menu" items include Fruity Pebbles, peanut butter and jelly, and Pink Starburst.

1. Papa John's
   Burger King
2. Subway
   Sonic

John Schnatter launched Papa John's out of an Indiana Tavern broom closet. Papa John's grew quickly because franchising was so comparatively cheap. John Schnatter parted with his favorite car to fund the company.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Subway
2. Long John Silver's
   Boston Market

In 1991 there were 25 locations and 217 by 1993, when the owners decided to take the company public. In 1995, the Boston Chicken name was switched with Boston Market in an effort to promote non-chicken menu items like meatloaf, turkey, ham, and sandwiches.

1. Jamba Juice
   Jersey Mike's Subs
2. Burger King
   McDonald's

Burger King was founded in the 1950s by entrepreneurs James McLamore and David R. Edgerton, based on an earlier chain. Today, there are about 13,000 Burger Kings in operation in the United States and in 100 other countries.

1. Jason's Deli
   Captain D's
2. Jamba Juice
   Long John Silver's

Jason's Deli was first opened by founder Joe Tortorice, Jr., at a shopping center in Beaumont, Texas, in 1976. Since then, the family-owned delis have expanded to 260 restaurants in 29 U.S. states, with a large customer base in the South and Midwest.

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Subway
2. Burger King
   Captain D's

Captain D's is a U.S.-based chain of fast-casual restaurants, specializing in seafood and fish and chips. The restaurant also features a new grilled menu. The restaurant chain's headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee. Its main competitor is Long John Silver's.

1. Einstein Bros. Bagels
   Jersey Mike's Subs
2. Captain D's
   Burger King

Jersey Mike's Subs is a submarine sandwich chain, headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey. The Jersey Mike's franchise has more than 1,000 locations open and in development across the United States.

1. Jersey Mike's Subs
   Captain D's
2. Five Guys
   Starbucks

The build-to-order burger chain Five Guys has become one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country, even while refusing to deliver or advertise. Five Guys' initial $70,000 in startup funds was meant to pay college tuition for Jerry and Janie Murrell's four sons.

1. White Castle
   Jamba Juice
2. Del Taco
   Subway

The first-ever Del Taco opened in Yermo, California, in 1964. Initially, tacos cost just 19 cents. One of the founders of Del Taco still works at Del Taco. You can get the company's hot sauces delivered. if you want a lifetime supply of Del Inferno, you can order it online - it's just $4.99 for 50 packets.