Monthly change in restaurant menu prices in the U.S. 2020-2021, by restaurant type

From January 2020 to January 2021, changes in restaurant menu prices in the United States varied by restaurant type. Full service restaurants (FSRs) experienced a decrease in menu prices between March 2020 and April 2020. Meanwhile, limited/quick service restaurants (QSRs) experienced an increase in menu prices during those same months. Despite the increase in menu prices from quick service restaurants, the total revenue of the QSR industry in the U.S. fell from 273 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 to 239 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

What is the leading QSR chain in the U.S.?

According to a measure of systemwide sales, McDonald’s generated more sales in 2020 than any other QSR chain in the United States. The fast food behemoth earned 40.53 billion U.S. dollars in sales revenue, which amounted to roughly 22 billion U.S. dollars more than the second ranked chain, Starbucks. Compared to McDonald’s, the similarly influential coffeehouse giant took home 18.5 billion U.S. dollars in sales revenue in 2020. Other leading QSR chains in the U.S. included Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell.

Which U.S. state has the most quick service restaurants?

As the home of fast food, there is no shortage of quick service restaurants in the United States. Although such restaurants can be found in every state, some states have more than others. In 2019, the U.S. state with the largest number of quick service restaurants was California with nearly 31.5 thousand establishments. Meanwhile, state with the lowest number of quick service restaurants was Wyoming with 358.