These are the 25 best fast-food chains in America right now

Flickr/Laine TreesAmericans can't get enough fast food, which is why it represents a $238 billion and growing industry in the US, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

But fast-food lovers aren't only loyal to legacy chains like McDonald's, KFC, and Taco Bell. In fact, these giants don't even break the top 25 in our latest ranking of the top fast-food chains in America.

Business Insider teamed up with Restaurant Business, a publication that focuses on the food-service industry, to compile this list. Using proprietary data collected by Restaurant Business and its sister research firm Technomic from 2016, we looked at nearly 100 of the largest US chains and rated them on three criteria that we considered the most telling for all-around fast-food excellence: financial performance, customer satisfaction, and overall value. Our calculations accounted for sales growth, average sales at each location, consumer-sentiment ratings, and the average cost of a meal, among other metrics.

Keep reading to see the 25 best fast-food chains in America right now.

Emmie Martin, Tanza Loudenback and Alexa Pipia contributed to an earlier version of this article.