These 20 chains dominate the fast-food industry

Taco Bell ranks in the top five, according to Technomic's data.Irene Jiang / Business Insider

• McDonald's, Starbucks, and Chick-fil-A lead the US' fast-food scene, according to Technomic data reported by Restaurant Business magazine.
• The top 20 chains in terms of 2019 US sales are responsbile for the majority of the industry's growth.
• Here are the rest of the chains at the top of the fast-food industry.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A handful of chains dominate the American fast-food scene.

According to data compiled by Technomic and reported by Restaurant Business magazine, the top 20 chains in the US — in terms of 2019 sales — were responsible for three-fourths of the industry's total sales growth last year.

Technomic created a list of the top 500 chains in the country by looking at financial filings by public companies, surveying direct operators, and examining franchise disclosure documents. It also made use of a proprietary valuation algorithm.

The data was collected during 2019, and obviously, 2020 has brought about significant changes for the restaurant industry. Generally, large fast-food chains have fared better than independent restaurants, thanks, in part, to existing tech and infrastructure like apps for online ordering and drive-thrus, which were permitted to remain open even as dining rooms were ordered closed.

Here are the top 20, according to last year's sales in the US: