It’s well known that many of the world’s largest businesses and franchises hail from the United States — but which ones have been the most successful and widespread? In this piece we provide a glance at some of the biggest of the American powerhouse franchises in operation today.
Subway
By some measures, Subway has become the biggest franchise not only in the United States but in the world. Started in 1965 with a single location selling submarine sandwiches by founders Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck in Bridgeport, Connecticut Subway today exists in nearly 25,000 locations in the US alone and over 9,000 locations elsewhere. The chain’s success is often attributed to being seen, in recent times, as a healthy alternative to other fast foods.
7-Eleven Inc.
Beginning in 1927 as a convenience store which sold basic food stuffs in addition to ice blocks in the same location (items previously sold separately), Joe C. Thompson’s business idea caught on and eventually allowed him to buy and establish the 7-Eleven chain in 1964. Since then over 40,000 locations worldwide have been established, expanding to offer a number of goods including gasoline.
McDonald’s
Famous the world over, McDonald’s was one of the first franchises to explode globally. The story of McDonald’s began in California where brothers Mac and Dick McDonald, against the common practice of the time, had their restaurant operating multiple milkshake mixers instead of one. This lead to customers being serviced much faster than other establishments, inspiring the McDonald brothers to begin the burger franchise in 1955. With just over 33,000 locations worldwide it’s not hard to see why McDonald’s is on this list.
KFC Corp.
In the 1930s Harland Sanders opened and operated a modest cafe in Corbin, Kentucky and quickly became renowned locally for his culinary skills. So famous was he that he was named an honorary Kentucky Colonel. Inspired by his success and popularity, Colonel Sanders began franchising his restaurant under the KFC name in 1952 and the first location was opened in Salt Lake City, Utah. Now in over 80 countries across the globe, KFC has earned a place among the most successful American franchises.
While these are only a few of the monster American franchises out there, it is clear that food service has been the cornerstone of what makes a modern franchise success, not only in the US but worldwide.