Though the inclement economy might be putting a damper on most industries these days, there's no doubt that with less money, everyone is more willing to hit up the local Subway in lieu of a $7 deli sandwich from their favorite Mom 'n Pop downtown.
This is why it's no surprise that we imperial Americans have been so successful at expanding our fast food industry overseas. No matter where you are in the world, fast food is pretty much always the cheapest deal.
According to numbers released on Saturday, March 16 by trade publication QSR magazine, 2012 saw more than 66,000 new U.S. fast food restaurants in other countries, thanks largely to a growth swell that took place last year.
It seems you can't go anywhere in the States these days without seeing the faithful Subway sandwich shop, and it's no different overseas. Subway is in fact the fastest-growing U.S. chain abroad, with 1,000 new units added in 2012 alone.
This is quite an impressive number, seeing as the second fastest-growing chain overseas is Dunkin' Donuts with 900 new units. After that, the numbers drop significantly to 650 for KFC and then 350 for Domino's Pizza.
Even McDonald's new unit numbers pale in comparison to international juggernaut Subway with 212 new stores overseas. This disparity, however, hasn't stopped the Golden Arches from being the grand champion of how much actually sales it made overseas.
McDonald's took in an incredible $44.985 billion overseas last year with a per store average of $2,404,300. Compare those numbers to second place KFC's $14.7 billion sales overseas last year, or Subway's $4.6 billion sales, which makes it number five overseas.
After KFC, the largest international sales were brought in by (in order): Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, Domino's, Starbucks, Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts and Dairy Queen.
What do you think about these numbers? Do they make sense, or are you upset your favorite fast food restaurant didn't make the Top Ten? Or do you think fast food is chemical sludge that should never have been exported to other countries? Sound off in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you!
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