The World’s Bestselling Fast-Food Items

McDonald’s French Fries

Although McDonald’s got its start in the 1940s by selling hot dogs, it’s predominantly known today for its burgers and fries. Both of these beloved menu items exceed $1 billion in annual sales, but french fries have a slight edge as the bestselling McDonald’s product at the 40,000+ locations around the world.

According to Yahoo, McDonald’s is estimated to sell more than 9 million pounds of its crispy, golden fries on a daily basis. Looking at the approximate weight of each bag of fries, that equals roughly 51 million small, 36 million medium, or 27 million large containers of fries. Multiply those numbers by each day of the year, and you’re looking at billions of orders of fries served up by McDonald’s annually.

McDonald’s has plenty of supply to keep up with demand: According to an NBC News report, the fast-food giant purchases at least 3.4 billion pounds of spuds each year. Of course, McDonald’s is also known for its burgers, its runner-up bestseller, of which the company sells an estimated 2.4 billion annually.

Burger King Whopper

When you think of Burger King, the first thing that likely comes to mind is its famous flame-grilled Whopper sandwich. According to the Creative Foods Corporation (CFC) — one of the largest franchisees of Burger King establishments in the U.S. — more than 1.3 billion Whoppers are sold around the globe each year, which equates to 41 Whoppers eaten every second. CFC also points out there are no less than 221,184 unique ways to customize a Whopper by mixing and matching various ingredients. 

In 2022, Burger King conducted a U.S.-based national study to determine which states loved Whoppers the most. The results showed that New Mexico ordered the most Whoppers of any state, while North Carolina ordered the most Double Whoppers and Montanans scarfed down the most triples. But Burger King also sells Whoppers in more than 100 countries around the world, which explains how it’s able to sell more than a billion of these burgers each year. You won’t find any Burger Kings in Australia, though: Due to a trademark issue, the chain operates using the name “Hungry Jack’s” in the Land Down Under.

Dairy Queen Blizzard

Dairy Queen first introduced its now-iconic Blizzard in 1985, combining soft-serve ice cream with a variety of fillings and syrups including Oreo cookies, M&M’s, and Reese’s cups. The frosty treat sold around 75 million cups in its first year, a number that leapt to more than 175 million the following year, and this delightful confection has remained a bestseller ever since.

In 2020, Reuters reported that U.S. Blizzard sales had topped $1 billion dollars for the first time, showcasing the product’s enduring popularity. To make those numbers even more impressive, the data company Mirus reported that Blizzards alone make up 23% of Dairy Queen’s total sales. Given the average cost of a Blizzard ranges anywhere from $3.99 to $5.79, it’s reasonable to assume DQ sells in excess of 200 million Blizzards annually. 

The most popular Blizzard flavors vary by location. A team of researchers from Grand Canyon University conducted a national study using data from as far back as 2004, determining the Turtle Pecan Cluster Blizzard to be the most popular flavor in 13 U.S. states. The runner-up was the Oreo Cookie Blizzard, which is the reigning flavor in 11 states.

Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Chick-fil-A continues to carve out a place as one of the most popular chicken chains in the fast-food industry, and that’s without much of a global presence — yet. The company has plans to expand its presence in Europe and Asia, with new locations opening in the United Kingdom and Singapore throughout 2025. But even with the lack of widespread international fame, Chick-fil-A sells a shockingly large amount of its beloved chicken sandwich, which comes in fried and grilled varieties.

The company generated $18.814 billion in sales in 2022, trailing only McDonald’s and Starbucks within the fast-food market. The bestselling item was its chicken sandwich, of which it sold 527 million in that year alone. Sales grew an astounding 14.7% the following year, outpacing other chicken-centric competitors such as Popeyes and KFC. 

Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme

The Crunchwrap Supreme is a relatively recent creation that came out of Taco Bell’s Innovation Kitchen in 2005. The idea was concocted by product developer Lois Carson, who came up with the tortilla-wrapped pouch filled with ground beef, cheese, crunchy shells, veggies, and salsa. Executives initially dismissed the product over concerns it would take too much time for employees to fold the sides over — but that little bit of extra time paid off for the franchise.

Within six weeks of its debut, the Crunchwrap Supreme sold 51 million units and quickly became the quickest bestselling product in company history. The item became a permanent fixture of the Taco Bell menu in 2006 and is now sold at the vast majority of the 8,000+ Taco Bell restaurants around the world. 

Popeyes Biscuits

Popeyes operates more than 3,000 U.S.-based restaurants and an additional 1,000+ around the world, making it among the most popular fast-food chicken chains on the planet. But as popular as its chicken-based menu items are, they continue to be overshadowed by the chain’s buttermilk biscuits. Popeyes opened its first location in 1976, but it wasn’t until 1983 that it unveiled its beloved biscuits, which are staples of the current menu, selling hundreds of millions each year. According to a Popeyes press release, the chain sold more than 292 million biscuits in 2018, which equals roughly one biscuit every 12 seconds.