McDonald's Closes Gap on Biggest American Rival as Things Keep Getting Worse for the Competition
It’s not exactly a secret that McDonald’s is the most ubiquitous fast food franchise in the world, with thousands of locations across the globe.
But in America? McDonald’s is actually in a distinct second place, behind the largest fast food franchise in the U.S., Subway.
But that gap is closing — and rapidly — according to the New York Post.
Going into the year, Subway boasted over 19,000 restaurants in the U.S., eclipsing McDonald’s roughly 14,000 U.S. locations.
But now Subway’s figure is just under that 19,000 threshold, as it has shuttered another 729 locations recently.
Notably, for Subway, this latest reduction caps off a decade of decline for the once-venerable sandwich chain.
In fact, 10 straight years of shuttering locations has taken Subway from having over 27,000 locations in the U.S., to the considerably smaller footprint today.
That’s over 9,000 locations in about 11 years. In another 11 years, McDonald’s may very well conquer the American fast food scene.
The Daily Mail noted that the company has responded to questions about its downsizing, though Subway insists that this is all part of the plan.
The company told the British outlet in a statement, “In the US, Subway is focused on ensuring restaurants are in the right locations, with the real estate, visibility and operations that set franchisees up to succeed long-term.”
The Daily Mail further reported, “It added that the strategy is already delivering results, with internal evaluation scores and Google reviews climbing to their highest levels in two years.”
The Daily Mail also noted that Subway is making headway in international locations, adding 1,000 locations across the globe while their U.S. chains struggle.
Subway went through some significant changes in 2024, after it was acquired by private equity firm Roark Capital for about $9.6 billion, per the New York Post.
Roark Capital then picked Jonathan Fitzpatrick, an industry veteran, to be the new Subway CEO in July 2025.
Notably, neither McDonald’s nor Subway have been immune to a tightening economy, as both restaurants have adopted a similar strategy to lure back more frugal customers.
Both franchises have recently introduced variations on a “value” menu, where you can usually get smaller portions of their classic items at a discounted price.
The biggest competitor to both McDonald’s and Subway occupies a slightly different space — but is no more immune to people tightening purse strings.
Starbucks, the popular coffee chain, actually has more locations than McDonald’s, but has also been forced to close stores.
Company CEO Brian Niccol put out a “message” in September 2025 confirming that the coffee chain would have to shutter locations, bringing the chain’s total U.S. footprint to about 18,000 locations.
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