The Fast Food Giant That Isn't A Favorite In Any State, According To Report

When it comes to behemoth fast food chains, it's reasonable that McDonald's might come to mind first. It has been slinging burgers to hungry customers since 1940 and has become an icon in the industry. However, there's not a single McDonald's in one state capital — Montpelier, Vermont — and the restaurant has been falling in popularity to the point that not even the residents of any single U.S. state would dine there first over other fast food options.

Using data from Google Trends and the number of each chain's locations per capita per state, FinanceBuzz has calculated which fast food chain most people in each state are more likely to choose over all others available to them. McDonald's was surprisingly absent from the number-one findings, although it did appear in many states' top 5 to 10 results. Part of the reason is because 17 chains were the favorites in their origin states, while two were favorites in the states where their corporate headquarters are located. Meanwhile, diners have been faced with the rising cost of dining out because of inflation and economic uncertainty, which has contributed to a drop in sales and foot traffic at the chain during 2025.

On top of that, the world's most popular fast food restaurant isn't McDonald's, either. That distinction belongs to China's massive boba chain Mixue Bingcheng, which has approximately 53,000 locations around the world and opened its first U.S. location in Los Angeles in January 2026. By comparison, McDonald's boasts about 44,000 locations.

If McDonald's wasn't the number-one fast food chain in any state, then which one was the favorite in the most states? That honor actually goes to two restaurants, Sonic and Wendy's, each of which was the most popular fast food option in five states, according to the FinanceBuzz report.

The fact that Sonic was Oklahoma's favorite chain isn't too surprising, as it started in that state in 1953 and has since expanded to 263 Oklahoma locations. While Texas has the most Sonic locations at 910, its residents prefer homegrown Whataburger. Despite that, Sonic is also a top pick among diners in Oklahoma's neighboring states of Arkansas, Kansas, and New Mexico, as well as Mississippi. The chain has more than 3,400 restaurants in 47 states, but the only states without a Sonic location are Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont — whose favorites were Subway, Five Guys, and Subway, respectively.

Similarly, Wendy's was most popular in Ohio, where it was founded in 1969, and in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The chain has locations in every state, but being the go-to in Montana and Utah is interesting since those states are on the opposite side of the country. Additionally, Montana only has 18 Wendy's stores, and Utah has 88. While Florida is the state with the most Wendy's locations at 490, its residents favor its own Pollo Tropical chain over any other fast food.