New York City residents can’t lob a bagel without hitting a food cart, bodega or restaurant of some sort. But if they’re aiming for outlets of the national quick-service chains, fuhgeddaboudit. The Big Apple ranks low among all U.S. cities in penetration by dominant fast-food brands, a dubious distinction shared by the likes of restaurant meccas such as Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
That’s one of the surprises from a new report aimed at helping fast-food fanatics find a city that fits their dining lifestyle. Apartment Guide, a website that attempts to match a would-be renter’s preferences to apartment vacancies throughout the country, looked at the population of both people and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) in cities with at least 250,000 residents to determine which would most delight the lovers of burgers, sandwiches, chicken and pizza. It limited its computation to outlets of 10 brands: McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, KFC, Pizza Hut, Hardee’s and In-N-Out. The cities were ranked by penetration, or the ratio of those chains’ restaurants to potential customers on a per-person basis.
While the 10 Best Cities in America for Fast-Food Lovers is aimed at consumers, it provides a yellow light of sorts to quick-service operations that are looking for urban markets with a presumably lighter degree of competition.
Here, in descending order, is the list of the 10 finishers at the opposite end of the ranking from New York, Boston and Los Angeles:
No. 10: Fort Wayne, Ind. (2,417 residents per QSR)
The numbers alone suggest “a significant fast-food culture” is prevalent in a city that prides itself on being the crossroads of the Midwest. The city’s demographics fit what Apartment Guide found to be common demographics among the top 10 cities: a large blue-collar workforce and a fast-rising millennial population.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (35 stores), McDonald’s (18), Pizza Hut (14)
No. 9: Atlanta (2,096 residents per QSR
The Southern metropolis made the list largely because of the popularity of hometown favorite Chick-fil-A, the report asserts. It also notes the prevalence of drive-thrus in Atlanta: It has one of the nation’s highest presence of drive-thrus, with one per 2,096 residents. Chick-fil-A is not the most prevalent, just one of the better loved, the research suggests.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (78), Chick-fil-A (40), McDonald’s (35)
No. 8: Tampa, Fla. (1,927 residents per QSR)
The underlying factors for the western Florida city are clearly evident, according to the report: a mix of tourists and blue-collar locals, along with a network of major highways and a cost of living that leaves residents with more disposable income.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (66), McDonald’s (35), Burger King (23)
No. 7: Pittsburgh (1,926 residents per QSR)
Despite the city’s attempt to shake off its industrial rust and recast itself as a haven for young industries such as tech, the onetime steel capital still sports a large working-class population, according to the report. The counterbalance is a climb in rents, to an average of $1,307 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (60), McDonald’s (24), Pizza Hut (18), Wendy’s (18)
No. 6: Cleveland (1,899 residents per QSR)
The city that was once the butt of many a joke is boosting tourism with such draws as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a world-class art museum, according to the study. Yet it is still a solidly working class community.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (74), McDonald’s (30), Burger King (28)
No. 5: Las Vegas (1,813 residents per QSR)
Sin City boasts one of the highest concentrations of QSRs among the cities on the list, with 354 units of just the 10 chains tabulated for the Apartment Guide report. What feeds them is not only a population growing by leaps and bounds, but also the influx of 42 million people per year from around the world.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (122), McDonald’s (77), Pizza Hut (39)
No. 4: Saint Louis (1,813 residents per QSR)
The city’s perception as the gateway to the West still holds true today, according to the report, which notes that the travelers and residents passing under the St. Louis Arch are as likely today to be craft-brew fanatics and other hipsters as farmers and industrial workers.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (64), McDonald’s (35), Taco Bell (23)
No. 3: Cincinnati (1,522 residents per QSR)
Despite its high finish in the rankings, the western Ohio city is likely the most saturated metropolis on the list, according to the report. Its population is relatively small, at just over 300,000, yet it sports about 200 units of the big 10 QSR chains.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (66), McDonald’s (39), Wendy’s (30)
No. 2: Miami (1,457 residents per QSR)
QSRs in the Florida getaway can draw from three choice clienteles: working-class residents, wealthier snowbirds escaping Northern cold weather, and an annual influx of college students. The market is a particularly big one for Burger King, which was founded and has long been headquartered there.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (110), McDonald’s (50), Burger King (45)
No. 1: Orlando, Fla. (1,058 residents per QSR)
The home of Mickey and Minnie earned the crown of best fast-food city in America for three simple reasons, according to the Apartment Guide report: “Tourists, tourists, tourists.” Those visitors also tend to be families, who find outlets of the big quick-service chains to be just what a parent needs with a vanload of kids who are cranky after a day of Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.
QSR chains with the most units: Subway (63), McDonald’s (56), Pizza Hut (33)
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