McDonald’s or Starbucks: the most expensive restaurant brand in the world has been determined
28 March 2025 12:56
For the first time in almost 10 years, McDonald’s has become the most expensive restaurant brand in the world. This is stated in the report of the consulting company Brand Finance, informs
The total value of the 25 most expensive restaurant brands in the world reached 174.9 billion US dollars.
McDonald’s is ahead of Starbucks
The value of the Starbucks chain fell by 36% to $38.8 billion, while the value of the McDonald’s brand increased by 7% to $40.5 billion. This allowed the latter to take the first place in the ranking and push its competitor to the second.
Brand Finance attributes the decline in Starbucks’ value to a drop in several key indicators of brand strength in the US and China, including such categories as reputation and recommendation. The mismatch with expectations and consumer dissatisfaction is growing, while sales are falling.
KFC (brand value increased by 8% to USD 15.4 billion), Subway (brand value increased by 12% to USD 8.1 billion) and Taco Bell (brand value decreased by 3% to USD 6.9 billion) retained the third, fourth and fifth places in the ranking.
Other migrations within the ranking
After increasing its brand value by 15% to USD 6.8 billion, Canada’s Tim Horton’s overtook Domino’s Pizza (USD 6.7 billion) to become the sixth most valuable brand in the sector. Brand Finance attributes this growth to increased revenues due to increased digital sales and international expansion.
Both Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s entered the top 10 in 2025, rising five and three positions, respectively, to take eighth and ninth place. The value of the Chick-fil-A brand increased by 43% to USD 5.7 billion, making it the fastest growing restaurant brand in the world in 2025. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut drops one place to close the top 10 with a brand value of USD 4.8 billion.
What about the players of the Ukrainian market
McDonald’s remains the undisputed leader in Ukraine. At the end of last year, YC.Market analysts analyzed the dynamics of changes in the restaurant services segment in Ukraine and found that McDonald’s earned more than UAH 12.9 billion in 2023, which is almost 40% of the total revenue of the sector. The company’s revenue growth in 2023 compared to 2022 was 297%.
KFC franchisees collectively generated UAH 2.5 billion in revenue, demonstrating stable growth in different regions of Ukraine. This allowed the chain to gain a foothold in second place in 2023. Other well-known brands in the top ten include: Puzata Hata – almost UAH 951 million, Domino’s Pizza – over UAH 369 million, Japanese restaurant chain Sushiya – over UAH 322 million, and Salateira – almost UAH 289 million.
McDonald’s strengthened its market leadership in 2024 as well
Not so long ago, McDonald’s reported significant investments in the development of its network in Ukraine in 2024: UAH 1.8 billion was allocated for the construction and modernization of establishments.
According to the company’s press service, the number of restaurant visitors increased by 16% compared to 2023 and reached 103 million customers, meaning that the chain is gradually approaching the pre-crisis figures of 2021, when 125 million customers visited McDonald’s.
Today, the chain has 109 operating restaurants in 36 locations in Ukraine, while 15 restaurants remained closed for security reasons at the beginning of the year. According to McDonald’s estimates, the Ukrainian market has the potential to expand the chain to 500 restaurants. The company plans to open nine new restaurants in 2025.
McDonald’s is not the only one
The Finnish fast food chain Hesburger announced the opening of a burger cutlet production and warehouse center in Boryspil the day before. The company invested €7.3 million in the project. Hesburger expects this to help the company develop in Ukraine and improve its operations. The new complex will create 10 jobs, while Hesburger employs 75 people in Ukraine in total. In Ukraine, the company currently operates seven locations in Kyiv and Kyiv region.
The Finnish Hesburger chain was founded in 1966. It is a family business with more than 50 years of history that currently operates in nine countries. The chain has more than 480 restaurants. In total, it employs more than 9,100 people.
