Rankings major chain restaurants by revenue per employee and per sq. foot
The data below is compiled from a wide range of industry and financial sources, including SEC filings, Technomic, and QSR reports. For per‑store and per‑square‑foot comparisons, all figures refer to U.S. operations only; per‑employee figures are based on corporate‑wide company data and may therefore reflect a mix of U.S. and international activities.
📊 Table 1: Revenue & Profit per Store, and per Square Foot
| Chain | Revenue per Store¹ | Profit per Store² | Est. Store Size (sq ft) | Revenue per Sq Ft | Profit per Sq Ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chick‑fil‑A | $7.49 M | $1.5 M – $2.1 M | ~2,500–3,000 sq ft | ~$2,500–3,000 | ~$500–700 |
| Chipotle | ~$3.15 M | ~$0.66 M (21% margin) | ~2,500 sq ft | ~$1,260 | ~$264 |
| Starbucks (US) | ~$1.3 M (company‑owned) | ~$0.21 M (16% margin) | ~1,500–2,000 sq ft | ~$650‑870 | ~$105‑140 |
| McDonald’s (US) | ~$3.9 M | ~$0.39 M (10% margin) | ~4,000 sq ft | ~$975 | ~$98 |
| Taco Bell | ~$1.9 M | ~$0.45 M (24.4% margin) | ~1,800–2,000 sq ft | ~$950‑1,060 | ~$230‑250 |
| Wendy’s | ~$1.9 M | ~$0.19 M (10% margin) | ~1,800–2,000 sq ft | ~$950‑1,060 | ~$95‑110 |
| Burger King | ~$1.66 M | ~$0.17 M (10% margin) | ~2,200‑2,500 sq ft | ~$660‑750 | ~$70‑80 |
| Domino’s (US) | ~$1.25 M | ~$0.13 M (10% margin) | ~1,200–1,500 sq ft | ~$830‑1,040 | ~$87‑110 |
| Dunkin’ | ~$1.3 M | ~$0.22 M (17.3% margin) | ~1,200–1,500 sq ft | ~$870‑1,080 | ~$150‑185 |
| Subway | ~$0.52 M | ~$0.05 M (10% margin) | ~1,000–1,200 sq ft | ~$430‑520 | ~$40‑50 |
¹ Revenue per Store is average unit volume (AUV) for U.S. locations. ² Profit per Store is estimated as AUV × net profit margin (from Table 3).
While Chick‑fil‑A leads in both revenue and profit per store, Chipotle actually generates higher profit per square foot than anyone else, reflecting an extremely efficient use of space. Starbucks and Dunkin’ also show strong per‑square‑foot productivity given their smaller footprints.
📋 Table 2: Revenue & Profit per Employee
| Chain | Employees (Global) | Revenue per Employee | Profit per Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chick‑fil‑A | ~170,000 (est.) | ~$133,500 | ~$20,000 – $26,700 |
| Chipotle | ~130,500 | ~$91,400 | ~$11,800 |
| Starbucks | ~361,000 | ~$103,000 | ~$9,300 |
| Taco Bell | ~75,300 | ~$156,800 | ~$38,300 |
| McDonald’s | ~150,000 (corp. & field) | ~$179,200 | ~$59,700 |
| Wendy’s | ~15,000 (corp.) | ~$149,700 | ~$15,000 |
| Burger King | ~130,000 (est.) | ~$123,100 | ~$12,300 |
| Domino’s | ~12,500 (corp. & supply) | ~$276,000 | ~$46,800 |
| Dunkin’ | ~1,400 (corp.) | ~$979,300 | ~$172,700 |
| Subway | ~20,000 (corp. & support) | ~$105,400 | ~$7,400 |
Per‑employee figures for Chick‑fil‑A, Burger King, and Subway are partially estimated due to limited public data.
Dunkin’s extremely high revenue and profit per employee reflects its very lean corporate structure (only ~1,400 corporate employees) relative to the large number of franchise units. Domino’s also stands out because its corporate employees primarily manage supply chain operations and franchise support, not retail store labor. Taco Bell’s strong per‑employee profit is driven by its unusually high profit margins.
💰 Table 3: Estimated Net Profit Margins (U.S. / Company‑Level)
| Chain | Estimated Net Profit Margin |
|---|---|
| Chick‑fil‑A | ~20–30% |
| Taco Bell | ~24.4% (restaurant‑level; company‑owned) |
| Chipotle | ~21% (restaurant‑level) |
| McDonald’s | ~10% (restaurant‑level) |
| Wendy’s | ~10% |
| Burger King | ~10% |
| Domino’s | ~10% |
| Subway | ~10% |
| Starbucks (US) | ~16% (company‑operated stores) |
| Dunkin’ | ~17.3% (corporate‑level) |
Margins are restaurant‑level operating margins (sales minus food, labor, occupancy). Chick‑fil‑A’s range reflects its unique operator‑profit‑share model.
Dunkin’s corporate‑level profit margin reflects the highly efficient franchise‑royalty model. Chipotle and Taco Bell generate very strong restaurant‑level margins due to fewer layers of franchise expenses and highly optimized operations.
What These Tables Reveal
- Chick‑fil‑A dominates in revenue per store and per square foot, partly because of extremely high customer demand and the ability to remain closed on Sundays without hurting annualized throughput.
- Chipotle is the quiet champion of profit per square foot (and nearly as good as Chick‑fil‑A in profit per store), thanks to its small footprint and high average check.
- Taco Bell and Domino’s shine in revenue and profit per employee because their business models rely heavily on low‑labor channels: drive‑thru and delivery.
- Dunkin’ is the extreme example of a lean corporate structure, earning nearly $1 million in revenue per corporate employee.
- Subway lags far behind in nearly every metric, held back by small average unit volumes and thin margins despite a huge global footprint.
- McDonald’s, while the largest in total sales, does not lead in any single per‑store or per‑employee efficiency metric; its dominance is based on total scale and real‑estate ownership.
If you’d like to see a similar breakdown for any other chain or would prefer the data in a different format (e.g., by market segment), just let me know.