No longer taking the top spot for the most fast food outlets in the world, McDonald's has been dethroned by a fast food chain relatively unknown in the west. The number of McDonald’s chains totals to 41,800, according to Statista via Chowhound, but its competitor owns over 3,000 more. Mixue Bingcheng is a Chinese chain selling bubble tea and ice cream, with an impressive 41,800 restaurants worldwide, as of September 2024.
The chain is famous for its cheap and cheerful ice cream cones for just one yuan, around 11p, and drinks as cheap as 21p. First founded in 1997, the Chinese brand has skyrocketed to popularity and sells fast food in over 10 different countries. Despite its presence across numerous countries, including those in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, 90% of them are based in China, and not a single location is in the UK or the United States .
What began as a small business venture has since evolved into a global powerhouse, thanks to its successful franchising approach. Large amounts of Mixue Bingcheng’s revenue come from selling food materials, equipment and packaging to its franchises, with over 99% of the chain’s stores being franchised. Despite covering large ground, Mixue Bingcheng is not at the top of the rankings when it comes to revenue, still falling behind other drink-based chains such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons.
However, there’s no saying it can’t eventually get there. With a net profit jumping to 3.49 billion yuan in the first nine months of .
