More fast food goers are reaching for chalupas more than Whoppers. Taco Bell etched out more sales last year than Burger King, becoming the fourth-largest U.S. food chain. Research firm Technomic says preliminary reports indicate sales for the "Live Mas" company jumped five-percent and sales for the "Have It Your Way" burger giant rose just one-point-five-percent last year.
Burgers are number one, but that’s about all. Still clinging to the number one spot is McDonald's, Starbucks is number two and rounding out the top three is Subway. In case you’re wondering, Wendy’s falls in line at number six.
Why the shake up? “Fast casual” dining is growing fast. Panera Bread, Panda Express, and Jimmy John’s are the big winners in this boom so far.Source: Technomic