It’s no surprise that major fast food chains are building their menus around burgers, chicken, and other beef-based offerings. Beverage chains and one pizza chain are exceptions, of course, but most QSR 50 2025: Top 50 Fast Food Chains, Ranked by Sales have a menu based on those staples.
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McDonald’s: $53.5 billion in US sales (#1)
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Starbucks: USD 30.4 billion (#2)
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Chick-fil-A: $22.7 billion (ranked #3)
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Taco Bell: $16.2 billion (ranked #4)
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at Wendy’s: $12.6 billion (rank #5)
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mess: $12.5 billion (ranked #6)
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Chipotle Mexican Grill: $11.1 billion (#7)
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Burger King: $10.98 billion (ranked #8)
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SUBWAY: $9.65 billion (ranked #9)
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Domino’s: $9.50 billion (ranked #10)
Notice that there is no seafood chain on the list. Overall, across all restaurant categories, seafood dining declined.
“It wasn’t a good year for the seafood segment. Even if you factor in Red Lobster, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2024 and saw sales decline 20.2%, the other 21 seafood chains in the Top 500 brought in $63 million, or about 1.6%, less than they did compared to Tech. Up 3% for industry as a whole,” Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
There was a time when Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips brought British-style fish and chips to all of America. The brand has fallen far from its heyday, with only three independent restaurants remaining, but its new ownership has plans.
The brand was acquired by Nathan’s Famous in 2006, according to QSR Magazine. He tried to bring it back under a new model selling his food through ghost kitchens.
“Arthur Treacher’s, which was founded in 1969, offers hand-dipped fish, chicken and fries. The menu, which has been revamped by Nathan’s Famous, will highlight the brand’s traditional menu items while also offering improved protein, more modern construction and includes a focus on shrimp,” a company statement said.
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The Ghost Kitchen brand still exists, and a handful of locations offer it, according to a search on DoorDash.
Additionally, Pat Franchise Systems, which operates the three remaining Arthur Treacher Fish & Chips locations in Ohio, licenses the name from Nathan’s Famous.
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Founded in 1969 in Columbus, OhioArthur Treacher’s grew rapidly as a British-style fish and chip fast food chain popular in the 1970s. At its peak in 1979, the chain had approx. 826 restaurants nationwideaccording to Money Digest.
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In the following decades, the chain’s footprint has shrunk dramatically as changing consumer tastes and supply challenges affected its business. By the 2010s only a few restaurants remained, with reports indicating only a few locations before recent revivals, Mashed added.
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Chainsaw a dramatic contraction Over the decades after the 1970s, due to rising costs, ownership changes and changing consumer tastes, Money Digest reported.
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Starting with 2025I am there are only three standalone Arthur Treacher locations left in the US, all in Northeast Ohio: Cuyahoga Falls, Garfield Heights and Cleveland Heightsfranchise version of the brand distributed on its website.
It’s fair to say that the brand has never competed with McDonald’s or Burger King directly. It was an alternative to traditional fast food like Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell, but it didn’t have the staying power of either of those brands.
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Arthur Treacher fell victim to challenges that were somewhat beyond his control.
“However, just a few years after its rapid growth, Arthur Treacher’s ran into problems due to overseas politics. A territorial dispute over fishing rights between Iceland and the UK caused the cost of cod to rise, and this drastically affected the price of the chain’s dish,” Mashed reported.
That marked the beginning of the chain’s demise.
“As Arthur Treacher’s complicated history reveals, this moment marked the beginning of its long decline. Like many other seafood chains disappearing across the country (among them Kona Grill and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.), this restaurant chain could not withstand rising costs and changing dining habits,” the food site added.
How Arthur Treacher’s responded to rising code prices also affected their brand.
“The company made a fateful — and possibly infamous — move when it replaced the brand’s cod fillets with pollock. The decision saved money but, some say, damaged Arthur Treacher’s bottom line and turned off loyal diners,” QSR Magazine reported.
Ben Vittoria, owner of Arthur Treacher, closed one of his stores in June 2021.
“We didn’t close because business was bad,” Vittoria shared with the Cleveland Scene. “Whatever Covid couldn’t do and whatever the company’s mismanagement couldn’t do, the recent labor crisis has been able to do. It’s become increasingly difficult to operate our restaurants.”
The new owner of Nathan’s Famous has high hopes for the revival of the ghost kitchen.
“We are pleased to offer operators across the country the opportunity to add Arthur Treacher to their portfolio,” said senior vice president James Walker in a press release. “Nathan’s Famous and Arthur Treacher have a long-standing relationship, and we’ve worked diligently to preserve the brand’s traditional menu items.”
Related: Struggling bakery, coffee chain has quietly closed dozens of locations
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.