Burgers. They’re everywhere. From Tokyo’s neon streets to sleepy American suburbs, from Manila’s bustling malls to Seoul’s food alleys, the planet runs on beef, buns, and fries. Some burger chains are tiny, cult favorites. Some are global machines feeding millions every single day.
This is the real top 10 burger restaurants in the world by number of outlets, counted properly from smallest to largest. No nonsense, no Johnny Rockets, all numbers accurate.
10. In-N-Out – 400 locations
California legend. Tiny menu. Fresh beef, soft buns, secret menu cult following. Animal-style fries, Double Doubles, and long queues that snake for blocks. All company-owned stores. No global domination here, just a cult favorite that people lose their minds over. If you queue in the California sun for a burger, you know exactly what I mean.
9. Shake Shack – 500 locations
From a Madison Square Park hot dog cart to a polished international brand. ShackBurger juicy enough to make a mess, crinkle fries perfect for Instagram, and thick shakes that won’t fit in a straw. Expanding in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Shake Shack is premium fast food, small in outlet count but big in style. Every location feels special.
8. Lotteria – 1,600 locations
South Korea’s burger titan. Also operates in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Bulgogi burgers, shrimp burgers, locally adapted menus. Lotteria dominates East Asia without global prestige. If you’re in Seoul or Ho Chi Minh City, this chain is an institution. It’s fast food with a local twist and serious regional clout.
7. Jollibee – 1,700 locations
Filipino powerhouse. Chickenjoy, Yumburger, Jolly Spaghetti. Expanding into the U.S., Middle East, and Southeast Asia. People treat it like a pilgrimage. It’s joyful, sweet, greasy, and unapologetically fun. Fans love it for its personality and flavor, making it a unique global contender.
6. MOS Burger – 1,700 locations
Japan’s pride. Rice burgers, shrimp burgers, clean presentation. Dominates Japan and parts of Asia. Precise, tidy, fresh. Not massive globally, but revered regionally. Fans of Japanese fast food know MOS Burger is a cut above. Precision over volume is the mantra here.
5. Five Guys – 1,800 locations
The U.S. premium chain. Huge, messy, made-to-order burgers. Fries are enormous, peanut oil aroma hits before the door opens. Rapid expansion across the U.S. and Europe. Messy indulgence done properly. Everything fresh, everything sloppy, everything glorious.
4. Carl’s Jr. / Hardee’s – 3,800 locations
Messy American twins. Carl’s Jr. rules the West Coast, Hardee’s the East. Thickburgers, bacon-stuffed monstrosities, fries soaked in salt and oil. Spread across the U.S., Middle East, and parts of Asia. Industrial American indulgence at its finest. Love it or hate it, it sells millions of burgers daily.
3. Wendy’s – 7,500 locations
Square patties, fresh beef, the Baconator. Social media snark included. Mostly U.S.-based but slowly expanding overseas. Classic fast food done consistently. Fries decent, burgers reliable, experience straightforward. Quietly efficient, loved by millions, underrated but massive in its own right.
2. Burger King – 19,000 locations
The Whopper is king. Flame-grilled burgers worldwide. Latin America, Asia, Middle East, it’s everywhere. Cheap-ish, sometimes amazing, sometimes meh, always consistent. Second largest burger chain in the world by volume. If you want a Whopper, you can get one almost anywhere on the planet.
1. McDonald’s – 41,000 locations
The undisputed global burger emperor. Big Mac, Egg McMuffin, 70 million customers daily. Adapts menus locally while keeping the essentials consistent. Tokyo, London, Brazil, Hanoi, it doesn’t matter. Industrial, relentless, undeniably tasty if you allow it. The benchmark every other burger chain measures itself against. Still not in Cambodia.
Final Thoughts
From cult favorites to industrial giants, the burger landscape is messy, greasy, and glorious. In-N-Out and Shake Shack — boutique, nostalgic, refined. Lotteria, Jollibee, MOS,regionally dominant, culturally embedded. Five Guys, Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonald’s,feeding millions daily, global industrial scale.