While quick service restaurants (QSRs), known more commonly as fast food restaurants, might not have the glitz and glamour of fine dining establishments, they are nevertheless held in high regard by many in the United Kingdom. In fact, QSR chains such as
, with Greggs holding the top spot by quite some margin in the first quarter of 2025. This popularity has translated into
, with McDonald's recording over 1.8 billion British pounds in turnover in the UK in 2023. However, the QSR industry is by no means confined to large chains; as a whole, the UK’s fast food and takeaway sector had an
of 23.1 billion British pounds as of April 2025, with close to 50,000 businesses in operation.
Which fast food chain has the most restaurants in the UK?
While smaller chains and individual QSR restaurants also populate UK high streets, larger brands have carved out a substantial share of the market. In 2025, the
leading QSR brands by units in the UK were Costa Coffee, Greggs, and Subway, respectively, all having over 2,000 sites in operation. However, in
terms of brand awareness, chains originating from the United States usually rank highest, with McDonald’s being the most-well known restaurant brand in the UK in 2024 despite having around 30 percent fewer sites than Greggs.
How often do people eat fast food in the UK?
According to a
survey conducted between 2019 and 2025, around half of Britons buy fast food at least once a fortnight. When asked for their
reasons for eating fast food, UK consumers in 2024 listed taste and availability as the leading factors, while only 16 percent cited lower costs as their motivation. This correlates with the general decline in opinion among the UK public when it comes to the
value for money offered by QSRs . Overall, however,
public sentiment is fairly evenly split on fast food chains, with around 40 percent of Britons having neither a favorable nor unfavorable opinion on them.
What does the future hold for the UK’s fast food industry?
As the country in Europe with the
second-most McDonald’s restaurants as of 2024, it’s safe to say that the QSR industry has a firm standing in the UK. However, with a
high share of the UK’s population classed as overweight, there is increasing pressure being levied on the government to increase taxation on ultra-processed foods and those high in fat, sugar, and salt. Some action has already been taken, with adverts featuring junk food set to be banned on UK television before watershed, while paid online advertising targeted at children will not be permitted from October 2025 onwards. It remains to be seen what effects such legislation will have on the UK’s fast food industry.
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