Top 10 Most Popular Food Chains of the 2000s

Dairy Queen has come a long way since opening its first location in 1940. The end of the 1990s saw interest from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway company, carrying them into the next century with a solid foundation. In the 2000s, the restaurant brought out the Grill & Chill brand that included several enhancements to the overall dining experience. Their menu items such as the bestselling Blizzard received upgrades including the popular Blizzard of the Month program. Leaning into Americans' love of ice cream with an emphasis on their most-profitable products, DQ reached the point where they easily made several billion dollars in revenue a year.

Chipotle represents one of the premium fast-casual chains in the US. Through e coli outbreaks and extra charges for guacamole, the business model endures with a quality take on burritos and tacos. Investments from companies like McDonald’s showed strong support for the restaurant in the early decade. From the late 1990s until the mid-2000s, the company grew considerably in terms of locations as they built hundreds more stores. America embraced a change to their diet and wallets during the time in favor of Chipotle. Their unprecedented growth only continued from there as they spent the 2000s becoming a household brand, showing up competitors with their more fresh ingredients and make-your-own format.

#8: Dunkin’

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According to Dunkin’ Donuts, America runs on their coffee. They’re so confident about this statement that they dropped the “Donuts” from the name. It’s one of the more successful coffee brands in the US, with a product that has an appeal across generations. The price remained affordable while still earning the organization billions of dollars by the end of the decade. Even though they have a loyal New England following, Dunkin’ expanded to nearly every corner of the country. They’ve now grown to the point of being among the most substantial donut shops on Earth. Next to sharing locations with co-brand Baskin-Robbins, they also expanded their customer reach and put up a good fight against rivals like Starbucks.

Domino’s took plenty of hits in their tenure as a pizza powerhouse during the 2000s. Through all of their setbacks and criticism, the organization survived on marketing gimmicks like guaranteeing delivery in thirty-minutes or less. They also took their critiques to heart and did a rebrand in the late decade, complete with employees openly discussing the company’s shortcomings and frequent missteps. Their ability to power through bad reviews and reinvent their image took customers by surprise. This ended up helping their overall image and profits heading into the 2010s, along with other transparent features such as their Pizza Tracker that allowed consumers to track their order to completion.

#6: Taco Bell

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Taco Bell partly stays so popular because of their constant drive to innovate in their test kitchen. They’ve spent the last several decades on the cutting edge of revolutionary and sometimes outrageous food items. During the 2000s, the Crunchwrap Supreme and Mountain Dew Baja Blast were two of the many new products to entice customers to come back for more. To capitalize on America’s fascination with the brand, the NBA got on board in 2009 with a partnership with them. The following years were even better to the company as they made an especially popular collaboration with Doritos, along with other menu creations in the 2010s.

Few restaurants had more ubiquitous advertising campaigns in the 2000s. With the Jared Fogle advertisements, they initially struck gold with a series of commercials highlighting the company as a healthy alternative to more greasy chains. This was long before Fogle’s crimes came to light, but at the time he was welcomed as a hugely popular spokesperson. Another stroke of marketing genius came with the five-dollar footlong deal. By the end of the decade, this largely became their signature item through a tough financial chapter in American history. This doesn’t even consider that the sandwich giant started establishing itself as one of the most ubiquitous food brands by location at that time.

#4: Burger King

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Burger King sometimes earns the reputation of being in the lower-tier of burger spots. Starting in the 2000s, the royal chain kicked it up a notch with their own spin on fast-food innovation. This includes introducing the cult-favorite chicken fries, which debuted to positive reception in 2005. BK also received a boost from investments after they were given an IPO, leading to hundreds of millions in revenue increases. On the marketing front, the company’s attempts at viral commercials netted some additional attention for their use of the King character. All of these changes reminded consumers of the fact that the Whopper remains an underestimated juggernaut in the drive-thru world.

Some might view Wendy’s as following in the footsteps of McDonald’s, but they’ve managed to pave their own way in the industry. Founder Dave Thomas would be proud to know that his brand saw considerable growth and a decent marketing footprint after his passing. In lieu of Thomas being the spokesman, commercials turned attention back to the food itself. These included new items such as the smash-hit, the Baconator. Tapping into the viral power of the pork delicacy, they hit a home-run with the accompanying ads. The Ohio-based organization with square burgers included vanilla Frosty’s and other innovative food products as well. Their decade also saw huge revenue increases and a serious expansion of their restaurant locations.

#2: Starbucks

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Starbucks entered the 21st century as one of the leading premium coffees of its kind. They figured out a way to sell people cups for a little extra, putting locations in most major US cities and finally taking over the suburbs in the same way. The company purchased several competitors and smaller chains in their field during the 2000s including Seattle’s Best Coffee. Along with notable acquisitions, they grew considerably in terms of stores. The true impact and strength of their brand could arguably be that even after the economic downturn in the late decade, loyal customers still returned for their Venti lattes. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Carl’s Jr. With Menu Additions Like the Six Dollar Burger, the Restaurant Tried to Go Big or Go Home Panera Bread The Fast-Casual Bakery Offered up a Less-Greasy Alternative to the Burger & Pizza Chains Pizza Hut The Earth’s Biggest Pizza Chain Experimented with New Slogans & Brands like WingStreet Chick-fil-A The Sandwich Chain Continued to Grow from a Southern Powerhouse to a National Favorite KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken Survived the Avian Flu Outbreak to Continue Their Domination

#1: McDonald’s

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Unsurprisingly, McDonald's has been one of the most dominant food chains in the world for many years. They've sold billions of burgers and have some of the most recognizable iconography in the restaurant business. In the 2000s, they re-energized their brand with the "I'm lovin' it" campaign and jingle. It’s hard to argue against this being one of the more memorable marketing decisions in recent history. The Golden Arches also got rid of their super-sizing promotion and pushed their salad options in an attempt to distance themselves from more unhealthy options. Continuing on with that overhaul, the company created other changes such as an overhaul to their McNuggets recipe.