Top 20 Ripoff Fast Food Chains

#20: Al Donald

This McDonald’s rip-off was located in the West African country of Togo. It gets extra points for its clever take on the golden arches. It split them in half and added an image of a burger to turn each arch into an A for Al. We’re not sure who Al Donald is, or whether he’s any relation to Ronald McDonald. If you’re from North America and you want to try something closer to home, you can head to McTorta’s in L.A. or Mexico. These chains apparently aren’t related to each other, but the L.A. location was known for fantastic Mexican food. The Mexican location, meanwhile, is ripping off McDonald’s and stealing its mascot from the sitcom “El Chavo del Ocho” simultaneously.

#19: Bucksstar Coffee

There’s at least two of these coffee shops in China, and they’re both pretty shameless. One of them borrows Starbucks’ dark green color scheme and has a similar-looking logo – not to mention the name, of course. It’s located in a shopping mall dedicated specifically to brand rip-offs. The other, also found inside a mall, straight up steals Starbucks’ distinctive mermaid logo. Now we want to know, did each location come up with its name independently, or did one of them pilfer it from the other? Although China still doesn’t drink as much coffee as the U.S., the beverage’s popularity is growing rapidly, so it’s no surprise that Starbucks knockoffs are popping up like dandelions.

#18: Tim House

American brands aren’t the only ones at risk of getting ripped off by enterprising entrepreneurs overseas. Canada’s favorite coffee chain, Tim Hortons, has its fair share of copycats too. In 2015, a Canadian living in South Korea found this spot, complete with a familiar looking red font, in a neighborhood of Seoul. The little coffee cup logo makes it pretty clear what the location sells. Her discovery made news in Canada, and executives at the real Tim Hortons got wind of it. Although they didn’t come right out and say they would go after the Korean business, they made it clear that they planned to protect their intellectual property.

#17: The Taco Bell

You heard that right – this isn’t Taco Bell, this is THE Taco Bell. You can find it in Kazi Asparagus Food Island, a major food court in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Although it uses the classic bell logo, you can probably tell by the font that this isn’t a legitimate Taco Bell location. The menu also doesn’t look much like what you’d find at a North American Taco Bell. It features burgers, fries, wings, pasta, plus traditional South Asian dishes like Biryani, in addition to tacos and Mexican fried rice. Apparently it’s pretty good – at least according to reviews on social media. If you head over to Chiang Mai, Thailand, you can try the burgers and burritos at Tacos Bell, which has its own bell logo.

#16: Mike Wong

If we gave you 10 guesses, we bet you couldn’t name the country this chain was found in. If you said Switzerland, give yourself a pat on the back. It had multiple locations in Geneva and Fribourg, though they’re closed now. The chain was reportedly pretty popular, serving fast food versions of Asian food like sweet and sour shrimp, spicy pork, dim sum, and Thai green curry. Why did it use an upside-down version of the golden arches and a Nike swoosh in its logo? We can’t begin to guess.

#15: Pita Hut

This knockoff looks like it’s aiming for plausible deniability. The color scheme is different, and the italicized font and the roof logo that looks like a hat aren’t exactly the same, but they’re pretty close to Pizza Hut’s old logo. This pita purveyor is found in Tbilisi, Georgia – that’s the eastern European country, not the U.S. state. And in addition to pitas, gyros, salads, and falafel, it also serves pizza. So in that sense it’s both a pita hut and a pizza hut. It’s also probably a lot healthier than its American counterpart.

#14: Burger Queen

There have been a lot of Burger Queens over the years, and some are more blatant rip-offs of Burger King than others. The original BK was founded in Jacksonville, Florida in 1953, and just three years later, the first Burger Queen appeared in Winter Haven, Florida. That version of Burger Queen expanded into a popular chain across the U.S. and later changed its name to Druther’s. There’s a different Burger Queen in Viking, Alberta, and yet another version in Lakeview, Oregon. Then there’s whatever this is, which is the most obvious copycat and the most shady-looking.

#13: Dominics Pizza

There are probably hundreds of pizza joints called Dominic’s, and most of them aren’t ripping off Domino’s. After all, pizza is Italian, and Dominic is a pretty common Italian name. But the Dominics in Derby, England, was definitely inspired by the famous chain. Just look at that logo. Dominics does boast a much larger menu than the Domino’s chain, including burgers, kebabs, and a wider range of desserts. And of course, they deliver. Interestingly, Domino’s was originally called DomiNick’s. The founders changed the name five years after buying their first location from its original owner, Dominick DeVarti.

#12: Duffin Dagels

If you were in Spain and you wandered into a Duffin Dagels, if you weren’t paying attention, you might not realize that you weren’t actually in a Dunkin’ Donuts. The color scheme, design elements, and layout of the store are shockingly similar. Duffin is popular, too, with multiple locations around the country. Dunkin’ also has a presence in Spain, so we’re a little surprised that Duffin is able to get away with this. Germany has its own Dunkin’ knockoff in the form of Donkey Donuts, which sounds considerably less appealing. [xref] The Massachusetts chain Dippin’ Donuts is another obvious Dunkin’ copycat, right down to the orange font. [xref]

#11: Kennedy Fried Chicken

Like Burger Queen and Dominic’s, there are a lot of chicken shops called Kennedy’s, particularly on the east coast. They’re not exactly a chain, but they do share a common origin. An Afghan immigrant started Kennedy’s in 1969, naming it after the former president, who was popular in Afghanistan. Following his success, more Kennedy’s popped up, mostly owned by Afghan-Americans, though they’re imitators rather than franchisees. Zia actually got his start working in New York’s Kansas Fried Chicken, not to be confused with the massive Egypt-based chain that shares its name. Another chain named after a U.S. president had a brief run in China – Obama Fried Chicken, which had to change its name after the real KFC threatened legal action.

#10: Mr.Charlie’s

This chain is another one that makes us wonder how they get away with it. The name isn’t that similar to McDonald’s, but the color scheme, decor, and packaging certainly are. They even serve a Frowny Meal instead of a Happy Meal, and they offer a Royale with Cheese. The twist is that it’s all vegan. The burgers, chicken sandwiches, and soft serve are 100% plant-based. It makes sense – McDonald’s has been stubbornly refusing to offer anything to vegan eaters for decades. It was only a matter of time before someone else swooped in to pick up the slack. Our only question is, are the fries as good as Mickey D’s?

#9: Sunny Day

Subway is one of the largest fast food franchises in the world, with locations in more than 100 countries. But one country it hasn’t yet reached is Yemen. Fortunately for Yemeni residents, they can find this knockoff in the capital city of Sanaa. The resemblance to Subway is shameless, though this restaurant appears to serve burgers as well as subs. Since there’s obviously a market for this style of fast food in Yemen, it’s probably only a matter of time before Subway plants its flag there. We hope that doesn’t prove to be a death knell for Sunny Day.

#8: 7-Twelve

This Chinese convenience store isn’t so much a rip-off as it is an exact copy of 7-Eleven. In fact, if you were Chinese and didn’t read English, you might not even realize it’s not a real 7-Eleven. It’s especially strange given that the actual 7-Eleven has more than 2,500 locations in China. We’re surprised it hasn’t cracked down on this imitator. In South Boston, you can find 6-Twelve, which was started by a former 7-Eleven franchisee. Abu Masa got fed up with the parent company’s policies, so he walked away and opened up a competitor right across the street. [xref]

#7: Sunbucks

This Starbucks clone in Shanghai, China gets points for having the coolest rip-off logo on our list. The Starbucks mermaid is iconic and instantly recognizable, but that dragon is wicked. At this point you probably won’t be surprised to learn that there’s another Starbucks knockoff called Sunbucks, but this one is located in Syria. It trades in Starbucks green for an orange color scheme, though it uses an almost identical version of the mermaid logo. Those drinks look fabulous. Coffee originates in the Middle East, so it makes sense that they’d do it best.

#6: Dairy King

If the Burger Queen married the Dairy King, we’d have a match made in fast food heaven. There are so many burger- and ice cream-serving spots called Dairy King across the U.S., we can barely count them. These aren’t franchises – they’re mostly locally owned, mom-and-pop operations. From Nebraska to Scottsbluff, North Dakota to Alabama, and Oklahoma to Michigan, you can find Dairy Kings everywhere. The version in southern Illinois seems to have made the biggest mark – it has two locations. Meanwhile, China has a more blatant Dairy Queen rip-off in Dairy Fairy. It even shows its blizzard equivalents being served upside down.

#5: Five Lads

Aficionados of the American chain Five Guys are almost as obsessive as In-N-Out fans. The restaurant got its start in Virginia in the 1980s, but it was slow to expand. The first overseas franchise opened in London in 2013. It must have been a hit, because it had a copycat almost immediately. Five Lads opened in London in early 2015. Like the Guys, the Lads specialize in burgers and shakes, but they have much more variety on offer. Unique menu items across their three locations include lamb chops, hummus with pita, and a whole chicken.

#4: Burger Friends

In the early 2010s, the popularity of American-style fast food began surging in Iraq. However, at the time, many American brands had no interest in establishing franchises in the war-torn country. That left the door wide open for imitators. Located in Baghdad, Burger Friends also bears a striking resemblance to another American knockoff in Iraq’s next-door neighbor, Iran. [xref]. Burger Madam & Sir might be less noble than Burger King and less inviting than Burger Friends, but it is an extremely funny name.

#3: Michael Alone

Obviously this Chinese spot is ripping off McDonald’s, since it’s taken the golden arches and simply flipped them upside-down. The question is, how in the world did they come up with the name Michael Alone? One Reddit user has a convoluted theory that involves a mistranslation of the movie title “Home Alone.” Until someone comes up with a better explanation, that’s the best we’ve got. Even more puzzling is the restaurant’s sister location, Wichael Alone, spelled with a W. The two spots appear to be identical aside from one letter, which makes the question of the name’s origin even more mysterious.

#2: KKFC

There are probably as many KFC impersonators out there as there are McDonald’s, but most of them change a single letter in the name rather than adding one. Taiwan has KLG, which translates to “happy chicken” when pronounced in Chinese. Iraq has KFG, which the owner claims stands for Kentucky Family Group. Israel has JFC, short for Jerusalem Fried Chicken. And Ontario has HFC, also known as Halal Fried Chicken. KKFC stands for Krispy Krunchy Fried Chicken, and it boasts that it’s “Nepal’s most loved chicken joint.” They might not just be bragging. More than one online reviewer says it’s better than the real KFC. And they have robot waiters!

#1: Pizza Hat

Remember when we said the roof in the Pizza Hut logo kind of looks like a hat? This place took that idea and ran with it. You can find it in Iran, which is famous for its plagiarized versions of American restaurants. The logo might remind you of Carmen Sandiego, but it’s actually weirder than that. Pizza Hat stole it from an American software company called Red Hat. It’s an old version of their logo known as Shadowman. This Pizza Hut rip-off is almost as hilarious as another Chinese dupe, Pizza Huh. The confusion in this one is built right into the name.

Which of these fast food knockoffs would you like to try? Let us know in the comments below.