The Fast Food Chain With The Most Locations In The US Has Quickly Been Shrinking

The sandwich giant Subway seems to be everywhere — largely, because it is. The quick-bite company has held strong as the fast food chain with the most locations in the United States. However, its lead over other big players is ever-shrinking, as Subway continues shuttering restaurants across the country. In 2024 alone, the sandwich chain closed 631 domestic locations. 

As of May 2025, Subway's restaurant locator page listed over 20,000 active locations in the U.S. — that's still more than global burger dominator McDonald's, which totaled at just over 13,500 operational restaurants nationwide as of March 2025 (via ScrapeHero). But, for Subway, this total is a big drop compared to where the franchise used to be. In 2015, the brand had an all-time high of over 27,000 U.S. locations, per QSR magazine. But each year has seen more and more closures for the sub chain — though, unlike other companies that have filed for bankruptcy or shuttered restaurant locations out of necessity, Subway's closures seem to be deliberate and strategic.

A spokesperson for the company told QSR that it's taking a "smart growth" approach, which involves both opening new restaurants and closing or relocating existing ones. Though the chain has shut down hundreds of U.S. locations in recent years, Subway continues to expand globally. An October 2024 press release issued by the company announced it has forged agreements to open over 10,000 new restaurants internationally, with more to come.

Your local Subway restaurant may have closed its doors, but this is not necessarily an indicator that times are hard for the global fast food chain. The current "smart growth" strategy Subway is employing has a focus on making sure stores are situated in optimum locations, with strategic branding and ideal layouts also playing a role. Nontraditional sites also comprise approximately one-fourth of the company's total business, per Subway's October 2024 news release. With that in view, the sandwich chain is targeting expansion in shared retail spaces, such as service stations like Love's Travel Stops and big box stores like Walmart. The company is also taking aim at expanding its footprint across other types of locations like airports, hospitals, and college campuses.

Subway has additionally been rolling out big restaurant redesign plans aimed at "improving the overall ambiance of Subway restaurants" and supporting "the acceleration of Subway's digital transformation journey," per a November 2024 announcement from the company. An initiative called "Fresh Forward 2.0" is being implemented worldwide, which builds on Subway's previous 2017 franchise revamp. New graphics, signage, and interior design are just the start — the plan also includes implementation of self-service kiosks and new tech-forward kitchen display systems. Subway restaurants in the United States are among the first to implement Fresh Forward 2.0, as are locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, Panama, and Australia.