MILFORD, Conn. — Subway has again been named the No. 1 franchise opportunity for 2009 by Entrepreneur magazine in its annual "Franchise 500" rankings, the company has announced. The brand also was named the No. 1 global franchise opportunity.
This is the 16th time in 22 years that Subway has been recognized with the overall top honor. When the chain was first named the No. 1 franchise by Entrepreneur in 1988, it had about 4,000 locations, mostly in the United States.
This year, the chain passed the 30,000 location mark, spanning 87 countries and territories around the globe, putting it only about 3,000 locations away from becoming the single largest fast food chain in the world.
The Franchise 500 rankings consider many factors, including financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of the system and start-up costs. Other top 20 quick-serve chains in Entrepreneur's Franchisee 500 include:
- McDonald's, No. 2
- Sonic, No. 4
- Baskin-Robbins, No. 13
- KFC, No. 14
- Dairy Queen, No. 16
- Arby's, No. 18
- Taco Bell, No. 20
