The Best-Selling Coffee Chain In 2026 Beat Out Dunkin' By $17M In Sales

In August 2026, industry trade publication QSR Magazine released its ranking of the top 50 fast food chains by sales. The annual report, which compiled sales data from March of 2025 through May of 2026, has Starbucks beating out Dunkin' by a little over $17 million. That's an interesting sales race between two coffeehouse giants, but what's equally interesting is that on a list dedicated to fast food, the No. 2 (Starbucks) and No. 5 (Dunkin') slots are occupied by coffee-centric brands rather than burger or chicken joints. Rounding out QSR's top five were No. 1-ranked McDonald's, Chick-fil-A at No. 3, and Taco Bell at No. 4. 

The reason coffee houses are garnering a meaningful slice of the fast food customer base without flipping a patty or frying one tender may have something to do with how these businesses make customers feel. Starbucks writes your name on your cup, (even misspelled names on cups boost Starbucks' visibility à la customers laughing it up on social media). A third contemporary in the coffee sector, Scooter's Coffee, uses cups with adorable smiley stickers that change with the seasons (Scooter's ranked No. 50 on QSR's report).

Research shows that the feel-good moves can increase customer satisfaction, but whether this creates a direct link to driving dollars and cents to the bottom line is unclear. Starbucks' higher-ups credit recent sales bumps, at least in part, to the handiwork of baristas and their Sharpies. A renewed focus on quality customer service was another contributor.

On a list of what Dunkin' does better than Starbucks, avocado toast would rank near the top. Dunkin' was late to the avocado toast scene, adding it to the menu in 2021 (it's incredibly simple to recreate Dunkin's avocado toast at home), but its arrival was symbolic of the chain's multi-pronged sales strategy. Dunkin's push to have some of the industry's fastest drive-thru times in the late 2010's may also explain why people keep coming back. This effort coincided with the gradual modernization of its savory menu and the company's decision to rebrand itself as more than a donuts-and-coffee shop. In 2019, "Donuts" was officially dropped from its name. Since then, Dunkin' has retained its position as one of the fastest drive-thru experiences. Meanwhile, its seasonal drinks and partnerships with social media personalities continue to drive app downloads and sales forward.

While Dunkin' focuses its nearly 80-year-old conglomerate on serving customers in a rush, Starbucks outsells the competition by slowing customers down. Starbucks' commitment to a particular mood, this "come in, have a seat" vibe, is the backbone of the "third place" theory. Customers have home and work, but their local café (aka Starbucks) is the third place where they want to spend their free time. For customers embracing the "third place" ideology, the chain is hoping you'll ditch the paper cup altogether and order your Starbucks drink for here rather than to go.