Top 10 Fast Food Restaurants in 2011

Leading global research agency Miliward Brown has identified the ten most popular fast food restaurants in 2011 and predictably, the list is led by McDonald's, followed by Subway, Starbucks and KFC.

Check out the ten most popular fast food joints in 2011:

Shares of McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) fell 2 percent to $89.76 in Monday’s premarket trading.

Subway is an American restaurant franchise that sells submarine sandwiches (subs) and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor’s Associates Inc. (DAI) and is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world, with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries, as of Oct. 25. It is the largest single-brand restaurant chain in the world and the second-largest restaurant operator globally, after Yum! Brands. In 2011, the company's brand value was estimated at $14,306 million.

Popular coffee chain, Starbucks, is offering free samples to U.S. customers until Saturday in an effort to promote their newest roast. The company's latest blend, the blonde roast, debuted Tuesday in stores and supermarkets across America. Consumers will have a chance to taste the new blonde roast from Jan. 12 to Jan. 14 in the U.S.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is a chain of fast food restaurants operated from Louisville, Kentucky. The brand primarily sells chicken pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of grilled and roasted chicken products, side dishes and desserts. Outside the USA, KFC offers beef-based products such as hamburgers or kebabs, poutine, pork based products such as ribs and other regional fare. In 2011, the company's brand value has been estimated at $8,216 million.

Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., the world's largest restaurant company. This chain of restaurants offering pizzas and pastas has, according to its official Web site, more than 6,000 outlets across the United States, in addition to 5,600 other locations across 94 countries. In 2011, the company's brand value has been recorded at $5,305 million.

It is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its Coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and entrepreneur Jim Charade, after an initial venture in hamburger restaurants. Today the chain has over 4,000 stores and is valued at an estimated $2,678 million.

Burger King, the number two fast food chain in the country, is going to be testing a home delivery service at a select few of its Washington D.C. area locations, the company announced

"Live Mas," Taco Bell's shiny new slogan, seems to be an attempt to recover from the beef scandal that plagued the popular fast-food chain last year.

Domino’s, founded in 1960, is the second-largest pizza chain in the U.S., with over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries (including 50 U.S. states). The company is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The menu features vegetarian and meat pizzas, chicken wings and boneless chicken, potato wedges, garlic breads and a variety of dessert items, including cookies and waffles. In 2011, the brand value of the company was recorded at $ 620 million.