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Summary of our market study
The fast-food market in France is worth around €25 billion.
The global fast-food market is estimated at over $800 billion. Emerging economies are driving the expansion of the foodservice sector.
The habits of French consumers are increasingly turning to online ordering and delivery services, with delivery seeing an 85% increase between 2019 and 2021, consolidating its place in the fast-food market offering. Digital orders make up 10% of fast-food orders.
Driven by a mix of classic fast-food offerings and the emerging "fast-casual" and "fast good" segments, the market has become a center for quality, diversity and personalization.
Demand is directed at both private and professional customers, and covers every meal of the day.
The French fast-food market has rebounded from the health crisis, matching and even surpassing previous figures for footfall and growth. The years 2020 and 2022 saw an increase of around 10% before stabilizing.
The market hosts a wide range of players, from independent outlets to international giants. The number of outlets has risen considerably, from around 21,650 to almost 49,000
the number of employees in the fast-food market is around 320,000.
The main market players
- McDonald's: McDonald's has become synonymous with American fast food around the world. In France, McDonald's has adapted its menus to include local flavors and high-quality ingredients.
- Subway: The sovereign of the sandwich with a personal touch Subway presents a different model to that of hamburgers, offering a new way of conceiving sandwiches.
- Yum! Brands: Yum! Brands include KFC and Pizza Hut, among others. They offer a wide range of fast-food products, from fried chicken to pizza slices.
- Domino's Pizza: dominates the pizza delivery sector
- Burger King and Quick (Groupe Bertrand) specialize in burgers
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market overview and definition
Fast-food restaurants are defined by theINSEE as "the over-the-counter supply of food and beverages for consumption on the premises or to take away, presented in disposable packaging. "
This sector therefore includes fast-food restaurants, restaurants offering mainly takeaway meals, the sale of meals in food trucksand tea rooms. It does not, however, include retail sales via vending machines.
Fast food is characterized byfast service, simple dishes, low prices and the ability to handle high demand. In this respect, fast food includes both fast food restaurants and the fast casual - range, which emphasizes the quality and diversity of its offering, such as Cojean, or the fast good segment, which offers a specialized, customizable offering in a pleasant setting, such as Big Fernand. The main customers are both private individuals and professionals.
Consumption in fast-food establishments takes place for all meals of the day, for lunch and dinner, but more recently also for breakfast, a fast-growing segment.
This diversification has broadened the customer base, attracting both private and professional customers, while stimulating market growth.
The global market is experiencing very rapid growth, marked by regional disparities: emerging economies are seeing the strongest expansion in fast-food establishments, while growth in developed countries is coming from a broader product offering, such as healthy alternatives. France is not traditionally associated with fast food; rather, the country is known for its gastronomy. However, the popularity of fast food is growing rapidly ; France accounts for around 10% of the global fast food market, and prospects were, before 2020, very promising. The country was experiencing growth due to the introduction of a wider range of environmentally-friendly and health-conscious products, which therefore appeal to a wider consumer base, and due to attractive new trends.These disparities are also reflected in 2024 sales of 24.5 billion euros, down on 2023, reflecting the extremely changing trends in the sector
While the health crisis has had a major impact on the entire foodservice sector, the fast-food segment has come out of it the best, and is once again enjoying strong growth momentum since the restrictions were lifted.
1.2 The global market
The global fast-food market reached $***.* billion in **** and fell in **** to $***.* billion, down *.*%. The global market seems to have picked up again, as it is estimated to reach $***.* billion in ****. The CAGR for the period **** - **** was *.*%. [***] In the overall foodservice market, fast food is the segment with the largest market ...
1.3 A strong domestic market
While the French out-of-home catering market has yet to return to its pre-Covid levels, the same is true of the fast-food sector , which in **** is reporting record figures since **** ***** beats this record), with footfall equal to that of **** and growth of *% over the months of June and July **** vs. ****. The recovery ...
1.4 Market cyclicality
Fast food restaurant revenues France, **** - **** (***) Source: ****
The chart above is based on INSEE and NAF code **.**C (***). This is the sales index for fast-food outlets, with **** as the base year, to which base *** is assigned. In March ****, for example, revenues reached a value of ***.**, implying that companies registered under this ...
1.5 The fast-food sector has been hard hit by the health crisis
Significant drop in patronage and revenues
The foodservice sector has been hard hit by the health crisis. According to the sector report for the first eight months of ****, published by the NPD Group, the sector has lost almost **% of footfall compared to ****, the majority of which occurred during the containment period. ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The French, atypical consumers but fans of fast food
The French market is considered a special one, due to the importance attached to the country's restaurants, gastronomy and culinary traditions. In particular, fast-food chains have had to adapt their offerings to attract French consumers, such as McDonald's, which includes many ingredients typical of French gastronomy (***) on its menus.
According to ...
2.2 Characteristics of fast-food demand
Frequency of French fast-food consumption France, ****, in Source: ****
By ****, the popularity of fast-food is well established, with almost **% of consumers eating fast food on a regular basis.
By comparison, a study by Anses shows a certain democratization of fast-food consumption over the years. The proportion of consumers who never eat there ...
2.3 Regional disparities
A HelloFresh study published in **** looks at fast food in France's ** biggest cities. It shows that fast foods account for **% of restaurants in Cergy-Pontoise, almost **% in Amiens, but *.*% in Paris, where fast foods are numerous but the overall restaurant offer is much more extensive. Taking all ** French cities together, the study ...
2.4 France's favourite fast-food chains
The graph below is based on OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands. These are the responses to the question "Do you like this fast-food brand? For each brand, the percentage corresponds to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes".
McDonald's is France's favorite fast-food chain, with **. *% of respondents saying they ...
2.5 Demand for home-delivered meals drives fast-food growth
Over the past few years, and particularly since the first confinement linked to the covid-** crisis, meal delivery systems have been increasingly in demand, benefiting in particular from the growth of the fast-food sector. Successive confinements have familiarized the French with this system. A study by NPD Group shows thatbetween **** and ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Specific features of the production line
The fast-food sector is divided between independent players not attached to a chain, and large, often international, chains. However, the business is still dominated by major groups and networks such as McDonald's, Subway, Yum!brands (***).
Production in the fast-food sector is a major factor in the organization of the brands, since ...
3.2 A growing number of market players
According toURSSAF (***), the number of companies in the French fast-food sector rose from **,*** in **** to **,*** in ****, an increase of ***% over the period. It should be borne in mind, however, that several establishments may belong to the same chain. As a result, the number of establishments in this market is increasing, leading ...
3.3 Typology of the forces involved
Four types of player share the fast food market in France:
- Specialist fast-food companies;- Bakeries;- Online fast-food platforms;- Supermarkets and food superstores
According to Euromonitor, the fast-food market is characterized by a high level of competition between players. While competition comes from other catering outlets, such as ...
3.4 The franchise model
In terms of distribution, the sector relies heavily on the principle of franchising (***).
In ****, there will be *** fast food franchises in France. [***]
The major chains manage this network and ensure product consistency across the various outlets. One of the strategies adopted to face up to the competition from supermarkets is to ...
3.5 Growing competition from supermarket snacks
Snacking is the term used to describe the eating of ready-made, standardized meals on the move, outside of mealtimes. It differs from fast food in the way products are consumed. In fast food, the customer buys from a restaurant, a stall that sells only food. Snacking, on the other hand, means ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A wide range of products
Fast-food products are ready-to-eat, and generally come in disposable packaging.
In terms of products offered, there are three main types of cuisine:
French (***), American (***) Italian (***)
Next come products from Asian cuisines (***) and Turkish/Greek and Lebanese specialties.
There are a number of different fast-food concepts:
American burgers and fast food (***) Bakeries ...
4.2 Low prices on the rise
Prices are generally very low compared to traditional foodservice offerings, due to lower costs and fierce competition.classification can also be made according to product "quality" (***), with prices significantly higher for the former: an average order at Cojean - premium positioning - comes to €**.
The product is often offered in different ...
4.3 Healthy, environmentally-friendly fast food on the rise?
A second lever for the sector is the development of new offers to attract a new clientele (***) with chains such as Cojean, Bioburger and Exki.
Where would you like to see more organic alternatives? France, ****, % Source: ****
In order to better understand the plethora of "alternative" and "healthy" offerings on offer in ...
4.4 Limited development of food trucks
Lastly, the boom in food trucks began in ****-****. This type of catering, which brings the product to the customer and not the other way round, is a medium whose flexibility has won over consumers. Indeed, between **** and ****, the number of food trucks rose by **% to ***; at the same time, revenues ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Current regulations
Fast-food outlets can be either artisanal or commercial in nature, as described on the bpifrance website.
The hygiene and safety regulations in force for commercial fast-food establishments are similar to those for traditional catering. The rules are detailed on the public service website and concern the following points:
Premises, materials and ...
5.2. Waste sorting issues for fast-food outlets
The various fast-food chains in France have been asked to propose a waste sorting compliance plan by March ****, as reported by Le Point. According to Le Figaro, ***,*** tonnes of packaging waste and **,*** tonnes of food waste are generated by fast-food chains every year. However, the latter is all too often not ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
The following segmentation of market players is used:
- McDonald’s France
- Subway France
- Kioske à Pizza
- KFC France
- Pizza Hut (Yum Brands Group)
- Le Duff Groupe
- Speed Rabbit Pizza
- Holder Groupe
- Starbucks Coffee
- Eric kayser
- Exki
- Crêpe Touch
- Daunat Groupe
- Frichti (La Belle Vie)
- Barapom
- Cojean
- France Restauration Rapide
- Paul Boulangerie (Groupe Holder)
- Sodebo
- Taster
- Autogrill
- Starbucks Coffee France
- Chicken Street
- Bioburger
- Eat Salad
- Fresh Burritos
- King Marcel
- Pitaya (Bertrand Groupe)
- Soframa Capella (Even groupe)
- Pomme de Pain
- Popeyes
- Big M Burger
- Breizh Café
- Sushi Shop Restauration New
- Wingstot
List of charts presented in this market study
- Global fast food market
- Global fast-food market projections
- Fast food sales (NAF code 56.10C)
- Reasons for out-of-home consumption during last visit of French respondents
- Why the French eat fast food
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Latest news
The French fast-food craze - 30/05/2024
- - Sales of restaurant chains (including fast-food outlets) in 2023: over 20 billion euros.
- - Industry sales growth between 2022 and 2023: 8%.
- - Increase in fast-food sales between 2019 and 2023: 30%.
- - Number of McDonald's restaurants in France: over 1,500.
- - Number of McDonald's restaurants opened per year: around 30.
- - Number of daily McDonald's customers: around two million.
- - Sales generated by burgers in France in the year leading up to 2023: nearly 9 billion euros.
- - Number of Burger King restaurants in France since its return in 2012: nearly 500.
The French craze for celebrity chain burgers - 24/04/2024
- **McDonald's presence**: 1,560 restaurants by early 2024, sales in excess of 6 billion euros.
- - **Burger King presence**: More than 520 restaurants in mainland France, with another 50 planned for the year, sales of 1.9 billion euros last year.
- - **Burger market trends** : - Sales volume in 2023: 1.5 billion products in foodservice.
- - 16% increase over 2021.
- - Down 3.5% on 2019 (before COVID).
- - Average price in 2023: 12.02 euros, up 10.4% on 2021.
- - Average price in fast-food restaurants: 6.6 euros.
- - Average price in high-end restaurants: 20.4 euros.
Bakery: Le Duff swallows Dutch Pandriks - 17/04/2024
- Acquisition of the Pandriks group by Bridor, a subsidiary of the Breton giant Le Duff.
- - Pandriks employs 400 people, based in Meppel (Netherlands) and Fulda (Germany).
- - The aim of the acquisition is to expand Bridor's range of organic products and strengthen its positions in Northern Europe.
- - Bridor has already made acquisitions (Panidor in Portugal and Le Coq Cuisine in the United States)
- - Le Duff sales: from over 2 billion euros five years ago to 2.7 billion in 2023.
- - With the integration of Pandriks and its annual sales of 150 million euros, Le Duff expects to total nearly 3 billion euros in 2024.
- - Bridor is part of the industrial branch of the Le Duff Group, which also includes Cité Gourmande and Frial.
- - Le Duff aims to create a world leader in premium meals.
- - Le Duff employs 19,000 people worldwide.
KFC gains ground in France - 22/03/2024
- 40 additional franchised restaurants in 2023
- 363 establishments by early 2024
- Market share of 8.3% in 2023, compared with 7.8% in 2021 and 2022, and 6.9% in 2019, for the fast-food burger segment as a whole, including chains and independents.
- last year, sales on a like-for-like basis rose by 4.4% to 850 million euros
Subway relies on a master franchisee to double its size in France - 20/03/2024
- - Roark Capital acquires Subway
- - Master franchise agreement with McWin Restaurant Fund, an investment fund advised by McWin Capital Partners.
- - The announced partnership covers France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Czech Republic.
- - The partnership includes some 400 existing restaurants, including around 375 in France.
- - Around 600 new restaurants are planned over the next decade.
- - The aim is to more than double Subway's size in France and Luxembourg, and strengthen its presence in Belgium and the Czech Republic.
- - The agreement provides for the possibility of McWin subsidiaries entering into further master franchise agreements.
- - McWin had already acquired a majority stake in Big Mamma in September, and is now rolling out Burger King in Germany and Poland.
- - The digitalization of the chain is underway, notably with the deployment of ordering terminals.
- - Subway is present in around 100 countries, with nearly 37,000 restaurants.
- - There are plans to double the number of restaurants in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Breizh Café expands its crepe empire - 27/02/2024
- - Planned rate of expansion: 5 to 6 new restaurants a year by 2025 in France.
- - Current number of restaurants: 12 in Paris, 2 in Brittany, 1 in Lyon, 1 in Bordeaux, 4 crêperies in Japan + 1 Breton restaurant, 1 cider bar and 1 grocery store.
- - Leading independent cider distributor in Japan, with over 100,000 bottles imported each year.
- - Sales target: 20 million euros.
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