Europe’s foodservice companies on the upswing again

The results of the exclusive ranking of the 99 top-selling foodservice companies in Europe were presented for the first time by Katrin Wißmann, Managing Editor european foodservice media, at the 24th European Foodservice Summit (EFSS) in Zurich.

Katrin Wißmann had very concrete figures from the industry economy in her luggage: Europe’s top 99 foodservice companies generated an increase of almost 28 percent in 2022. In total, Europe’s leading foodservice companies achieved a joint net turnover (system sales incl. franchise) of 136.5 billion euros.

This year, McDonald’s is again at the top by a wide margin with an estimated net turnover of 31.5 billion euros. This means that the company alone accounts for 23 percent of the total turnover of the top 99. Contract caterer Sodexo follows in second place with 7.77 billion euros, closely followed by Yum! Brands (including KFC and Pizza Hut) with around 7.65 billion euros. In fourth and fifth place are Burger King (estimated at 7.11 billion euros) and Compass Group (6.96 billion euros). Starbucks grabbed the 10 place with 2.5 billion euros. In general, quick service companies and contract caterers dominate the top 10.

Wißmann underlined that the signs for the industry in Europe are pointing to recovery, especially the growth value of 9.8 per cent of the top 99 compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019: “Last year, there was also double-digit growth, but sales were still more than 15 per cent below 2019.”

European Foodservice Summit