Canadians have their own twist on cuisine, whether it’s Montreal bagels, ice wine or just a pile of poutine. But when it comes to fast food, folks in Ontario tend to search for the same stuff as their southern neighbors – at least for the most part.
Fast Food Day is Nov. 16. So OntarioBets.com took a break from Ontario sports betting to analyze the most popular fast-food chain restaurants for Ontario residents. We pored over search results of each chain from Nov. 7, 2023, to Nov. 7, 2024. We did not count coffee chains in this list.
Rank | Restaurants | Interest Over Time Period |
1 | McDonald’s | 6 |
2 | Wendy’s | 3 |
T3 | Subway | 2 |
T3 | A&W | 2 |
T3 | Burger King | 2 |
T3 | Chick-fil-A | 2 |
T3 | Popeyes | 2 |
T3 | KFC | 2 |
T3 | Chipotle | 2 |
T3 | Osmow’s | 2 |
T3 | Firehouse Subs | 2 |
T3 | Wingstop | 2 |
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Our research about internet traffic regarding fast food, over a one-year span, revealed one name that dominates the drive thru in many nations.
Coming out on top with a search volume score of six is North America’s most ubiquitous fast-food chain, McDonald’s.
Mickey D’s has more than 40,000 locations worldwide, including over 1,400 in Canada – the first one outside the United States was founded in 1967 in Richmond, British Columbia. In Ontario alone, McDonald’s has 500-plus restaurants. The company’s website claims that McDonald’s employs more than 90,000 Canadians, with about 85% of the restaurants locally owned.
In second place on our list with a search volume score of three is Wendy’s, the burger chain that was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. According to the company website's Canada section, there are 216 Wendy's locations in Ontario, including 15 in Toronto.
After McDonald’s and Wendy’s, there’s a 10-way tie for third among restaurant chains that started in the United States and spread worldwide. That list of usual suspects includes Subway, Burger King, KFC and Popeye’s, among others.
But one unique entry makes its way onto the top 10 in the land of Ontario online casinos and it is very Canadian – in fact, it only has a handful of U.S. locations.
That would be Osmow’s, the fast casual chain that specializes in shawarma.
Osmow’s opened its first location in 2001, with founder Sam Osmow at the helm. Now his son Ben and daughter Bernadette help Sam run the business, which has grown to more than 180 locations, according to the Osmow’s website.
Their shawarma options, starting with the famed pita, include lamb, chicken or beef, along with non-meat choices such as falafel, vegetable and Beyond Meat filling. There are many other dishes available.
Even when surrounded by American burger joints, there is room after all for something truly different for Canadians to chew on when they crave fast food. Speaking of fast, check out our list of fast withdrawl Ontario casinos today at OntarioBets.com.
Author
Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer specializing in sports, gambling and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
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