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10 Surprising Facts About Your Favourite Fast Food Brands

Which company was the first to deliver to outer space, and which brand is hated by all the cats in the world? Read on to find out...

Fast food brands are the bread and butter of any UK high street. You can probably recite the entire menu of your favourite fast food place off by heart – but have you ever stopped to consider just what else you know about them?

From KFC to Greggs, we’ve rounded up some of the most shocking, hilarious and mind-boggling facts about the top brands out there. Prepare to have your mind blown.

1. McDonald’s is the world’s largest toy distributor

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McDonald’s make approx 1.5b kids happy every single year. Image: mr.timnguyen / Instagram

You might think that shops like Toys “R” Us or Argos hand out more toys on average per year than any fast food shop. Not quite. With toys being given away with every McDonald’s Happy Meals, that’s a lot of treats that are being given away every single day. In fact, one report estimates that McDonald’s distributes over 1.5 billion toys each year!

(As a bonus McDonald’s fact, did you know that The Queen owns her own restaurant near Windsor Castle? Her Maj snapped up her very own drive-through McDonald’s restaurant, presumably so she could get her fill of Big Macs on a daily basis without being judged too much…)

2. There are almost 38 million Subway combos to choose from

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We’ll take the expert’s word on this fact… Image: nawaazabdool / Instagram

Ever stood in a Subway queue for half an hour and still had no idea what to get? That’s probably down to the fact that there are reportedly 38 million total combos available on the menu. When you consider all the potential fillings you could have (and not to mention the different types of bread), it’s not really a huge surprise.

3. KFC is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Japan

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Not at all terrifying… Image: candacelewis / Instagram

While Christmas isn’t a national holiday in Japan, that doesn’t stop KFC getting in on the festive action. Foreigners in Japan – unable to find any turkey for Christmas day – regularly flock to KFC for a pre-Christmas fried chicken meal. The 1974 marketing campaign reading ‘Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!’ (Kentucky for Christmas!) can’t have helped either.

4. Domino’s once offered free sandwiches to Jareds of the world

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Domino’s, 1: Subway, 0. Image: ina_panova / Instagram

Subtlety definitely isn’t Domino’s strongest feature. Back in 2008, the chain brought out their own oven-baked sandwiches in a bid to compete with Subway. In order to generate some buzz, Domino’s offered free sandwiches to anyone called Jared. Why? ‘Cos that was the name of Subway’s former spokesman. Nicely done, Domino’s.

5. The Cinnabon Classic contains an insane 890 calories

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Worth every last calorie… Image: monicatbn / Instagram

890 calories in one bun. That’s almost HALF of a woman’s daily recommended calorie intake. There’s also the 36g of fat and 59g of sugar to consider…

6. Chipotle single-handedly managed to confuse virtually every cat lover

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18 years on, this cat is still looking for its free toy. Image: scubacat12 / Instagram

Back in 1998, Chipotle ran an ad which featured a ball of tin foil left over from one of their burritos, with text next to it which said, ‘Free Cat Toy With Every Purchase.’

While the ad got its fair share of chuckles, it also went over some people’s heads, with many coming in to ask about the cat toy…

7. You’ll never find two Nando’s that look the same

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Thankfully, the Nando’s quality is the same everrrywhere you go. Image: creameezzy / Instagram

In order to avoid a ‘cookie-cutter look’, every Nando’s restaurant is given a bespoke makeover. Each restaurant uses original South African art (which is sourced through the company’s Art Initiative) for that unique interior look.

8. Pizza Hut was the first company to deliver to outer space

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Proof that Pizza Hut dishes really are out of this world. Image: miaomiao418 / Instagram

Well, more or less. In 2001, Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to the International Space Station using a Russian rocket. The publicity stunt set Pizza Hut back around $1m (£700,000), making it quite possibly the most expensive pizza to have ever lived. Since it took a little while to get up into space, the pizza had to be specially designed with salami instead of pepperoni, and extra salt and spices to liven up the taste buds.

9. T.G.I. Friday was only opened as a way for the founder to meet women

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Some people go on Tinder, some open their own restaurants. Image: officialtgifridays / Instagram

Thought T.G.I. Friday was all about celebrating our favourite day of the week? The premise started out somewhat different… Alan Stillman has been quite open about the fact that he opened the first restaurant in 1965 as a way to meet women. Based in New York’s Upper East Side, the restaurant was slap-bang in the middle of an area famous with stewardesses, models and secretaries. Slightly creepy, but OK…

10.  25% of kids believe Greggs invented baguettes

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We know Greggs are revolutionary, but c’mon… Image: rediscoveringlouise / Instagram

A 2000 survey revealed that around a quarter of kids thought that Greggs invented baguettes, rather than the French. What a time to be alive.