Germany:

• McDonalds since forever. I remember once having a birthday party there as a kid. That was when they still had all these mascots like Ronald and the purple guy and it was all big fun. Somehow they are seen as „not healthy but good quality“ and have been a staple in popular culture and occasionally they unleash the famous „Big Rösti“ which is like a fifth season for some people
• Burger King also exists since forever. It was always the second choice to McD. It doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to cleanliness.
• KFC was actually the very first American fast food chain to invade Germany but they never expanded as much as they could have
• Subway started in the early 2000s and really took off. Also not the best reputation on food safety but still a goto place for many
• Starbucks also took off in the early 2000s. Used to be really cool because it had comfy chairs, a chill flair and wasn’t so crowded. Not anymore and now we have many small independent places to get much better coffee from
• Dominoes tried in the 80s, failed and came back in the 2010s and continues failing
• Pizza Hut also started in the 80s. It was rare and I fucking loved it. Now it’s even rarer.
• Taco Bell only exists in US military bases but they plan to open some restaurants to the public soon. I’m not convinced it will be a hit.
• Dunkin‘ Donuts also started early 2000 but took a while to really expand. It used to be that when someone went to one of the few cities with a Dunkin they had to bring a pack of donuts.
• Not on the map: Five Guys. They started in the late 2010s. I was excited because I remember going to one in the US and getting the bag filled up with tasty French fries but here in Germany they are very picky with the amount and it is too expensive. I don’t think it will go very far here.

Most of the US chains started either in Berlin or Frankfurt, I guess because that’s were most of the US military was stationed and now it’s just tradition.

I personally don’t go to most of them anymore but they remain successful even if Americas reputation in Germany has been on the floor for a long time now.