- Camera eats first? Not at least the Instagrammed series in the US
- Hashtags for diners' favorite fast food restaurants helped assess popularity
- Read more: America's best and worst fast food chains revealed in every state
A perfectly cooked steak, a creamy Italian pasta dish, or an American steak sandwich, we've become accustomed to seeing amazing, delicious meals on Instagram.
But some of America's favorite dishes weren't made for the social media generation that prefers simple presentation to sloppy indulgence.
A new report from restaurant furniture retailer Affordable Seating reveals how “Instagrammable” fast food restaurants rely on the number of Instagram posts that include a hashtag of the restaurant’s name.
Subway fans may be the least obsessed with the photos, with the sandwich chain coming in last with 80,500 posts.
Arby's – famous for its roast beef – came in second with 158,000.
In most cases, the hashtag was simply the name of the restaurant, #mcdonalds, for example. But in the case of Subway, the tag they followed was #subwaysandwich.
So, here are the 15 fast food chains on the list, ranked from least to most shared on Instagram, by the number of posts using the restaurant hashtag:
1. Subway: 80,500
At the bottom of the list, the least Instagrammed fast food chain in the US is Subway. If Subway's resilience in the face of scandal is any guide, this rating is unlikely to hurt the company
2. Arby: 158,000
Roast beef and burger chain Arby's ranks second, with just 158,000 posts
3. Pavilion endowment: 394,000
Wings are known to be a mess to eat, so it's no surprise that Wing Stop ranks low on the list
4. Popeye: 546,000
Popeyes is the fourth least Instagrammable fast food chain on the list, offering a wide range of colors from beige to dark brown.
5. Wendy's: 644,000
With its square patties, the Wendy's burger tends to be instantly recognizable to American fast food connoisseurs
6. Five men: 645,000
Five Guys Burgers and Fries comes in sixth place. The fast food chain is known for throwing more fries into customers' already full bags
7. Chuck E. Cheese: 764,000
Chuck E. Cheese pizza is not meant to be photogenic. It is intended to support children during birthday parties, and it does this job well
8. In-N-Out Burger: 1.1 million
West Coast burger chain In-N-Out came in eighth on the list. “Animal-style” burgers and fries are notoriously messy
9. Chick-fil-A: 1.4 million
The fried chicken restaurant chain, which is famous for being closed on Sundays, ranked ninth on the list. Perhaps in a testament to how much people love the restaurant's chicken, many of the Instagram posts that used the hashtag #chickfila were for fried chicken recipes.
10. Taco Bell: 1.5 million
Even Taco Bell fans will admit that the fast food chain's offerings aren't known for their eye-catching appeal
11. Chipotle: 1.7 million
Counter-service Mexican restaurant Chipotle also suffered from Instagram hype on this list, as many of the posts tagged with #chipotle were not about the restaurant, but rather its namesake chili.
12. Burger King: 2.2 million
Similar to McDonald's, many posts under the #burgerking tag included hamburgers that were clearly made locally or made at other restaurants. But the fact that they used the name of the series indicates its popularity
13. Pizza Hut 2.2 million
Pizza Hut, the chain known for its personalized pizza, comes in at number 13. It is one of the only pizza chains to appear on the list
14. Kentucky: 4.2 million
KFC came in second place, with less than 50% of the number of entries, like McDonald's. But for KFC, more posts seem to be about the actual fast food chain
15. McDonald's: 8.8 million
They are eaten all over the world, and it's no surprise that McDonald's tops the list. Many of the #mcdonalds posts were unrelated content, including users who posted the hashtag to complement their homemade burgers.
(Tags for translation) Daily Mail