McDonald's Corporation is an American fast food company best known for its hamburgers, cheeseburgers and french fries, they feature chicken products, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps, and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes and a negative backlash because of the unhealthiness of their food, the company has added to its menu salads, fish, smoothies, and fruit. It was founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States.

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As for Burger King Corporation, it is a restaurant company specializing in flame-broiled fast-food hamburgers. It is the second largest hamburger chain in the United States, after McDonald’s. In the early 21st century, Burger King claimed to have about 14,000 stores in nearly 100 countries with its headquarters in Miami, Florida.

In 1953, a Jacksonville, Florida, man named Keith Kramer, along with his wife's uncle Matthew Burns, looked to create a restaurant idea of their own after being inspired by the original McDonald's restaurant in San Bernardino, California. As part of their new restaurant, they bought the rights to a special grill machine called the Insta-Broiler, and named their restaurant "Insta-Burger King."

Several years later, the idea had grown into several restaurant locations and was picked up by a pair of Cornell University classmates, James McLamore and David Edgerton who sold their first franchises in 1959, and Burger King soon became a national chain. The company expanded outside the United States in 1963 with a store in Puerto Rico.

In 1967, the Pillsbury Company bought Burger King Corporation for $18 million, and with the baking company's capital behind it, by the late 1970s Burger King was able to grow to become America's second-largest burger chain, just behind McDonald's.

McDonald's is the world's second-largest private employer with more than 1.7 million employees (behind Walmart with 2.3 million employees). McDonald's restaurants are found in 120 countries and territories around the world and serve 68 million customers each day. McDonald's operates 37,855 restaurants worldwide. There are totally 2,770 company-owned locations and 35,085 franchised locations. However, Burger King has about 30,500 employees and is ranked 6th among its top 10 competitors.

The McDonald's Corporation revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. For the fiscal year 2018, McDonalds reported earnings of US$5.9 billion, with the annual revenue of US$21.0 billion. McDonald's shares traded at over $145 per share, and its market capitalization was valued at over US$134.5 billion in September 2018. Global fast food giant Burger King generated approximately 1.78 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2019.

The latest figures show that in 2019 the brand value of McDonald's in million U.S. dollars was 130 368, while Burger King’s brand value was only 7 063.

Although people argue about how much McDonald's and other fast food chains are to blame for obesity problems and other issues, it's clear that the accusations have scarred its reputation. As a result, the company has worked to improve its image. Lately, McDonald's has earned respect for its improved animal welfare and environmental policies. The company enforces standards on its meat suppliers, ensuring humane methods for handling livestock -- such as phasing out the debeaking of chickens. It also forbids suppliers from using growth hormones on livestock. In 2007, McDonald's announced that it would buy coffee only from growers who are certified by the Rainforest Alliance. On top of that, some people argue that fast food is inherently greener than other options due to its efficiency. As a result, McDonald’s became the world’s most valuable food brand in 2019.