China’s Mixue overtakes McDonald's as the world's largest food chain, fans joke: "Bet their ice cream machines work"

China's Mixue Ice Cream & Tea has officially dethroned McDonald's as the world's largest food-and-beverage chain by store count in a milestone victory for the world's fast-food industry. Mixue had more than 45,000 stores as of September 2024, overtaking McDonald's 43,000 stores and Starbucks' 40,199 outlets to become a global retail powerhouse.

Now, you might think this concept is way too outlandish to fall into meme territory—but the internet never misses a chance, and this time, McDonald’s was the perfect target.

A user joked:

"I bet their ice cream machines work."

A fast-food chain where the ice cream actually works? Sounds like sci-fi.

A user added:

"See when your ice cream machine doesn’t break 24/7"

McDonald's is fighting for its life.

A user hilariously mentioned:

"In pop terms Cardi b is now the female rapper with the most #1 hits surpassing Nicki Minaj."

It is the fast-food equivalent of the Nicki vs. Cardi war.

A user commented:

"John cena wants the location."

Cena might be thinking about switching sponsorship.

A user suggested:

"Mixue just gotta sell fries and they’ll stay bigger than mcd imo."

One waffle fry collab away from world domination.

Meanwhile, a user asked:

"How is this possible if I've literally never heard of it until reading this post."

Last time we checked, the Earth still orbits the Sun.

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The emergence of Mixue: From domestic to international behemoth

Mixue was founded in 1997 by Zhang Hongchao in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.

The business began with specialized ice sales, but it has since diversified into selling ice cream and tea drinks as well. It has grown exponentially year by year with a franchise-based model.

Currently, more than 99% of its stores are franchised, allowing for rapid expansion all over China and into 11 other countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Australia, according to CBC Lite.

Affordability has been Mixue's success factor. The chain is renowned for offering items like ice cream and bubble tea at prices typically below $1.

Snow King, the smiling, snowman-liked mascot for the brand, has also aided in making the company popular due to its special and welcoming presence.

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Beating McDonald's and Starbucks

In a few years, Mixue has doubled its store count twice. Through late 2024, it has 45,302 stores worldwide, according to Momentum Works.

About 37,000 are in China as Mixue-branded or Lucky Cup coffee sub-brand stores. The rest are distributed across Southeast Asia and internationally, with Indonesia leading overseas market with more than 2,600 stores.

While Mixue now leads store count, it still lags behind industry majors like Starbucks and McDonald's by revenue.

In 2024, Mixue posted $6.5 billion of terminal sales through freshly made drinks—far lagging behind that of Starbucks' $55.5 billion and that of Tim Hortons' $7.5 billion, said the research agency.

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IPO success and future growth

Mixue went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with an initial public offering (IPO) debut. The company raised $444 million when it went for its IPO in March 2025, as stocks surged more than 40% in the days following its listing.

The financial success bumped the net value of Zhang Hongchao and his brother Zhang Hongfu—key drivers behind the brand—to $8.1 billion, as per Business Insider.

Southeast Asia remains the stronghold for the brand, but market experts believe that its next destination could be North America.