Dining foot traffic rose in December to nearly pre-pandemic levels, despite the onslaught of the Omicron variant, with chains like McDonald's and Chik-Fil-A dominating quick-service restaurant market share.

According to Placer.ai's Brand Dominance Map, McDonald's led the burger category in every state in December, with visits to the chain's locations accounting for 43% of visits to major national burger chains nationally. McDonald's was followed by Wendy's with 12% and Burger King with 10% of nationwide burger visits.  

Placer.ai's Shira Petrack notes that "McDonald's has also succeeded in weathering the fourth and fifth COVID waves with relatively little damage," with visits over the past six months on par with 2019 numbers and growing by several percentage points year-over-year. Wendy's offline visits were also similarly strong, despite rough months in August and September; the brand capped its year with a 3.8% year over year increase in December.