Better Buy: McDonald's vs. Restaurant Brands International

Fast food isn't exactly a growth industry in the U.S. On the contrary, while international expansion continues to move the needle, restaurants have been in a slugfest here in the states as a myriad of new fast-casual upstarts have popped up in the last decade. Against this backdrop, shares of the world's largest restaurant chain McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) are up over 90% over the last trailing-five-year stretch, and fellow burger slinger Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR) (parent of Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes) shares are up a more modest 40%-plus over the same time period. McDonald's is a massive enterprise with nearly 40,000 stores worldwide.