CHICAGO – Wendy's hamburger chain edged Burger King from its spot as the second-largest US hamburger chain in 2011, but McDonald's remains No. 1, according to Technomic, a market research firm.

Wendy's had sales of $8.5 billion in 2011 compared to Burger King's $8.4 billion. McDonald's dwarfed both companies with $34.2 billion in sales. However, the global picture maintains the status quo. Burger King has many more restaurants worldwide compared to Wendy's, and thus remains the second-largest hamburger chain behind McDonald's.

As the largest restaurant chain, McDonald's raised its sales 5.5 percent in 2011, according to Technomic. Subway is the second-largest restaurant chain in the US followed by Starbucks, Wendy's and Burger King.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries led Technomic's list of the 10 fastest growing US chains with over $200 million in sales, followed by Chipotle Mexican Grill and Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shop. In the seafood and steak categories, LongHorn Steakhouse and Texas Roadhouse drove sales with increases of 13.1 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively.