8 Fast-Food Millionaires Making A Fortune Off Our Appetites

A small pizza restaurant in Michigan back in 1959 eventually turned into a billion-dollar business for 84-year-old Marian Ilitch. Little Caesars Pizza, which she started with her husband Mike, is to thank for a good portion of her estimated $5.1 billion fortune, which makes her richer than Oprah. She's notoriously mum in interviews, but in a conversation with New York Times in the '90s, she said her secret is keeping things simple — 30 years into business, Ilitch still looked over income statements for their individual stores.

Andrew and Peggy Cherng were college sweethearts before they started up Panda Express in 1973 — since then, the chain has grown to nearly 1,900 restaurants. Outside of their orange chicken empire, the Cherng family also invests in fast food brands like Just Salad and Pieology while using their wealth to give back. According to the couple's daughter Andrea, now the chief marketing officer of Panda Restaurant Group, the Cherngs believe it's vital to remember where you came from. "What becomes really important is to understand our role as an ambassador of Chinese food to the U.S., and as an ambassador of Chinese culture," she told The Splendid Table.

Since Steve Easterbrook took over as CEO of McDonald's, the Golden Arches have been gleaming brighter than ever. Though he may not have the same cutthroat vibe as Ray Kroc, the chain's animated founder who inspired a full-on Hollywood film, Easterbrook is bringing the business to new heights thanks to big initiatives like all-day breakfast and self-serve kiosks — and his salary shows it. AP reported that, between his salary, stock and options and incentive pay, Mickey D's leading man raked in $15.4 million last year.

The 35-year-old billionaire in charge of the west coast chain, In-N-Out Burger, isn't in the public eye much. Even when she took over the drive-thru hamburger chain that her grandparents Harry and Esther Snyder founded in 1948, Lynsi Snyder remained private about her estimated $1.3 billion inheritance — something she feels is important to keeping the Double-Double business running smoothly. As she told CBS News, "We don't want a bunch of attention, and we want to do what we do best, and that's serve some good burgers to our customers."

During his years at the helm of colossal coffee giant Starbucks, Howard Schultz learned much more than how to pour a perfect espresso. The company's current executive chairman, valued at $2.9 billion, got first-hand experience in total dedication to a brand (he returned to the role of CEO after an 8-year hiatus) and the value in letting go, whether that means putting aside his opinions on Frappuccinos for the greater good or passing the torch to a new leader. "He's an iconic merchant. He's the iconic merchant of my generation," Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' new CEO, said of Schultz in an interview with Business Insider.

Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946, beginning the Chick-fil-A legacy that lives on today through Truett's sons Dan Cathy and Don "Bubba" Cathy. Though the famed chicken sandwich chain receives plenty of criticism for its opinions concerning LGBT rights, the company continues to succeed amongst fast-food competitors — it was worth an estimated $3.8 billion back in 2014. It seems that Dan Cathy's recent quieting on the political front is a strategic move for the sake of his business. "The wiser thing for us to do is to stay focused on customer service," he told the Journal-Sentinel.

The only U.S. coffee chain you'd be likely to pass as frequently as Starbucks is
Dunkin' Donuts, and CEO Nigel Travis is working to make it even easier for the chain's beloved iced coffee to get into customers' hands. Though his earnings have dipped over the last few years, Travis brought in a salary of $5.4 million in 2015, according to Fortune. With the addition of drive-thrus at new stores, plus improvements to the chain's app and perks program, that number could begin to climb again. "We are giving the consumer everything they are looking for," Travis told CNBC. "I think the holy grail in the next few years is going to be delivery. That's going to be a global trend."

It's more than likely you've strolled into one of Tom and Judy Love's convenience stores during your commute or on a road trip. There are more than 400 shops in 40 states, which explains the $5.6 billion nest egg the couple has built for their family of six. Combining big money-makers like fuel, fast food and convenience stores into a one-stop location is what gives Love's a competitive edge. "We've gotten pretty good at operating and managing our platform of five to six moving parts: a convenience store, trucker store, gas and diesel fuel, and one or more branded restaurants in all our stores," Tom Love told NewsOK.