There is a decidedly global flavor to KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants lately. And no, we're not talking about the Chalupa Baja -- this is about a global sales for these franchises and their parent company.

In recent years, operator Yum! Brands (YUM) has been growing at a breakneck pace, now with more than 3,500 locations in China alone and plans to open another 900 restaurants outside the U.S. in 2010. And the next global market that is in its sights is the United Kingdom, with a Taco Bell in Essex set to peddle low-priced burritos by the end of June.

I'm not a fan of Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN). It just doesn't seem as safe as stocks like Burger King (BKC), McDonald's (MCD), or Yum! Brands (YUM). Of course, I'm certain I did nothing more than state the obvious.

As a low-priced equity, Wendy's/Arby's Group always possesses the risk of volatility. Today, the shares are off by over 3% in afternoon trading; at the time of this writing, I saw a share price of $4.93. Hey, it's better than the day low of $4.86. The company had reported earnings results for the first quarter Thursday morning. Do the numbers make the company look more or less attractive?

Yum! Brands (YUM), owner of KFC and Taco Bell, operates in the same industry as McDonald's (MCD), Burger King (BKC), and Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN). All of these stocks are either at or near their respective 52-week highs. How does Yum! Brands look after its first-quarter report?

You've got to take notice of this stock. The one-year chart depicts an equity that consolidated for a while, only to finally break out and head to the upside. And here's some more good news for both traders and investors alike: Wednesday, the shares closed the regular session 1.8% higher from where they started. Then, during the after-hours session, following distribution of the earnings release, the bulls, deciding they wanted to remain in charge, gave the company another boost.

Ronald McDonald debuted in 1963 with TV personality Willard Scott donning the clown costume for the first time in an ad spot for McDonald's (MCD). But if some health advocates have their way, the fiery-haired clown's days are numbered.

The Corporate Accountability International is calling McDonald's mascot a "deep-fried Joe Camel for the 21st Century" and is sponsoring "Retire Ronald" events at several locations around the country. The group claims that Ronald McDonald is a spokesperson for childhood obesity, and they want him cut from the payroll pronto.

I've never been to a Sonic (SONC) joint. I'm sure I would love the food; however, I can definitively state that I did not like the company's current earnings report, which was released yesterday after the bell.

For the second quarter, Sonic lost one penny per share. Last year, the business brought in 14 cents per share of positive profit, helped along by a gain of 6 cents attributable to a debt purchase. The current performance was unfortunately below estimates; the market wanted 2 cents of income to show up on the bottom line.

Yum! Brands (YUM), a collection of restaurant chains operating in the same space as McDonald's (MCD) and Burger King (BKC), didn't post the most exciting earnings report last month, but it might not matter. Just recently, shareholders received a couple pieces of good news.

First, UBS offered inspiring comments about the company and the stock last week. Shares were upgraded to buy status, rising from neutral. A higher price target of $44 was issued. The catalyst basically centers on things getting better on a fundamental basis for the restaurant brands; also, China's sales appear to have stabilized.

Wendy's/Arby's Group (WEN) is a stock that really isn't for most investors (in my opinion). It's not what I would call a quality name. If you want to play the fast-food sector, you'd be better off with McDonald's (MCD) or Yum! Brands (YUM).

Burger King (BKC), although not my favorite member of the list, might also be a more attractive selection than Wendy's/Arby's Group. I don't mean to be down on the fast-food entity, but it just isn't in the same league as those other investment ideas. Plus, a look at the fourth-quarter report shows that management has quite a bit of work to do.