Starbucks is poised to overtake McDonald's as the world's most valuable restaurant chain, and the coffee giant could ultimately have a staggering 50,000 locations.

That's the prediction of Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski, who named Starbucks his top restaurant stock for 2017 in a report on Tuesday.

He estimates that the company will increase its worldwide restaurant count by 8.4 per cent this year and boost same-store sales by more than 5 per cent.

There's more room for growth in the beverage industry - and less competition - giving Starbucks an edge over McDonald's and other more food-focused rivals, Kalinowski said.