This story is part of NRN’s Top 100 special report, a proprietary census ranking the foodservice industry’s largest restaurant chains and companies by sales and unit data, among other metrics. The full report is available only to Nation’s Restaurant News magazine subscribers, and is part of the June 25 issue. Subscribe here.
Growth chains: Who’s on top?
That is the question industry professionals and interested observers in the financial, supplier, consulting and educational sectors want answered as they scope out competitors, prospective acquisitions, clients or case studies.
Here, we present the top five fastest-growing chains, based on the change in U.S. systemwide sales in fiscal 2011, or the year ended closest to December 2011, versus fiscal 2010. These chains are the current stars of the restaurant industry, with their expansion based not only on available runway for national growth, but also a clear consumer proposition.
While these top five growth chains favor sandwich and fast-casual players, two entries from the casual-dining segment, which was particularly battered by the recession, also made the cut.
Get to know these five chains’ sales growth, market share, U.S. unit growth and more.
5. Cheddar’s Casual Café, Irving, Texas
Casual dining
• System sales: $438.3 million
• Sales growth: 20.45%
• U.S. units: 106
• Unit growth: 17.78%
• ESPU: $4.47 million
• Share of segment sales: 1.26%
RELATED: Cheddar's Casual Café files IPO
4. BJ's Restaurants, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Casual dining
• System sales: $620.9 million
• Sales growth: 20.82%
• U.S. units: 115
• Unit growth: 12.75%
• ESPU: $5.72 million
• Share of segment sales: 1.78%
RELATED:
• BJ's plans growth outside West
• BJ's 4Q profit up 42%
3. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Denver
Sandwich
• System sales: $2.26 billion
• Sales growth: 23.56%
• U.S. units: 1,225
• Unit growth: 13.32%
• ESPU: $1.96 million
• Share of segment sales: 2.38%
RELATED:
• Chipotle improves throughput to pre-recession peak levels
• Chipotle: Focus on ingredients boosted 1Q sales
2. Jimmy John's, Champaign, Ill.
Sandwich
• Systemwide sales: $1.01 billion
• Sales growth: 30.00%
• U.S. units: 1,329
• Unit growth: 17.61%
• ESPU: $824,700
• Share of segment sales: 1.07%
RELATED: Jimmy John's franchisee secures $4.1M credit facility
1. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Lorton, Va.
Sandwich
• Systemwide sales: $950.6 million
• Sales growth: 31.84%
• U.S. units: 918
• Unit growth: 24.73%
• ESPU: $1.15 million
• Share of segment sales: 1.00%
RELATED:
• Five Guys is consumers' favorite QSR
• Five Guys closes $100M credit facility