2017 NRN Second 100 PDF

The Second 100 ranking may be a companion to the Top 100, but these chains and foodservice operators still stand on their own – collectively representing $26.3 billion in sales and 19,928 units in the Latest Year. Use this report as a guide to compare chains’ and companies’ U.S. performance based on systemwide sales, unit counts, franchisee growth, market share and estimated sales per unit.

Ranked No. 101 to 200, the smaller chains of the Second 100 tell the story of the restaurant industry’s future. The story is about varied segments, nimble operations and concepts able to grow — and quickly. These up-and-comers on the list are fierce competitors in more markets every day. Consumers go to these concepts for fresh, fast food, often with feel-good corporate policies such as donating daily leftovers to food banks and generous employee benefits. Learn from concepts doing something right — as well as those that are struggling. There’s no one way to win over customers.

With its strict methodology, the Top 200 ranking, now in its 44th year, has long been an industry standard for foodservice business measurement. The backbone of these reports is NRN’s data expert Alan J. Liddle, who has been compiling and managing the database and providing analysis for 25 years. These reports benefit from his deep industry knowledge accumulated over his 33-year tenure at Nation’s Restaurant News.