NRN’s Next Generation Chains report this year provided a platform for brands that had not been featured in the past to make room for more new faces. But that’s not to say that we didn’t hear during the 2020 research cycle from some 2019 Next Generation concepts that managed to continue growing in their latest completed fiscal years.
Here is a data update around the six previous Next Generation Chain concepts - from the 2019 report - who brought us up to speed on sales and unit changes. Because all but one of these concepts shared their actual average sales per unit amount, we used those data, where available, and presented the sixth with an NRN-calculated Estimated Sales Per Unit, or ESPU, figure.
If repeat brands were included this year’s Next Generation Chains consideration, all but one of the systems shown here - still fast-growing, but relatively smaller, Snooze an A.M. Eatery - would have qualified for the 2020 10-brand roster on the basis of reported latest completed fiscal year sales.