Source: RestaurantData | Full report: Top 100 Restaurant Franchisors
New RestaurantData analysis of Franchise Disclosure Documents reveals modest expansion among the industry’s largest restaurant franchisors while smaller concepts continue gaining momentum.
A new analysis from RestaurantData examining Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) finds that restaurant franchise growth remained positive but moderated across the industry’s largest brands, while a number of smaller and emerging concepts continued to expand at significantly faster rates.
The study reviewed approximately 250 Franchise Disclosure Documents covering 173 restaurant franchise systems with at least 50 year-end locations. Using reported location counts across three consecutive reporting periods, RestaurantData ranked the nation’s largest franchisors and measured both one-year and two-year unit growth trends.
Among the most notable findings, the combined Top 100 restaurant franchisors increased their total restaurant count by just over one percent year over year and approximately two percent over the full two-year study period. While overall expansion continued, the data suggest that growth has become increasingly uneven across the franchise landscape.
The largest restaurant systems generally experienced slower expansion than many of their smaller competitors. In fact, the ten largest franchise brands collectively posted a slight net decline in restaurant locations during the study period, while many mid-sized and emerging concepts continued adding units at a much faster pace.
RestaurantData found that the smallest quarter of the franchise systems analyzed expanded by roughly 14 percent over two years, substantially outperforming the industry’s largest operators. The fifty smallest franchise brands in the study grew nearly ten percent, compared with just over one percent growth among the fifty largest systems.
Several brands posted particularly strong expansion. Crumbl led the rankings after nearly tripling its restaurant count over the two-year period, while Scooter’s Coffee, Playa Bowls, Biggby Coffee, Kung Fu Tea, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Jersey Mike’s, Wingstop and Charleys Philly Steaks also ranked among the fastest-growing franchise concepts measured in the analysis.
The research also identified brands facing contraction. Only a small number of franchise systems experienced declines exceeding ten percent, suggesting that although growth has slowed for many mature operators, widespread retrenchment has not occurred across the broader franchise sector.
According to RestaurantData, Franchise Disclosure Documents remain one of the most valuable public sources for measuring long-term franchise expansion because they provide standardized, year-end location counts that allow researchers to compare growth consistently across brands and over multiple reporting periods.
For suppliers, investors, franchise development professionals and market researchers, the findings reinforce that percentage growth often comes from emerging concepts rather than the industry’s largest established brands. While mature franchise systems continue to dominate total unit counts, many smaller operators are producing the strongest expansion rates and creating new opportunities across multiple restaurant categories.
RestaurantData has published the complete analysis, including methodology, growth statistics and the Top 100 restaurant franchisor rankings, on its website.
Read the complete report: Top 100 Restaurant Franchisors
Source: RestaurantData analysis of approximately 250 Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) covering 173 restaurant franchise systems with 50 or more year-end locations. Rankings are based on reported year-end unit counts and corresponding year-over-year and two-year growth calculations.