New Opening Restaurant Signals, Semi-Annual Comparison: 2024 vs. 2025

Restaurantdata.com continuously identifies, verifies, and delivers new and pre-opening restaurant leads to operators, suppliers, and distributors across the U.S. on a weekly basis. Below is a comparison of weekly opening counts across the country, contrasting the final 22 weeks of 2024 with the first 22 weeks of 2025.

The resulting location records can be reviewed alongside Atlas by RestaurantData, which organizes restaurant locations, concepts, headquarters, ownership relationships, operating groups, and available decision-maker contacts within a connected restaurant industry database.

Terms used in this report follow the Restaurant Data Dictionary, RestaurantData’s reference standard for record types, development stages, ownership relationships, classifications, verification methods, and analytical fields used across Atlas, Weekly Restaurant Opening Alerts, proprietary indexes, and public research.

Total Raw: Complete count of all filing sources prior to de-duping and vetting. | Total Net: Restaurants researched and confirmed to be pre-opening or post-open (no later than 2–4 months after filing).

RestaurantData’s Restaurant Opening Analysis explains how raw legal filings and public signals are deduplicated, researched, geographically validated, and converted into verified restaurant opening records.

What the Trend Charts Show

Total Raw filings were consistently higher in H2 2024 (averaging 1,200–1,600 per week) compared to H1 2025, which has trended in the 900–1,500 range. The highest single week in the comparison period was the week of 10/24/2024 at 1,629 raw filings.

Total Net Issued tells a similar story- H2 2024 net counts were frequently in the 500–608 range during the peak September–October period, while H1 2025 has largely settled in the 390–516 range. New openings have been steadying after data indications of a slightly downward trend, as evidenced across multiple source categories including alcohol license applications, DBA and fictitious name filings, building permits, state incorporations, and LLC registrations.

The seasonal dip visible in late December and early January is consistent across both years. A normal pattern driven by reduced filing activity during the holiday period.

First 22 Weeks of 2025- Weekly Counts

Source: Restaurantdata.com · U.S. markets · January 2 – May 29, 2025

Week Ending	DBAs	Incs & LLCs	Alcohol & Permits	Total Raw	Total Net
5/29/2025	409	601	181	1,191	438
5/22/2025	488	798	102	1,388	400
5/16/2025	282	682	136	1,100	443
5/8/2025	351	680	206	1,237	402
5/1/2025	507	632	239	1,378	496
4/24/2025	336	594	179	1,109	469
4/17/2025	414	752	151	1,317	393
4/10/2025	410	744	149	1,303	451
4/3/2025	353	799	159	1,311	410
3/27/2025	534	767	208	1,509	425
3/20/2025	390	617	178	1,185	458
3/13/2025	461	436	172	1,069	462
3/6/2025	443	824	192	1,459	399
2/27/2025	515	692	111	1,318	516
2/20/2025	300	412	185	897	307
2/13/2025	409	617	163	1,189	469
2/6/2025	398	579	213	1,190	429
1/30/2025	512	491	170	1,173	359
1/23/2025	423	544	200	1,167	403
1/16/2025	202	446	217	865	404
1/9/2025	276	448	180	904	445
1/2/2025	340	459	155	954	384

* Total Net reflects verified pre-opening or recently opened locations (no later than 2–4 months post-open), after de-duplication, cross-checking with chain HQ records, and geographic validation.

Last 22 Weeks of 2024- Weekly Counts

Source: Restaurantdata.com · U.S. markets · July 18 – December 19, 2024

Week Ending	DBAs	Incs & LLCs	Alcohol & Permits	Total Raw	Total Net
12/19/2024	318	540	144	1,002	344
12/12/2024	403	404	263	1,070	559
12/5/2024	438	556	230	1,224	448
11/21/2024	322	384	179	885	396
11/14/2024	340	271	184	795	370
11/7/2024	382	722	166	1,270	479
10/31/2024	359	766	183	1,308	450
10/24/2024	683	736	210	1,629	607
10/17/2024	355	614	176	1,145	502
10/10/2024	455	731	235	1,421	575
10/3/2024	426	624	229	1,279	581
9/26/2024	445	637	194	1,275	499
9/19/2024	469	756	158	1,383	513
9/12/2024	515	757	209	1,481	608
9/5/2024	489	637	185	1,311	517
8/29/2024	334	459	165	958	287
8/22/2024	389	769	157	1,315	472
8/15/2024	587	812	172	1,571	583
8/8/2024	433	711	168	1,312	464
8/1/2024	449	616	217	1,282	535
7/25/2024	467	748	193	1,408	507
7/18/2024	428	807	195	1,430	559

* Total Net reflects verified pre-opening or recently opened locations after de-duplication and geographic validation. Peak week of 10/24/2024 saw 607 net verified openings, the highest in the comparison period.

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Related Restaurant Opening Resources

For readers comparing weekly new restaurant opening activity, these related RestaurantData resources provide additional context on source types, verification, annual totals, and longer-term market movement.

2025 U.S. New Restaurant Openings Report
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Restaurant Opening Crosstab Analysis 2020-2025
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New Restaurant Brand Alerts
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2024 New Restaurant Openings Report
Use the prior-year opening report as a comparison point for weekly and annual restaurant opening trends.

Explore the RestaurantData Research Center

This report is part of the RestaurantData Research Center, the central library for RestaurantData’s research platforms, data standards, proprietary indexes, alerts, methodologies, analysis, and historical studies.

Atlas Research Platform

Search connected restaurant locations, operating companies, franchise systems, ownership hierarchies, executive contacts, technology, and verified development activity.

Restaurant Data Dictionary

Use the canonical definitions for record types, ownership relationships, development stages, classifications, technology fields, contacts, and research methods.

Weekly Restaurant Opening Alerts

Review the verified development-stage records, upcoming openings, ownership changes, and foodservice projects that underpin the Research Center’s opening analysis.

Expansion Pressure Index™

Identify restaurant companies showing concentrated, documented expansion activity within defined operating cohorts and observation periods.

Restaurant Enterprise Index™

Examine larger restaurant companies, franchise organizations, multi-concept operators, enterprise ownership groups, and their verified activity.

Restaurant Opening Analysis

Understand how RestaurantData identifies, deduplicates, verifies, connects, and analyzes more than 24,000 restaurant and foodservice developments each year.

Restaurant Industry Insights

Read ongoing research on restaurant expansion, ownership, market movement, operating thresholds, development activity, technology, and executive changes.

Historical Research Archive

Compare years of RestaurantData expansion studies, market analysis, and industry reports produced through a continuously maintained research methodology.

Usage & Distribution Terms

This report may be shared and distributed on a non-exclusive, royalty-free basis.

Preferred citation: “Source: Restaurantdata.com, U.S. New Restaurant Openings Report, published May 30, 2026.”

Top Restaurant Franchisors 2025: Early Bird Biggest Gainers and Losers

2025 Early Bird Report: Restaurant Franchise Biggest Gainers and Losers

Restaurant brands across the U.S. encompass a wide range of service styles and cuisines. Almost all fast-growing chains today are counter service and often in the snack category. This segment is being targeted by restaurant suppliers, vendors, and manufacturers. This report displays early results on company growth from RestaurantData’s Top 100 Restaurant Franchisors, based on 50 of the top 100 brands that had reported through April 8, 2025. The terms used in this analysis follow the standard definitions in the Restaurant Data Dictionary.

Early Bird Report: 50 of the Top 100 restaurant franchisors had reported as of April 8, 2025. Location counts reflect year-end December 31, 2024 figures. YOY growth and decline percentages are measured against the prior year-end. This dated report is preserved as part of RestaurantData’s Historical Research Archive. Editorial update, August 11, 2026: methodology, dictionary, Atlas, Research Center, and structured-data connections were added; the historical report figures were not changed.

How to Read This Early FDD Report

This is a point-in-time early filing review, not the completed 2025 Top 100 ranking. The following distinctions are important when interpreting the tables:

Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the disclosure document used in franchise sales. RestaurantData reviews annual filings and outlet information, including Item 20, as filings become available.
Unit count: the number of U.S. restaurant locations connected to the applicable brand or franchise system as of the stated year-end date.
YOY change: the percentage change between the December 31, 2024 unit count and the prior year-end count.
Early reporting cohort: only the 50 Top 100 systems with available results through April 8, 2025; later filings can change the completed ranking.

See the Restaurant Data Dictionary for RestaurantData’s canonical definitions of FDD, Item 20 outlet information, franchised location, franchisor, franchisee, franchise system, unit count, verification, and reporting-period reconciliation.

Key Observations

Counter service and snack brands continue to lead growth. Wingstop (+14.43%), Scooter’s Coffee (+13.20%), and Jersey Mike’s (+11.74%) are all counter service concepts, consistent with the broader trend of fast casual and QSR outpacing full-service dining in expansion activity. A broader three-year comparison is available in RestaurantData’s fastest-growing restaurant brands analysis. More recent verified development activity across growing companies is organized through the Expansion Pressure Index™.

Jersey Mike’s is approaching 3,000 locations with 2,989 units at year-end 2024. A remarkable milestone for a brand that was under 2,000 locations just a few years ago. Its 11.74% YOY growth rate at that scale is exceptional.

Papa Murphy’s leads declines at -7.36% with 1,044 locations. A significant contraction for the take-and-bake pizza chain. Taco John’s (-6.59%) and Checkers (-3.97%) also reflect continued pressure on legacy QSR brands facing competitive and operational headwinds.

In all, there are more than 135,000 franchised restaurant locations in the U.S. These locations are organized within Atlas by RestaurantData, which connects restaurant locations with brands, franchisees, operating companies, parent organizations, and executive contacts.

Big Gainers: Fastest-Growing Franchise Brands

The following brands showed the strongest year-over-year location-count growth as of December 31, 2024, based on early FDD filings received through April 8, 2025.

Source: RestaurantData.com · Top 100 Franchisors Early Bird Report · 50 of 100 brands reporting · Location counts as of December 31, 2024

#	Brand	Locations (12/31/2024)	YOY Growth
1	Wingstop	2,204	+14.43%
2	Scooter’s Coffee	849	+13.20%
3	Jersey Mike’s	2,989	+11.74%
4	Wetzel’s Pretzels	425	+10.10%
5	Freddy’s	550	+6.38%
6	Cinnabon	1,030	+5.75%
7	Culver’s	997	+5.61%

* YOY growth represents the year-over-year percentage change from the prior year-end location count. The results are based on early FDD filings available as of April 8, 2025.

Big Losers: Brands Facing Unit-Count Declines

The following brands reported year-over-year declines in location count as of December 31, 2024, based on early FDD filings received through April 8, 2025. FDD unit-count declines should be distinguished from broader market closure activity, which is examined in RestaurantData’s First-Half 2026 Restaurant Closure Report.

#	Brand	Locations (12/31/2024)	YOY Decline
1	Papa Murphy’s	1,044	-7.36%
2	Taco John’s	340	-6.59%
3	Checkers	484	-3.97%

* YOY decline represents the year-over-year percentage change from the prior year-end location count. The results are based on early FDD filings available as of April 8, 2025.

Related Franchise and FDD Research

The following RestaurantData reports provide additional analysis of franchise unit counts, ownership structure, multi-year growth, development pipelines, and company-owned versus franchised locations.

Restaurant Franchise FDD Analysis and Growth Trends
Review the current RestaurantData franchise research covering unit growth, average unit volumes, recent filings, and expansion activity across larger restaurant systems.

Top 100 Restaurant Franchisor Growth Trends
Compare multi-year growth among the largest restaurant franchise systems, including differences between larger established brands and smaller franchise concepts.

Restaurant Franchise Growth Stories: FDD Analysis 2021–2025
Examine unit growth, signed development agreements, future locations, franchisee activity, and operating changes across seven restaurant franchise brands.

Restaurant Franchise Disclosure Document Analysis: Top 20 Brands
Review franchised and company-owned unit counts, average unit volumes, service formats, cuisines, and geographic coverage among major restaurant franchisors.

Burger King FDD and Franchisee Ownership Changes
See how Franchise Disclosure Document research can identify ownership transfers, franchisee consolidation, and changes within a major restaurant-brand system.

Continue Through the RestaurantData Research Center

This article is part of the RestaurantData Research Center, which connects public reports to the same definitions, verified company relationships, opening research, and analytical platforms used throughout RestaurantData.

Atlas by RestaurantData
Search the connected restaurant intelligence platform behind this report, including locations, restaurant companies, franchise systems, franchisees, ownership hierarchies, executive contacts, technology, and development activity.

Restaurant Data Dictionary
Review the canonical definitions, classifications, record types, ownership relationships, FDD terms, operating characteristics, and verification methods used across Atlas and published research.

Weekly Restaurant Opening Alerts
Follow verified restaurant openings, pre-opening developments, ownership changes, relocations, and other foodservice projects as individual records are researched.

Expansion Pressure Index™
Compare documented short-term expansion activity within relevant operating cohorts rather than relying only on annual unit-count rankings.

Restaurant Enterprise Index™
Examine larger franchise organizations, restaurant companies, multi-concept operators, ownership groups, enterprise relationships, and organizational change.

Restaurant Opening Analysis
See how early public signals become verified, location-anchored development records and how those observations support ongoing market analysis.

Restaurant Industry Insights
Read current studies of franchise growth, company expansion, ownership trends, executive movement, openings, closures, and restaurant-market activity.

Historical Research Archive
Place this dated early report in context with earlier RestaurantData studies and later completed analyses.

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