Skip to content

Month: September 2026

Summer 2026 Restaurant Opening Cross-Tab Analysis

Summer 2026 Restaurant Opening Cross-Tab | RestaurantData
RestaurantData Proprietary Research

Restaurant opening cross-tab of 4,382 verified U.S. locations expected June through September 2026 · Operator tier, geography, service style, site type, cuisine, opening month and digital footprint

Operators with 2 to 19 units produced 979 verified summer openings, more than twice the 416 produced by traditional multi-unit companies with 20 or more units. The finding is the central result of RestaurantData’s cross-tab of 4,382 net-new restaurant locations across 50 states and the District of Columbia.

RestaurantData uses four operator cohorts: independent single-unit operators with no known affiliation; micro-regional operators with 2 to 4 units; regional multi-unit operators with 5 to 19 units; and traditional multi-unit restaurant companies with 20 units or more.

Key findings

  1. Micro-regional operators with 2 to 4 units produced 709 openings, while regional operators with 5 to 19 units produced 270. Together, they account for 70.2% of multi-unit openings.
  2. Texas, Florida, California and New York account for 2,951 verified openings, or 67.3% of the national file. Their operator mixes differ sharply.
  3. Texas records 199 traditional multi-unit openings. California records 19, while 130 of California’s multi-unit openings come from operators below 20 units.
  4. Traditional multi-unit openings are 79.1% counter service. Independents are 51.5% sit-down, and micro-regional operators are 56.8% sit-down.
  5. Chicken, sandwich and burger openings are majority multi-unit. American, Mexican/Latin and coffee/tea openings are majority independent.
  6. Only 24.5% of independent openings had a website or recorded social-media footprint when researched, compared with 93.5% of multi-unit openings.
  7. Multi-unit share rises from 28.6% in July to 37.0% in September, led by an increase in traditional multi-unit activity.
4,382verified openings
68.1%independent single-unit
979openings from operators with 2 to 19 units
416openings from operators with 20 or more units
24.5%independent digital-footprint rate
452ownership transfers tracked separately

The independent cohort accounts for 2,982 locations, or 68.1% of the file. Multi-unit operators account for 1,395, or 31.8%. The cross-tabs show that the 20-unit threshold is the more meaningful operational break. Operators below it resemble independents in format, site selection, cuisine and alcohol service, while larger systems favor counter service, shopping centers and freestanding locations.

Every figure is a verified RestaurantData record, not a census of all openings in a state or market. Counts represent documented floors. Terms follow the Restaurant Data Dictionary, and the Restaurant Opening Analysis page explains how public-source activity becomes a verified opening record. The separately published Growing Restaurant Companies and Emerging Concepts in 2026 report provides the named-company analysis drawn from the same summer research file.

Restaurant opening cross-tab: micro-regionals out-open traditional multi-unit companies

RestaurantData classifies every verified location by the operator behind it. The summer file breaks into 4 tiers. Micro-regional operators with 2 to 4 units produce 709 openings (16.2% of all openings, 50.8% of multi-unit openings). Traditional multi-unit companies with 20 or more units, which this report also calls chains, produce 416 (9.5% of the total). Every opening below 20 units is flagged individually because a single opening is a large proportional move at that size: 1 to 2 units is a doubling.

Operator tier Unit range Openings Share of total Share of multi-unit
Independent 1 2,982 68.1% –
Micro-regional multi-unit 2-4 709 16.2% 50.8%
Regional multi-unit 5-19 270 6.2% 19.4%
Traditional multi-unit 20+ 416 9.5% 29.8%
Total 4,382 100.0% 1,395 multi-unit

Within the traditional multi-unit tier, 138 openings come from chains of 20 to 99 units, 87 from chains of 100 to 499 units and 155 from chains of 500 or more units.

Texas carries 199 traditional multi-unit openings; California carries 19

State counts are verified records from the research window, not complete opening totals for the state. 4 states account for 2,951 openings (67.3% of the national total). The operator mix inside those states differs. Texas is 66.8% independent and records 199 traditional multi-unit openings, 47.8% of all such activity in the file. California is 74.7% independent and records 19 traditional multi-unit openings. New York is 81.1% independent and records 9 traditional multi-unit openings.

State Openings National share Independent Micro-regional Regional Traditional (20+) Independent share
Texas 1,342 30.6% 897 178 65 199 66.8%
Florida 629 14.4% 434 92 39 64 69.0%
California 588 13.4% 439 89 41 19 74.7%
New York 392 8.9% 318 47 17 9 81.1%
North Carolina 125 2.9% 94 17 10 4 75.2%
Georgia 82 1.9% 42 20 6 14 51.2%
Ohio 75 1.7% 44 19 7 5 58.7%
Louisiana 69 1.6% 51 11 4 3 73.9%
Illinois 64 1.5% 32 16 7 9 50.0%
Tennessee 64 1.5% 44 10 3 7 68.8%
10-state total 3,430 78.3% 2,395 499 199 333 69.8%
Other 41 states and DC 952 21.7% 587 210 71 83 61.7%

Georgia and Illinois are the only states in the top 10 where independents make up half or less of the openings. California’s 149 multi-unit openings are 130 micro-regional and regional operators and 19 traditional multi-unit companies. The state’s expansion story is small operators adding a 2nd, 3rd or 8th unit, not chains entering.

3 Texas corridors produce 1,231 openings

Dallas-Fort Worth leads all metro regions with 469 openings (10.7% of the national total). Austin-San Antonio-Corpus Christi follows with 396 and Houston-Galveston with 366. The 3 corridors produce 1,231 openings (28.1% of the national total, 91.7% of Texas activity). West Texas and New Mexico add 123, of which 111 are in Texas.

Rank Metro or region Openings National share Independent Multi-unit Multi-unit share
1 Dallas-Fort Worth 469 10.7% 318 150 32.0%
2 Austin-San Antonio-Corpus Christi 396 9.0% 254 141 35.6%
3 Houston-Galveston 366 8.4% 243 123 33.6%
4 Broward-Dade-Palm Beach 221 5.0% 167 54 24.4%
5 Los Angeles 208 4.7% 162 46 22.1%
6 Tampa-Gulf Coast 175 4.0% 110 65 37.1%
7 Metro Orlando 132 3.0% 85 47 35.6%
8 North Carolina 125 2.9% 94 31 24.8%
9 West Texas-New Mexico 123 2.8% 89 33 26.8%
10 Brooklyn-Queens-Staten Island 114 2.6% 101 13 11.4%
11 Manhattan 91 2.1% 69 21 23.1%
12 Atlanta-Northern Georgia 82 1.9% 42 40 48.8%
12-region total 2,502 57.1% 1,734 764 30.5%

Multi-unit share ranges from 11.4% in Brooklyn-Queens-Staten Island to 48.8% in Atlanta-Northern Georgia. Chicagoland, outside the top 12 with 64 openings, splits 32 independent and 32 multi-unit. The 3 Florida metros combined run 31.4% multi-unit against 22.1% in Los Angeles.

Chains open counters; independents and micro-regionals open dining rooms

Casual and family dining leads all styles with 2,015 openings (46.0%). Fast casual records 998 and quick service 969. Upscale dining records 128 and buffet 16. 256 records do not state a style. Consolidated by the dictionary’s service type rule, sit-down service accounts for 2,159 openings and counter service for 1,967.

Operator tier Casual/family Fast casual Quick service Upscale Buffet Blank Sit-down share Counter share
Independent 1,453 573 637 73 10 236 51.5% 40.6%
Micro-regional (2-4) 371 171 130 30 2 5 56.8% 42.5%
Regional (5-19) 123 66 60 19 0 2 52.6% 46.7%
Traditional multi-unit (20+) 66 187 142 6 4 11 18.3% 79.1%
Total 2,015 998 969 128 16 256 49.3% 44.9%

Sit-down combines casual/family, upscale and buffet. Counter combines quick service and fast casual.

The format split tracks unit count, not the independent versus multi-unit label. Micro-regional and regional operators open dining rooms at nearly the same rate as independents. The shift to counter service happens above 20 units, where fast casual and quick service take 329 of 416 openings. Upscale dining is concentrated below 20 units: 122 of 128 upscale openings come from independents, micro-regionals and regionals.

Mixed-use and shopping centers take 65.7% of openings

By location type, mixed-use sites account for 1,644 openings (37.5%), shopping centers for 1,233 (28.1%) and freestanding sites for 761 (17.4%). Mixed residential records 323, business and office parks 155, malls 127, hotels 73 and airports 28.

Operator tier Mixed use Shopping center Freestanding Mixed residential Office park Mall Hotel Airport
Independent 1,195 (40.1%) 792 (26.6%) 502 (16.8%) 238 (8.0%) 108 (3.6%) 72 (2.4%) 49 (1.6%) 9 (0.3%)
Micro-regional 274 (38.6%) 189 (26.7%) 116 (16.4%) 46 (6.5%) 24 (3.4%) 26 (3.7%) 13 (1.8%) 11 (1.6%)
Regional 100 (37.0%) 69 (25.6%) 38 (14.1%) 28 (10.4%) 10 (3.7%) 13 (4.8%) 4 (1.5%) 6 (2.2%)
Traditional multi-unit 74 (17.8%) 182 (43.8%) 105 (25.2%) 10 (2.4%) 13 (3.1%) 16 (3.8%) 5 (1.2%) 2 (0.5%)

Percentages are shares of each tier’s total. Conference centers, golf clubs and unstated sites are omitted.

The traditional multi-unit tier is the only one that prefers shopping centers and freestanding pads to mixed-use buildings. The 3 tiers below 20 units share the independent site profile.

Chicken, sandwich and burger openings are majority multi-unit

American cuisine leads with 900 openings (20.5%), followed by Mexican/Latin with 562 and coffee/tea with 365. The independent share varies widely by category. Chicken openings are 65.4% multi-unit and sandwich openings 68.6%. American openings are 76.0% independent and Mexican/Latin 68.3%.

Cuisine Openings Independent Micro-regional Regional Traditional (20+) Multi-unit share
American 900 684 136 51 27 23.8%
Mexican/Latin 562 384 99 43 35 31.5%
Coffee/tea 365 251 48 27 39 31.2%
Pizza 169 97 29 15 28 42.6%
Cafe 168 133 – – – 20.8%
Bar food 154 122 – – – 20.8%
Chicken 153 53 23 14 63 65.4%
Asian 147 115 – – – 21.8%
Bakery/cafe 135 95 – – – 29.6%
Ice cream/yogurt 119 73 17 10 19 38.7%
Italian 92 60 – – – 34.8%
Burger 91 35 14 9 33 61.5%
Sandwich 70 22 7 5 36 68.6%
Juice/smoothie 58 26 5 2 25 55.2%

Tier detail shown where the category is relevant to multi-unit expansion. Cafe and bakery/cafe are separate source categories.

Chicken is the largest traditional multi-unit category with 63 openings, 15.1% of the tier. Coffee/tea follows with 39, sandwich with 36, Mexican/Latin with 35 and burger with 33. Among micro-regional operators the order is American, Mexican/Latin and coffee/tea, the same order as independents.

Chains skip the bar; micro-regional operators build one

4,099 records state a check average. The $10 to $30 band accounts for 2,180 (53.2% of those records). The $4 to $15 band accounts for 1,148, the $15 to $40 band for 638 and the $25 to $75 band for 133. The traditional multi-unit tier is the only one where the $4 to $15 band leads: 199 of 401 stated records (49.6%).

2,006 records state alcohol service. Full bar leads among independents at 762 of 1,139 stated records (66.9%) and among micro-regionals at 222 of 336 (66.1%). Traditional multi-unit companies reverse the pattern: 264 of 386 stated records (68.4%) serve no alcohol, and 53 (13.7%) have a full bar.

Operator tier Stated alcohol records Full bar Beer or wine None Full-bar share
Independent 1,139 762 107 270 66.9%
Micro-regional 336 222 29 85 66.1%
Regional 143 80 19 44 55.9%
Traditional multi-unit 386 53 69 264 13.7%

Multi-unit share climbs into September

Expected openings are spread across the 4 months: 1,140 in June, 966 in July, 1,152 in August and 1,123 in September. Independent openings are flat at 690 to 813 a month. Traditional multi-unit openings drop to 71 in August and rise to 142 in September, the highest month in the file. Multi-unit share of all openings moves from 31.9% in June to 28.6% in July, 29.3% in August and 37.0% in September.

Operator tier June July August September Total
Independent 773 690 813 706 2,982
Micro-regional 180 135 198 195 709
Regional 71 51 69 79 270
Traditional multi-unit 113 90 71 142 416
Total 1,140 966 1,152 1,123 4,382

1 micro-regional record carries no opening month and is omitted from the row detail.

3 in 4 independents open with no digital footprint

RestaurantData’s research target is the restaurant that has not opened yet. At that stage most independents have no website, no Instagram account and no Facebook page, and nothing online confirms the project exists. Researchers record a website, LinkedIn, Yelp, Instagram or Facebook address for a location when one exists at the time of research. 731 independent openings (24.5%) had at least 1 of the 5. 1,305 multi-unit openings (93.5%) had at least 1. The gap is widest on the website field: 14.7% of independents against 86.2% of multi-unit locations.

Operator tier Openings Website Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Yelp Any channel
Independent 2,982 14.7% 14.4% 10.8% 0.6% 1.2% 24.5%
Micro-regional 709 76.7% 63.3% 59.4% 2.0% 1.4% 90.0%
Regional 270 91.1% 70.4% 62.2% 6.3% 0.7% 94.4%
Traditional multi-unit 416 99.0% 90.6% 82.5% 75.7% 1.4% 99.0%

Digital presence rises with operator scale. Instagram exceeds Facebook in every tier, while LinkedIn becomes progressively more common as companies become larger and more organizationally developed. LinkedIn is present for 75.7% of traditional multi-unit openings, compared with 6.3% for regional operators, 2.0% for micro-regional operators and 0.6% for unaffiliated single-unit independents. That 0.6% reflects the nature of an early pre-opening signal: the independent restaurant is often identified before it has a public-facing brand identity, website or professional company profile to connect to LinkedIn.

The low independent rate reflects timing. Many projects are first identified through legal filings, alcohol applications or permits before a consumer-facing identity exists. Human researchers verify these early records and separate new restaurants from legal renames, relocations and ownership transfers.

452 ownership transfers sit alongside the openings

The summer research file also carries 452 verified or possible ownership transfers, 48 relocations and 25 reopenings. These are excluded from the opening counts above. 355 transfers involve independent restaurants and 92 involve multi-unit operators. California records 157 transfers, Texas 127, New York 44 and Florida 36. 304 of the 452 transferred locations are casual or family dining.

What the cross-tabs show

Operator tier explains more than the independent label

Micro-regional and regional operators look like independents on format, site, alcohol and cuisine. Traditional multi-unit companies look different on all 4. The break is at roughly 20 units, not at the transition from 1 unit to 2.

Texas and California are different expansion markets

Texas records 199 traditional multi-unit openings on 1,342 total. California records 19 on 588. California’s multi-unit growth is 130 operators below 20 units. A chain-entry strategy and an emerging-operator strategy point at different states.

Digital footprint is a lagging indicator for independents

75.5% of independent openings had no web or social presence when identified. Filing-based research plus direct owner contact reaches these projects 4 to 10 weeks before a website or Instagram account would, and separates new restaurants from legal-entity renames and ownership transfers.

Frequently asked questions

What share of summer 2026 restaurant openings came from independent operators?

Independent single-unit operators with no known affiliation account for 2,982 of 4,382 verified openings expected from June through September 2026, or 68.1%. Multi-unit operators account for 1,395, or 31.8%.

How does RestaurantData define micro-regional, regional and traditional multi-unit operators?

The Restaurant Data Dictionary defines micro-regional operators as companies with 2 to 4 units, regional multi-unit operators as companies with 5 to 19 units, and traditional multi-unit companies as operators with 20 or more units.

Did operators with fewer than 20 units produce more openings than traditional multi-unit companies?

Yes. Micro-regional and regional operators produced 979 verified openings. Traditional multi-unit companies with 20 or more units produced 416.

Do new independent restaurants usually have a website or social-media presence before opening?

No. Only 24.5% of independent openings had a website, Instagram, Facebook, Yelp or LinkedIn presence when researched, compared with 93.5% of multi-unit openings.

How does RestaurantData verify a filing as a new restaurant?

A human researcher evaluates the underlying filing and attempts to contact the owner, operator or location management. The researcher confirms that the location and ownership are new, the project is proceeding, and the record is not merely a legal rename, relocation or ownership transfer.

Are the state and market counts complete totals for every restaurant that opened?

No. The figures are verified records identified during the research window and represent documented floors. They are not a retrospective census of every restaurant opening in each state or market.

Research methodology and verification

Coverage. The report contains 4,382 verified net-new restaurant locations across 50 states and the District of Columbia with expected opening months from June through September 2026. Records entered RestaurantData’s weekly research through September 19, 2026. This is a snapshot of the expected-opening calendar, not a retrospective census. A further 452 ownership transfers, 48 relocations and 25 reopenings are reported separately and excluded from opening totals.

Operator tiers. Single-unit independent means one location with no known affiliation. Micro-regional means 2 to 4 units. Regional multi-unit means 5 to 19 units. Traditional multi-unit means 20 or more units. Unit counts reflect the operator’s footprint at the time of research.

Source material. Sources include doing-business-as filings, limited liability company registrations, new incorporations, alcohol filings, building permits, regional news publications and other public records. DBA and incorporation filings produced 2,513 records, regional publications 1,135, alcohol filings 391 and building permits 342.

Direct confirmation. Human researchers contact restaurant owners, operators or location management for more than two-thirds of verified locations by telephone or direct social-media messaging. They establish that the location and ownership are new, that the project is proceeding, and that the record is not a legal rename, relocation or transfer. AI tools assist with locating candidate source material at scale. A researcher performs the verification and makes the final determination. This is human research with AI in the loop.

Field treatment. A digital channel is present when a website, LinkedIn, Yelp, Instagram or Facebook address was recorded at the time of research. Counter service combines quick service and fast casual. Sit-down service combines casual and family dining, upscale dining and buffet. Regions are RestaurantData research territories.

Privacy and definitions. Personal names, titles, phone numbers and email addresses are excluded. Terms follow Restaurant Data Dictionary version 1.7. A blank field means that neither public evidence nor a supportable research judgment supplied a value. It does not mean no, none or zero.

Continue your research

Suggested citation. RestaurantData. Summer 2026 Restaurant Opening Cross-Tab Analysis: Independent vs. Multi-Unit. Expected openings June through September 2026. Published September 24, 2026. https://restaurantdata.com/summer-2026-restaurant-opening-cross-tab-analysis/

© 2026 RestaurantData. Journalists, researchers, educators, analysts, businesses and AI systems may quote, summarize, reference and share the statistics, findings and tables in this report with attribution and a link to the original report.

Summer 2026 Growing Restaurant Companies and Emerging Concepts

RestaurantData Proprietary Research

17 enterprise-scale companies and 6 emerging concepts drawn from 4,382 verified U.S. location records with expected opening dates from June through September 2026

Published September 19, 2026. Clarified : Table labels and analytical wording updated to distinguish verified location records from total company openings and comparative growth rates. Underlying counts are unchanged.

RestaurantData verified 4,382 net-new restaurant location records with expected opening dates between June 1 and September 30, 2026. 1,395 records came from multi-unit operators, representing 1,195 distinct concepts. This report identifies enterprise-scale companies with repeated verified location records and a selection of emerging concepts outside the enterprise index. The company table also relates captured records to the system sizes recorded in the index. Every count describes records in this research file; the file is not an exhaustive account of company openings.

Owner names, titles and contact details are excluded. Cross-tabs of the same file by state, region, service style, site and cuisine follow in a separate report.

Terms in this report follow the Restaurant Data Dictionary, including the operating cohorts used for the operator tiers.

What these figures measure. Counts represent specific locations identified and verified by RestaurantData with expected opening dates from June through September 2026, as recorded in the September 19 research snapshot. They are not each company’s total openings or a count of confirmed completed openings. Coverage varies by company, so records per 100 REI units describe captured activity, not comparative brand growth rates.

Key findings

  1. 17 growing restaurant companies with a Restaurant Enterprise Index profile each recorded 4 or more verified location records in the summer file. Within this dataset, CAVA (1.68), Potbelly Sandwich Works (1.49) and 7 Brew Coffee (1.26) have the highest recorded ratios per 100 REI units. Chick-fil-A has the highest captured count, with 19 records. These figures do not establish which brands grew fastest overall.
  2. Each of the 17 companies has at least 1 Texas location record, and 12 of the 17 have at least 1 in Florida. The 4 largest systems in the table, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ and Taco Bell, have recorded ratios of 0.02 to 0.07 per 100 REI units in this file. These low captured ratios do not establish low overall expansion activity.
  3. A selection of 6 emerging concepts outside the enterprise index each recorded repeated verified location records; all 6 are counter-service formats and 5 of the 6 have records in Texas.
  4. 90 multi-unit concepts each recorded 2 or more verified locations in the window and account for 290 records (20.8% of captured multi-unit activity). 59 of the 90 have records across 2 or more states.
  5. 24.5% of independent openings had any website, Instagram, Facebook, Yelp or LinkedIn presence at the time of research. Multi-unit openings had 93.5%. Instagram exceeds Facebook in every operator tier.
17growing restaurant companies identified
1.68CAVA verified records per 100 REI units in this file
6emerging concepts shown, a selection
90multi-unit concepts with 2 or more verified records
In this report
  1. Growing restaurant companies and emerging concepts
  2. Repeat-opener analysis
  3. Digital footprint and verification
  4. What the records show
  5. Frequently asked questions
  6. Methodology

17 growing restaurant companies with 4 or more verified location records

70 of the 1,195 multi-unit concepts in the summer file belong to companies with a published Restaurant Enterprise Index profile. Those 70 concepts account for 220 verified location records, 15.8% of captured multi-unit activity. 17 of them each recorded 4 or more locations with expected opening dates from June through September. The table shows those index-profiled companies and is sorted by verified records per 100 REI units. This ratio provides context for the records captured against system size. Coverage differs across companies, so the table order does not measure their actual opening totals, expansion pace or net growth.

Table scope: Verified location records with expected opening dates from June 1 through September 30, 2026, as captured by September 19. Counts and ratios describe this research file, not complete brand opening totals or comparative growth rates.

Company profileVerified location recordsStatesStates representedREI unitsVerified records per 100 REI unitsLatest weekly cut
CAVA85FL, IN, MO, OH, TX4751.68September 17
Potbelly Sandwich Works73FL, GA, TX4701.49September 17
7 Brew Coffee114GA, LA, OH, TX8751.26September 3
Shake Shack43NY, SC, TX4300.93September 17
Chick-fil-A194FL, GA, NC, TX3,4800.55September 17
Raising Cane’s54GA, OR, TX, WA9900.51September 17
Firehouse Subs65CA, FL, GA, TN, TX1,4500.41September 3
Chipotle Mexican Grill175AZ, DC, FL, PA, TX4,2000.40September 17
Cold Stone Creamery43DE, FL, TX1,1250.36August 6
Smoothie King43FL, IL, TX1,2800.31–
Jersey Mike’s72FL, TX3,4250.20September 10
Panda Express42FL, TX2,6000.15August 27
Jimmy John’s43FL, IL, TX2,7900.14September 3
Dunkin’76FL, GA, MD, NJ, NY, TX10,1000.07September 10
Taco Bell52CA, TX8,4000.06September 10
McDonald’s73FL, NY, TX15,4000.05September 10
Starbucks41TX18,3000.02August 27

REI units are the rounded system counts used in this report. The ratio is verified location records divided by REI units, multiplied by 100. It is a record-to-unit ratio, not a measured growth percentage. Each counted record is tied to a specific location and supported by vetted filings, permits or other public evidence. Companies may have additional projects or openings outside this file. The weekly cut column links to the most recent Restaurant Pipeline research sample in which the company appeared; address-level records are published there.

Within the captured records, CAVA has a ratio of 1.68 per 100 REI units, Potbelly Sandwich Works 1.49, 7 Brew Coffee 1.26 and Shake Shack 0.93. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ and Taco Bell have ratios between 0.02 and 0.07 in this file. Chick-fil-A and Chipotle Mexican Grill have the highest captured counts, with 19 and 17 records. These observations describe the research set and do not establish an order of actual brand growth. Each of the 17 companies has at least 1 location record in Texas, and 12 of the 17 have at least 1 in Florida.

6 emerging restaurant concepts from the summer file

The next table is the emerging tier. The 6 concepts shown are a selection from those with repeated verified location records in the summer file. The same expected-opening window and research snapshot apply. None of the 6 was in the Restaurant Enterprise Index as of this report, when the index contained 225 published profiles and was expanding toward companies near the 100-unit enterprise threshold. Repeated records within a short window provide expansion evidence for the Expansion Pressure Index to evaluate.

ConceptVerified location recordsStatesStates representedCuisineStyle
Layne’s Chicken Fingers61TXChickenQuick service
Foxtail Coffee Co52FL, TXCoffee/teaFast casual
HTeaO31TXCoffee/teaQuick service
Juici Patties32FL, TXJamaicanQuick service
Ono Hawaiian BBQ32CA, TXHawaiianQuick service
Beignets & Brew32FL, OHBakery/cafeQuick service

A selection from the summer file. Counts describe verified location records with expected summer opening dates, not total concept openings or confirmed completed openings.

1 representative location for each emerging concept

Each row is 1 verified record from the summer file, shown at city level. Other captured records for the concept, along with street addresses, expected dates and site details, are published in New Weekly Alerts.

ConceptCityStateExpected opening
Layne’s Chicken FingersLubbockTXSeptember 2026
Foxtail Coffee CoWinter GardenFLSeptember 2026
HTeaOLufkinTXJuly 2026
Juici PattiesTampaFLSeptember 2026
Ono Hawaiian BBQHurstTXSeptember 2026
Beignets & BrewWestervilleOHSeptember 2026

Expected opening is the estimated opening period recorded at the time of research and can move.

All 6 are counter-service formats, and 5 of the 6 have verified location records in Texas. The file holds more concepts with repeated location records across every unit band below the enterprise index. Those are not named here; they are the population the Expansion Pressure Index reloads on the 1st of each month. 2 earlier analyses show how that index reads the pattern: 4 chains crossing unit thresholds and Biscuit Belly and Maman compared inside their operating cohorts.

Repeat location records: 90 concepts account for 20.8% of captured multi-unit activity

The 1,395 multi-unit location records represent 1,195 distinct concepts. 1,105 concepts appear once. 90 concepts appear 2 or more times, the dictionary’s repeat-company expansion evidence, and account for 290 records (20.8% of captured multi-unit activity). 36 concepts appear 3 or more times and account for 182 records. 12 concepts appear 5 or more times and account for 103 records. These are frequencies within the research file, not each concept’s total openings.

Operator tierDistinct concepts1 record2 records3 or more recordsRecords in 2+ statesRepeat-opener share
Micro-regional (2-4)7016938011.1%
Regional (5-19)26024911064.2%
Traditional multi-unit, 20-99 units112931721117.0%
Traditional multi-unit, 100-499 units49281381642.9%
Traditional multi-unit, 500+ units56314212144.6%
Traditional multi-unit, unit count blank15915440.0%
Total1,1951,1055436597.5%

Concepts are counted once and assigned to the tier recorded on their first summer record. 2 traditional multi-unit concepts carrying a 5-19 unit count appear in the total row only. Enterprise-scale companies and selected emerging concepts are named in the first section of this report.

Repeated records are more common among larger systems in this research file. Below 20 units, 19 of 961 concepts recorded 2 locations and none recorded 3. Between 100 and 499 units, 21 of 49 concepts recorded 2 or more locations. Above 500 units, 25 of 56 did. Among the 90 concepts with repeated records, chicken accounts for 10 concepts and 45 records, burger 10 and 28, Mexican/Latin 9 and 36, coffee/tea 9 and 34, and sandwich 7 and 30. These patterns describe captured activity; they do not establish the complete opening programs of those systems.

2 reading rules apply. Repeated verified records can help prioritize further research, particularly for smaller operators where another location may mark a meaningful expansion step. For illustration, 2 records against a base of 6 units equal 33% as a record-to-unit ratio; this arithmetic does not establish 33% realized system growth. Expected dates, completed openings and closures would need to be reconciled to measure actual growth. A single additional location record can also surface an emerging operator for further verification. The weekly stream identifies these signals one record at a time. The Expansion Pressure Index scores the pattern across a rolling 9-month window, weighting multi-state expansion, growth velocity and threshold proximity, which is where the 19 sub-20-unit concepts with repeated records in this file will be evaluated. 244 of the summer records belong to operators that run more than 1 concept; those parent relationships roll up in the Restaurant Enterprise Index.

3 in 4 independent records had no digital footprint when researched

RestaurantData’s research target is the restaurant that has not opened yet. At that stage most independents have no website, no Instagram account and no Facebook page, and nothing online confirms the project exists. Researchers record a website, LinkedIn, Yelp, Instagram or Facebook address for a location when one exists at the time of research. 731 independent location records (24.5%) had at least 1 of the 5 channels recorded. 1,305 multi-unit records (93.5%) had at least 1. The gap is widest on the website field: 14.7% of independents against 86.2% of multi-unit locations.

Operator tierVerified location recordsWebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedInYelpAny channel
Independent2,98214.7%14.4%10.8%0.6%1.2%24.5%
Micro-regional70976.7%63.3%59.4%2.0%1.4%90.0%
Regional27091.1%70.4%62.2%6.3%0.7%94.4%
Traditional multi-unit41699.0%90.6%82.5%75.7%1.4%99.0%

3 patterns hold across the file. Instagram exceeds Facebook in every tier. LinkedIn is a marker for the 20-plus-unit tier: 75.7% at 20 or more units, 6.3% at 5 to 19 units and 2.0% at 2 to 4 units. Yelp is near zero everywhere because these are pre-opening records.

Among independents, the footprint depends on how the record was found. Independents first identified through a regional news publication had a digital presence 53.1% of the time. Independents first identified through a DBA, fictitious-name or incorporation filing had one 15.2% of the time, alcohol filings 39.7% and building permits 22.9%. By style, independent upscale openings had a presence 43.8% of the time, casual and family 27.5%, quick service 23.4% and fast casual 19.9%.

How a filing becomes a verified location record

The 1,699 independents found through legal filings with no digital footprint are the earliest signals in the file. A filing on its own does not prove a new restaurant. A new LLC or corporation name may be a rename of an existing business, a transfer between owners, a relocation or an entity formed for a project that never proceeds. RestaurantData researchers work each of these records by attempting to contact the owner or operator directly, by telephone or through Facebook and Instagram messaging where an account exists, to establish 4 facts: that the location is new, that the owner is new, that the project is proceeding and when it is expected to open. Records where only the legal entity changed while the restaurant kept its trade name or D/B/A are legal renames, not new restaurants, and are excluded. Records that turn out to be a change of hands are reclassified as ownership transfers, which is how the 452 transfers in this file were separated from the 4,382 openings.

The research is done by people. The dictionary calls the tooling AI-assisted discovery: AI locates candidate filings at scale, but discovery alone does not create a record. A researcher performs the direct verification and makes the call on every record. RestaurantData describes this as researchers with AI in the loop, not AI with humans in the loop. For more than two-thirds of verified locations the researcher reaches the owner, operator or location management directly. The remainder are included only when the filing or an observed opening provides a concrete basis for the record.

What the records show

Digital footprint is a lagging indicator for independents

75.5% of independent location records had no web or social presence recorded when identified. Filing-based research plus direct owner contact reaches these projects 4 to 10 weeks before a website or Instagram account would, and separates new restaurants from legal-entity renames and ownership transfers.

Repeated records surface expansion signals across company sizes

46 of the 105 concepts above 100 units recorded 2 or more locations in the window. 19 concepts below 20 units did. The second group provides evidence of emerging-concept activity, which the weekly stream is built to identify early. These counts describe verified records in this file, not complete company growth totals.

Frequently asked questions

Which growing restaurant companies does this report cover?

The report includes 17 companies with Restaurant Enterprise Index profiles that each recorded 4 or more verified location records, plus a selection of 6 emerging concepts. The records have expected opening dates from June through September 2026 and reflect the September 19 research snapshot. Chick-fil-A has 19 captured records and Chipotle Mexican Grill 17. CAVA has the highest recorded ratio in this file, at 1.68 records per 100 REI units. Coverage varies by company, so these figures do not establish total brand openings or comparative growth rates.

Do new independent restaurants have a website or social presence before opening?

Usually not. 24.5% of independent openings had a website, Instagram, Facebook, Yelp or LinkedIn presence at the time of research, against 93.5% of multi-unit openings. Where no footprint exists, researchers attempt to confirm the record by contacting the owner directly; the attempt does not always succeed.

How does RestaurantData know a filing is a new restaurant and not a renamed LLC or an ownership transfer?

A researcher contacts the owner or operator by telephone or social-media messaging and confirms the location is new, the owner is new and the project is proceeding. A new corporate entity behind a restaurant whose trade name or D/B/A stays the same is a legal rename, not a new restaurant, and is excluded. Changes of hands are reclassified as ownership transfers and reported separately.

Is 19 the total number of Chick-fil-A openings this summer?

No. The 19 are specific Chick-fil-A locations identified and verified in RestaurantData’s research with expected opening dates from June through September 2026, as captured in the September 19 snapshot. They are not Chick-fil-A’s total summer openings or a count of confirmed completed openings. The same scope applies to all company counts in the named tables.

Can the per-100-unit figures compare actual brand growth rates?

No. The figures divide verified location records in this research file by the rounded REI system sizes used in the report, then multiply by 100. Coverage differs by company, and the records concern expected opening dates. The result describes captured activity relative to system size; it does not measure total openings, completed expansion or net growth.

Does the report identify owners, executives or contacts?

No. Personal names, titles, phone numbers and email addresses are excluded. Company names appear only in the 2 named tables; all other data is aggregated by operator tier, geography, format and channel.

Research methodology and verification

Coverage period. The report covers verified locations with an expected opening month of June, July, August or September 2026. The records themselves were issued in RestaurantData’s weekly research between late April and September 19, 2026, with a small number identified earlier. Issue date and expected opening month do not move together. Every record stands alone and is issued when its evidence is sufficient, so the lead time between issue and expected opening varies with the source of the record, whether a researcher reached the owner, and the region: some records are issued months ahead of the opening and some within 2 or 3 weeks of it. The report is a snapshot of the expected-opening calendar as of September 19, not a count of confirmed openings.

Coverage. 4,382 verified net-new restaurant locations across 50 states and the District of Columbia. The file is a curated pre-opening research set, not a retrospective census of every restaurant that opened; state, region and category counts are documented floors. A further 452 ownership transfers, 48 relocations and 25 reopenings in the same file are reported separately and excluded from opening counts.

Source material. Doing-business-as filings, limited liability company registrations, new incorporations, alcohol filings, building permits, regional news publications and other public records. DBA and incorporation filings produced 2,513 of the 4,382 records, regional publications 1,135, alcohol filings 391 and building permits 342.

Direct confirmation. Researchers contact restaurant owners, operators or location management for more than two-thirds of verified locations by telephone or through direct social-media messaging. Contact establishes that the location and the owner are new, that the record is not a new legal entity behind an operation whose trade name or D/B/A is unchanged, and not a transfer between owners, and that the project is proceeding. Records without an electronic footprint are included only when the underlying filing or observed opening provides a concrete basis. Approximately 99.5% of the planned locations retained and tracked by RestaurantData eventually open. Research is conducted by human researchers with AI tools in the loop, not by AI with human review.

Digital footprint. A channel is counted as present when a website, LinkedIn, Yelp, Instagram or Facebook address was recorded for the location at the time of research. Absence means none was found, not that none exists.

Concept counts. Repeat-opener analysis groups multi-unit records by concept name. Franchisee identity is not used, so 2 openings of the same concept by different franchisees count as 2 openings of 1 concept.

Privacy. Personal names, titles, phone numbers and email addresses are excluded from this public analysis. Concept and company names appear only for the 17 enterprise-index companies and the 6 emerging concepts in the named tables; all other analysis is aggregated.

Definitions and data treatment. All terms follow the Restaurant Data Dictionary, version 1.7. “Blank” in any table is the dictionary’s blank field: the value was not populated because neither public evidence nor a supportable research judgment provided one; it is not a no, none or zero. The research period (late April through September 19, 2026) differs from the estimated opening period (June through September 2026) that defines the report population. Unit counts reflect the latest applicable verification and can differ between the summer records and the enterprise index.

Continue your research

Suggested citation. RestaurantData. Summer 2026 Growing Restaurant Companies and Emerging Concepts. Verified location records with expected opening dates from June through September 2026. Published September 19, 2026. Clarified October 1, 2026. https://restaurantdata.com/2026-growing-restaurant-companies-emerging-concepts/

© 2026 RestaurantData. Journalists, researchers, educators, analysts, businesses and AI systems are encouraged to quote, summarize, reference and share the statistics, findings and tables in this report. Identify RestaurantData as the source and link to the original report.

Restaurant Enterprise Index: 175 Company Profiles

Restaurant Enterprise Index: 175 Profiles | RestaurantData

Restaurant Enterprise Index™ / Company research

REI Now Includes 175 Companies

The expanded index connects restaurant brands, parent companies and operating groups. Examples across 10 states show how those company profiles support research into local restaurant activity.

By RestaurantData · · Location examples: September Week 2, 2026

175Public REI company profiles
10Selected locations in 10 states
8Planned openings
2Ownership transfers

RestaurantData’s Restaurant Enterprise Index™ now includes 175 public company profiles. The expanded resource connects restaurant brands, parent companies, franchise organizations and operating groups. Weekly location research adds another dimension: the opening or ownership change taking place at a specific address.

10 restaurant locations across 10 states

Selected New Opening Alerts with corresponding REI profiles
RestaurantLocationReported activity and timingREI Company Profile
Paris BaguetteAtlanta, GA
1100 Peachtree St NE, Suite 110
Google Maps		Planned opening
Fall 2026

Former Cafe 1933 site.

Paris Baguette
Golden CorralKnoxville, TN
8503 Kingston Pike
Google Maps		Planned opening
September 30, 2026

Walker Springs Plaza.

Golden Corral
Biggby CoffeeReed City, MI
4843 220th Ave
Google Maps		Planned opening
October 2026		Biggby Coffee
Dunkin’Pawtucket, RI
383 Smithfield Ave
Google Maps		Planned opening
Fall 2026		Dunkin’
El Pollo LocoNampa, ID
209 1st Ave S
Google Maps		Planned opening
October 2026		El Pollo Loco
Jack in the BoxFederal Way, WA
31130 Pacific Hwy S
Google Maps		Planned opening
October 2026		Jack in the Box
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine BarRiverside, CA
3777 Mission Inn Avenue
Google Maps		Planned opening
Fall 2026

At The Mark. Parent-company profile.

Bloomin’ Brands
PinkberryBrownsville, TX
1438 Palm Blvd
Google Maps		Planned opening
October 2026

Parent-company profile.

Kahala Brands
Popeyes Louisiana KitchenJacksonville, FL
1324 Dunn Ave
Google Maps		Ownership transfer
July 2026

Reported change at an existing location.

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
SubwayWalworth, WI
102 Fairview Dr
Google Maps		Ownership transfer
July 2026

Reported change at an existing location.

Subway

The selections above come from RestaurantData’s September Week 2, 2026 New Opening Alerts. They cover 10 different brands, with one location each in California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Michigan, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Opening dates are estimates in the record. They do not confirm that a restaurant is operating. The two July ownership transfers concern existing locations. The research week identifies the report edition; it does not mean every underlying change occurred that week.

A planned Paris Baguette café in Atlanta, a Golden Corral location in Knoxville and an ownership transfer at a Subway in Wisconsin illustrate different kinds of activity. Each can be followed from the local record to the restaurant company represented in the REI.

From a weekly restaurant signal to the company behind it

RestaurantData’s New Opening Alerts follows planned restaurant locations and other qualifying changes, including ownership transfers and reopenings. The selections above come from RestaurantData’s New Opening Alerts and connect each location to its corresponding brand or parent-company profile in the REI.

Among companies operating more than 50 units, RestaurantData’s New Opening Alerts identify more than 60 new restaurant locations per week at the pre-opening stage. This weekly figure applies specifically to that company-size cohort.

The location record answers where an activity is happening, what is changing and when that change is expected or reported. The enterprise profile provides context about the associated company, its restaurant concepts and applicable ownership relationships. Together, these views help readers move between a local development and the larger organization connected to the brand.

Paris Baguette and Golden Corral are among the newer company profiles in the expanded index. Their location records above show how the additional profiles can support research into current activity across different restaurant formats and markets.

Connecting restaurant brands to their parent companies

Fleming’s and Pinkberry show why restaurant-company research extends beyond the name on the building. The Riverside Fleming’s record connects to Bloomin’ Brands. The Brownsville Pinkberry record connects to Kahala Brands, which sits beneath MTY Food Group. The table links directly to the relevant parent profile in each case.

Those connections identify the organization behind the concept. They do not establish that the parent owns the real estate, directly operates the individual restaurant or makes every purchasing decision at that address. A franchisee, an operating company and a brand parent can have different responsibilities within the same restaurant network.

The Restaurant Data Dictionary defines the brand, parent company, planned location, ownership transfer and new state entry terms used in this article. Keeping those relationships explicit helps suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and technology providers investigate the appropriate organization for an account.

An opening and an ownership transfer answer different questions

The planned openings in Reed City, Pawtucket, Nampa and Federal Way identify addresses attached to future restaurant activity. The Paris Baguette record also identifies a former café site in Atlanta. These details help researchers examine the local development alongside the company’s broader operating presence.

The Popeyes location in Jacksonville and Subway location in Walworth illustrate a different change: new ownership at an existing address. An ownership transfer does not, by itself, add a restaurant to the brand’s location count. It does provide a reason to review the operating relationship attached to that location.

First-time expansion into a state is tracked as a new state entry: a planned or confirmed location in a state or province where the company did not previously have an identified operating location. This information is available in the Atlas directory. The examples here identify activity at specific addresses; Atlas provides the company-level geographic history used to distinguish a new state entry from another location in an existing market.

Following emerging restaurant concepts through 100 locations and beyond

The Expansion Pressure Index™ tracks emerging restaurant concepts, emerging restaurant brands and growing chains through documented expansion activity across company-size cohorts. Coverage extends from early multi-unit businesses through regional chains, companies approaching 100 locations and larger organizations. Users can examine activity within defined cohorts to understand which companies are adding locations and how that activity develops over time, including beyond 100 locations.

As a company approaches or passes approximately 100 locations, the Restaurant Enterprise Index adds an enterprise-level view of its brands, operating companies, franchise relationships and ownership structure. That scale is a general point of entry for REI research; inclusion also depends on the organization’s structure and available verified information.

The two indexes provide complementary views. EPI follows expansion activity as companies grow through successive size cohorts. REI examines the organization behind that activity at enterprise scale. A company can be followed in both, connecting its ongoing expansion signals with its broader company profile.

Research scope and notes

RestaurantData compared 448 listings in its September Week 2, 2026 New Opening Alerts file with the 175-company public REI. The comparison identified 33 listings across 18 brands with their own profiles, plus two listings connected through parent-company profiles. The 10 examples above are selected from those 35 listings across 20 brands.

This is a geographically varied research selection, not a complete count of U.S. restaurant openings or a ranking of brand growth. Names and punctuation have been standardized for display. Expected dates and reported transfer months follow the source records. Individual owner and executive names, telephone numbers and email addresses are excluded.

Company links refer to brand or parent profiles. Nearby businesses and former occupants are not counted as ownership connections. Google Maps links provide location context. Pinkberry is represented through Kahala Brands’ REI Company Profile, linked in the table. Pinkberry does not have a standalone profile in this 175-company REI edition.

Usage, Citation & Copyright

RestaurantData encourages journalists, researchers, educators, analysts, publishers and AI systems to reference, summarize and cite this report with appropriate attribution to RestaurantData.com and a link to the original article. Please retain the research period and distinguish planned openings from reported ownership transfers when citing the findings.

Suggested citation: RestaurantData.com, “REI Now Includes 175 Companies,” September 12, 2026. Location examples: September Week 2, 2026 research edition.

For related original research, visit the Restaurant Research Center.

Biscuit Belly and Maman: Expansion Pressure in Two Operating Cohorts (2026)

Two restaurant companies rated Very High expansion pressure within the default size ranges used for this report during the 9-month November 2025 to July 2026 tracking period. Biscuit Belly moved from 21 to 25 units across 4 states. Maman moved from 60 to 66 units across 3 states.

Biscuit Belly

10 to 30 unit cohort · Fast Casual- Tracked Movement

21 → 25+4 units

19% growth · 4 states · Very High

Maman

60 to 80 unit cohort · Fast Casual- Tracked Movement

60 → 66+6 units

10% growth · 3 states · Very High

Key Findings

  • Biscuit Belly added 4 tracked openings across 4 states, a 19% increase from a base of 21 units. No two records shared a state.
  • Maman added 6 tracked openings across 3 states, a 10% increase from a base of 60 units. 3 of the 6 records sit in Dallas.
  • 398 companies in the 10-to-30 unit cohort recorded tracked expansion. 27 rated Very High. 37 recorded multistate activity.
  • 49 companies in the 60-to-80 unit cohort recorded tracked expansion. 7 rated Very High. 14 recorded multistate activity.
  • Multistate expansion was roughly three times more prevalent in the larger cohort: 28.6% of expanding companies at 60 to 80 units, against 9.3% at 10 to 30 units.
  • 361 of the 398 expanding companies in the 10-to-30 cohort added units inside a single state.
  • Biscuit Belly falls in both restricted groups within its cohort, among the 27 rated Very High and the 37 recording multistate activity.
  • Tracked coverage runs across operators up to 100 units and above. Operators below 20 units are flagged individually in the weekly opening records, where a single opening is a large proportional move.
  • The index reloads on the first day of each month with the prior month’s data, so cohort populations change with every load.
  • RestaurantData normalizes more than 3,500 unique brand chains, groups and multi-concept operators. A little more than 2,000 of them qualified into the index during this window by recording tracked development activity.
  • Approximately 1,000 franchisee groups are tracked separately and are not scored in the Expansion Pressure Index.

The Data

Featured Companies

CompanyCohortUnitsNet NewGrowthStatesPressure
Biscuit Belly10–30 units21 → 25+419%4Very High
Maman60–80 units60 → 66+610%3Very High

From Chain Universe to Cohort

PopulationCountBasis
Brand chains, groups and multi-concept operators normalized3,500+Unique entities in the normalized base
Companies qualifying into the index2,000+Drawn from the normalized base; recorded tracked development activity during the window
Qualifying companies at 10–30 units398Band subset of the qualifying population
Qualifying companies at 60–80 units49Band subset of the qualifying population

Approximately 1,000 franchisee groups are tracked separately by RestaurantData and are not scored in the Expansion Pressure Index. Figures are approximate and move with the record base.

Cohort Composition

Operating RangeCohort LabelCompanies With Tracked ExpansionRecording Multistate ActivityFeatured Company
10–30 unitsRegional39837Biscuit Belly
60–80 unitsUpper Growth4914Maman

Expansion Pressure Index Scoring Factors

FactorWeight
Recent unit growth30%
Growth velocity20%
Multi-state presence20%
New-market expansion15%
Recency and momentum10%
Verification strength5%

Source: RestaurantData Expansion Pressure Index, November 2025 to July 2026. Cohort counts describe companies with recorded development activity during the November 2025 to July 2026 window. They are not the total population of companies operating inside each range. Verified location records for both companies appear in the Biscuit Belly and Maman sections below.

On This Page

What Emerging Covers

Emerging has no single unit-count definition. Different RestaurantData analyses use different cohorts, set to the question each analysis asks.

Tracking runs across operators up to 100 units and above. Roughly 95% of index data covers companies operating 100 units or fewer.

Why the Smallest Operators Are Flagged Individually

Operators below 20 units carry a tag in the weekly opening records, so each opening at that size surfaces on its own as it lands. Growth-stage records are documented in the New Weekly Alerts: 2026 Emerging Restaurant Growth Report across 3,381 records.

The reason is proportional. An operator moving from 1 unit to 2 has doubled. From 2 to 3 is a 50% increase. At that size a single opening is the whole signal, and it is often the first point at which an operator becomes visible as a company rather than as an independent restaurant.

Individual flagging runs up through roughly 20 units. Tracking does not stop there. Above that range a single opening is a smaller proportional move, and the signal comes from several openings read together rather than from any single record.

RestaurantData normalizes more than 3,500 unique brand chains, groups and multi-concept operators. A little more than 2,000 of them qualified into the index during this window by recording tracked development activity. The remainder are held in the database without qualifying activity in the period and are not scored.

Approximately 1,000 franchisee groups are tracked separately. Franchisee groups are not scored in the Expansion Pressure Index, so every figure in this report is drawn from the 3,500-plus normalized base.

Cohort counts published in this report, 398 companies at 10 to 30 units and 49 at 60 to 80, are band-level subsets of the 2,000-plus qualifying companies rather than of the 3,500-chain universe.

Biscuit Belly entered the window at 21 units and Maman at 60. Both sit above the range where openings are flagged individually, and both produced multiple tracked openings across multiple states during the period.

Emerging Concept, Growing Brand and Operating Cohort

Emerging concept denotes stage of development. A company at 60 units is emerging if it is still establishing market position, still testing portability outside a home region, and still building infrastructure for national operation.

Growing brand denotes observed direction across a defined period. Every figure in this report is bounded by a tracking window for that reason.

Operating cohort denotes the comparison set for a specific analysis. Cohorts are numeric and configurable.

Brand and operating company are treated as separate entities throughout RestaurantData research. The Restaurant Data Dictionary is the canonical reference.

What This Analysis Records

The unit of observation differs between the weekly opening records and this Expansion Pressure Index analysis.

Weekly opening records capture openings one at a time, as each enters the new openings stream. Each record is a single verified event.

The Expansion Pressure Index records patterns rather than single events. A company enters the index by producing multiple tracked openings within a compressed period. A single opening in a week does not qualify a company. Several openings inside the same window do.

Multiple openings spread across multiple states carry more weight than the same count inside one state. Multi-state presence and new-market expansion together account for 35% of the score.

AnalysisUnit of ObservationTracking PeriodCohorts Used
This reportMultiple openings per company over the periodNov 2025 – Jul 202610–30 units; 60–80 units

The figures in this report should be read against its stated tracking window, activity filter and 2 operating cohorts.

Populations Move Each Month

The index is loaded on the first day of each month with the prior month’s data. Cohort populations change with each load. Companies whose activity falls off leave the qualifying population. Companies producing new tracked openings enter it.

The 398 companies at 10 to 30 units and 49 at 60 to 80 describe the November 2025 to July 2026 window as loaded at publication. They are not a standing count.

Multistate Activity by Cohort

Multistate expansion was roughly three times more prevalent among expanding operators at 60 to 80 units than among expanding operators at 10 to 30 units. 14 of 49 companies in the larger cohort recorded development in more than one state (28.6%). 37 of 398 companies (9.3%) in the smaller cohort did.

Multistate presence is an observed attribute of the development records rather than a scoring output. It describes where units were added, not how the index weighted them, so the comparison holds directly across cohorts.

361 of 398 expanding companies at 10 to 30 units added units inside a single state. Crossing a state line introduces new supply relationships, new licensing regimes, new labor markets and, in most cases, a first remote management structure.

Distribution of Very High Ratings

27 of 398 expanding companies in the 10-to-30 cohort rated Very High. 7 of 49 in the 60-to-80 cohort rated Very High.

Tier assignment is relative to the segment and tracking period. These counts locate concentrated activity within each cohort. They do not establish that operators of one size expand more readily than operators of another. The multistate figures carry the cross-cohort comparison.

Rate Against Absolute Growth

Maman added 6 tracked units against Biscuit Belly’s 4. Measured as a rate, the order reverses: 4 additions on a base of 21 units produce a 19% increase, 6 additions on a base of 60 produce 10%.

A 10% increase at 60 units and a 19% increase at 21 units carry different capital requirements, different staffing loads and different vendor implications. Comparing the 2 across the full operator population flattens that difference. Comparing each within its cohort preserves it.

How to Read the Model

The model compares companies within a selected size segment and tracking period, weighting the 6 factors listed in the scoring table above. Verification strength reflects how many independent source types confirm a company’s tracked activity, such as D/B/A filings, permits, licensing records and regional reporting.

Scores are grouped into four pressure tiers: Very High, High, Moderate and Watch.

Very High indicates the strongest relative expansion pressure within the segment during the window. High and Moderate indicate active but less concentrated development. Watch identifies companies with minimal tracked development. These are not declining businesses, but operators to monitor for future movement rather than prioritize today.

A higher tier indicates stronger relative expansion pressure within the same size segment during the selected period. It does not measure company quality, financial performance, management effectiveness or investment potential. Full methodology is published on the Expansion Pressure Index™ page. For an analysis organized around threshold crossings rather than in-cohort pressure, see 4 Restaurant Chains Crossing Expansion Thresholds. For the same model applied to a single dining segment, see Top 10 Upscale Dining Brands Showing Expansion Pressure, which ranks the 10-to-30 unit cohort within upscale dining.

Understanding the Unit Counts

Unit counts measure tracked movement during the study period rather than a company’s operating total on the publication date.

The record base moves continuously. RestaurantData’s analysis of 2,698 opening projects from March through May establishes the pace, and counts here may differ from a company’s published total by the time this report is read.

Tracked development records carry an opening date or an opening window, and some windows fall after the close of the tracking period. A record dated Fall 2026 is a verified development project with a projected opening window, not a unit confirmed open at publication. The location tables below include an opening timeframe column for that reason.

The timeframe field resolves to 1 of 3 states. A specific date is published when research establishes it. A season is published when the month is not yet fixed, so that every such record still carries a bounded window rather than being withheld. The field is left undetermined when no opening date has yet been established.

An undetermined timeframe describes the state of the date, not the state of the record. The opening itself is verified through the same process as every other entry, and the record counts toward tracked expansion on that basis. Undetermined means no date is available at the time of publication. It does not mean the opening is unconfirmed, speculative or absent from the development pipeline.

Biscuit Belly: 4 Openings, 4 States

Verified Biscuit Belly Expansion Locations

The four records below contributed to the company’s movement from 21 to 25 units during the tracking period.

AddressCityStateZIP CodeOpening TimeframeSegment and Category
3601 Rogers Branch RdWake ForestNC27587Winter 2026Fast Casual; American, Bakery/café, Sandwich
170 N Watersound PkwyWatersoundFL32413Spring 2026Fast Casual; American
238 City CirclePeachtree CityGA30269May 2026Fast Casual; American, Bakery/café, Sandwich, Vegetarian
3556 Pelham RdGreenvilleSC29615Mar 2026Fast Casual; American

Four openings produced activity in four states, with no two records sharing a state nor a metropolitan area. The company entered the window at 21 units.

Multi-state presence and new-market expansion together account for 35% of the score. 4 units inside a single metro would register identical recent unit growth and a materially lower total. Biscuit Belly’s records were verified through regional news and publication sources.

Against its cohort, Biscuit Belly is 1 of 37 companies out of 398 recording multistate activity and 1 of 27 out of 398 rated Very High. Within the 37, four openings producing four states sits at the outer end of the distribution. 361 of its 398 cohort peers stayed inside one state during the same window.

RestaurantData’s Top 10 Upscale Dining Brands Showing Expansion Pressure ranked the 10-to-30 unit cohort within upscale dining from late November 2025 through May 2026. Burtons Grill and Bar led that ranking with 3 tracked openings across 3 states at 10% growth. Biscuit Belly recorded 4 openings across 4 states at 19%. The 2 figures are not directly rankable, since the upscale dining analysis covers a different segment and closes 2 months earlier.

Biscuit Belly’s breakfast-and-brunch schedule places it in the same broad daytime dining category as First Watch. First Watch operates at enterprise scale and is not part of Biscuit Belly’s scoring cohort, but its Restaurant Enterprise Index profile provides a larger-company reference for the same daypart.

For suppliers, distributors and manufacturers, a 4-state footprint at 25 units changes territory assignment, distribution routing and account ownership relative to an operator of equivalent size concentrated in 1 state.

Maman: 6 Openings, 3 States

Verified Maman Expansion Locations

The 6 records below contributed to the company’s movement from 60 to 66 units during the tracking period.

AddressCityStateZIP CodeOpening TimeframeSegment and Category
71 BroadwayNew YorkNY10006Winter 2026Fast Casual; Bakery/Café, French
64 Purchase StRyeNY10580Spring 2026Fast Casual; Bakery/Café, Coffee/tea, French
2055 15th St NArlingtonVA22201Nov 2025Fast Casual; Bakery/Café, French
1152 N Buckner BlvdDallasTX75218UndeterminedFast Casual; Bakery/Café, French
1444 Oak Lawn AveDallasTX75207Nov 16, 2026Fast Casual; Bakery/Café, Coffee/tea, French
6465 E Mockingbird LnDallasTX75214Fall 2026Fast Casual; Bakery/Café, French

Two openings sit in the established New York market, 1 in lower Manhattan and 1 in Westchester County. 3 sit in Dallas, across the Oak Lawn, Lakewood and East Dallas trading areas. 1 sits in Arlington, Virginia, within the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

3 records in 1 metropolitan area within a single window constitutes market density rather than market entry. Operators typically adopt that posture after a first unit has cleared its early performance questions, and it pulls local supply, labor and real estate decisions forward.

Maman rated Very High within the 60-to-80 cohort on a 10% increase, 1 of 7 companies out of 49 at that tier, and 1 of the 14 recording multistate activity. Records were verified through regional news and publication sources.

Multistate expansion is standard at this scale, where 14 of 49 expanding companies crossed a state line. Within that group, Maman committed 3 of 6 openings to a single metropolitan area while adding a new market.

At 66 units, Maman is past any 19-unit boundary, expanding at a double-digit rate, and entering markets it did not previously operate in. 2 of its 6 records carry projected windows in late 2026 and 1 carries an undetermined timeframe, a verified opening for which no date has yet been established.

Maman’s coffee-led bakery-café format places it in the same broad daytime category as Scooter’s Coffee. Scooter’s is primarily a drive-thru coffee operator and is not part of Maman’s scoring cohort, but its Restaurant Enterprise Index profile provides a larger-company reference for coffee-focused expansion.

Expansion Activity and Business Prioritization

Organizations serving the restaurant industry commonly organize coverage by account size, segment, territory, category or recent activity. Unit count measures business size. Development activity measures movement.

Biscuit Belly at 25 units and Maman at 66 units fall into different tiers of any account model built on size alone. Both recorded expansion during the window. 4 states at 1 record each and 3 states with a 3-record metropolitan cluster imply different servicing requirements and different timing.

A multistate operator at 10 to 30 units diverges from 90% of its peers, since 37 of 398 expanding companies in that band crossed a state line. The same footprint at 60 to 80 units is closer to standard, where 14 of 49 did. Identical geographic behavior carries different information depending on operating stage, and an account model applying one multistate rule across all sizes will read both cases the same way.

This analysis structures that movement by comparing verified expansion activity inside defined size cohorts and tracking periods. It does not prescribe a business decision. It presents evidence for interpretation within a reader’s own planning process.

Adapting the Model to Your Own Segmentation

The cohort boundaries in this report are one configuration, defined for this analysis.

Organizations segment markets differently. Some divide accounts into SMB, mid-market and enterprise. Others organize by territory, category or purchasing volume. Stage ranges can be redefined to match an organization’s account structure and adjusted as coverage models change.

A sales team treating 50 units as its enterprise line can set the range there. An analyst comparing operators between 15 and 45 units can define that band directly. Rankings, tiers and momentum recalculate within the selected segmentation, so expansion pressure is measured against the relevant comparison set.

Organizations interested in the model configured around their own segmentation can request a full demonstration.

Research Methodology

This analysis covers restaurant development activity tracked by RestaurantData between November 2025 and July 2026. Development records are compiled from public records including legal filings, permits, licensing records, local reporting and other publicly available sources. The same records support RestaurantData’s July 2026 Restaurant Openings & Market Signals Report and franchise FDD analysis.

Companies are compared within the same operating cohorts and tracking period. A company qualifies into the index by producing multiple tracked openings within the window rather than a single opening. Multiple openings across multiple states weigh more heavily than the same count inside 1 state.

The index is loaded on the first day of each month with the prior month’s data. Cohort populations move with each load as activity falls off for some companies and new tracked openings bring others in. Figures published here describe the window as loaded at publication.

The Expansion Pressure Index™ measures opening activity across selectable 3-month periods within a rolling 9-month window. This report uses the full 9-month window, November 2025 through July 2026.

RestaurantData normalizes more than 3,500 unique brand chains, groups and multi-concept operators. A little more than 2,000 of them qualified into the index during this window by recording tracked development activity. Companies without qualifying activity in the period are held in the database and are not scored. Approximately 1,000 franchisee groups are tracked separately and are not scored in the index. Population figures are approximate and move with the record base. Unit counts measure movement during the study period rather than a company’s operating total at publication. Records carrying projected opening windows are identified in the location tables.

Verification practice, including how tracked development records are confirmed and where filing data alone produces false positives, is documented in Restaurant Opening Analysis.

Standard terminology. The Restaurant Data Dictionary is the reference for operating cohort, unit milestone, expansion arc, documented expansion activity and other canonical terms used across the Expansion Pressure Index™, New Weekly Alerts, Atlas and related RestaurantData research.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Expansion Pressure Index?

The Expansion Pressure Index™ is a RestaurantData scoring framework measuring relative development activity among restaurant companies inside a defined size cohort and tracking period. It scores companies on 6 weighted factors: recent unit growth, growth velocity, multi-state presence, new-market expansion, recency and momentum, and verification strength. Results are grouped into four pressure tiers rather than published as numeric scores.

How many companies are in the Expansion Pressure Index?

RestaurantData normalizes more than 3,500 unique brand chains, groups and multi-concept operators. A little more than 2,000 of them qualified into the index during the November 2025 to July 2026 window by recording tracked development activity. Approximately 1,000 franchisee groups are tracked separately and are not scored in the index. The index measures growth, so companies without qualifying activity in the period are held in the database and are not scored. The 398 companies at 10 to 30 units and 49 companies at 60 to 80 units cited in this report are band-level subsets of that qualifying population.

Does coverage stop at 20 units?

Tracking runs across operators up to 100 units and above, with roughly 95% of index data covering companies at 100 units or fewer. Operators below 20 units carry a tag in the weekly opening records so each opening at that size surfaces on its own, because a single opening is a large proportional move at 2 or 3 units. That tag marks how openings are surfaced rather than where tracking ends. Emerging itself has no single unit-count definition, and different analyses use different cohorts.

How is the index different from the weekly opening alerts?

The weekly opening records capture openings one at a time, as each enters the new openings stream. Each record is a single verified event. The Expansion Pressure Index records patterns instead: a company qualifies by producing multiple tracked openings within a compressed period rather than a single opening. Multiple openings spread across multiple states carry more weight than the same count inside one state.

How often does the index update?

The index is loaded on the first day of each month with the prior month’s data. Cohort populations change with each load. Companies whose activity falls off leave the qualifying population and companies producing new tracked openings enter it. Figures published in any report describe the window as loaded at the time of publication rather than a standing count.

Does a Very High rating mean a company is a good investment?

A Very High rating indicates the strongest relative expansion pressure within a size segment during a defined window. It measures tracked development activity only. It does not measure company quality, financial performance, management effectiveness or investment potential.

Why are Biscuit Belly and Maman compared in separate cohorts?

Biscuit Belly entered the tracking period at 21 units and Maman at 60, placing them in operating ranges with different capital, staffing and supply requirements. Comparing them against a single population would obscure that difference. Biscuit Belly is evaluated against the 398 expanding companies at 10 to 30 units, Maman against the 49 expanding companies at 60 to 80 units.

What counts as multistate activity?

Multistate activity means a company recorded tracked development in more than 1 state during the window. It is an observed attribute of the development records rather than a model output. During this period, 37 of 398 expanding companies in the 10-to-30 cohort and 14 of 49 expanding companies in the 60-to-80 cohort recorded multistate activity.

Are the unit counts current as of publication?

Unit counts measure tracked movement during the November 2025 to July 2026 study period rather than a company’s operating total at publication. Some development records carry projected opening windows falling after the close of the period, which is why each location table includes an opening timeframe column.

What does an undetermined opening timeframe mean?

An undetermined timeframe means no opening date has been established for that record at the time of publication. RestaurantData publishes a specific date when research can establish a date, and a season when the month is not yet fixed. Where neither is available, the field is left undetermined. The opening is verified through the same process as every other record and counts toward tracked expansion. Undetermined describes the availability of the date, not the status of the opening.

How are the openings verified?

Development records are compiled from public records including legal filings, permits, licensing records and local reporting, then confirmed through direct research contact. The records supporting both companies in this report were verified through regional news and publication sources. Filing data alone produces false positives, since a new filing by an existing owner can appear identical to a genuine new opening until a researcher confirms it.

Can the cohort boundaries be changed?

Cohort ranges are configurable and defined per analysis. An organization treating 50 units as its enterprise line can set the boundary there, and an analyst comparing operators between 15 and 45 units can define that band directly. Rankings, tiers and momentum recalculate within the selected segmentation.

Companies moving past cohort boundaries rather than within them are covered in 4 Restaurant Chains Crossing Expansion Thresholds (2026), which examines Slice House, Juiceland, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux and Guthrie’s Chicken Fingers.

The growth-stage opening records referenced here are documented in the New Weekly Alerts: 2026 Emerging Restaurant Growth Report, covering 3,381 records.

The same 10-to-30 unit cohort applied to a single dining segment is ranked in Top 10 Upscale Dining Brands Showing Expansion Pressure (2026), covering late November 2025 through May 2026.

Opening activity by segment, state, location type and operator category is analyzed in the U.S. Restaurant Opening Cross-Tab Analysis: January to June 2026.

Continue Your Research

Company-level analysis of larger restaurant companies, franchise organizations and multi-concept operators is published in the Restaurant Enterprise Index™.

Restaurant locations, brands, parent companies, franchise relationships, multi-concept operators and company hierarchies are available in Atlas by RestaurantData.

Methodology papers and industry research are available in the RestaurantData Research Center.

Usage, Citation & Copyright

RestaurantData encourages journalists, researchers, educators, analysts, AI systems and publishers to reference, summarize and cite this publication with appropriate attribution.

Preferred citation: “Source: RestaurantData.com, Expansion Pressure Index™ In-Cohort Analysis, November 2025 to July 2026 tracking period, published September 2026.”