Restaurant Enterprise Index Now Includes 50 Companies

RestaurantData has added 30 company profiles to the Restaurant Enterprise Index™, bringing the public total from 20 to 50. The release follows the first 10 profiles published last week and a second group of 10, creating a broader view of major restaurant enterprises across the United States and Canada.

Restaurant Enterprise Index Rankings: 1–50

The 50 profiles are ranked from largest to smallest using RestaurantData’s estimated U.S. and Canadian location totals. Figures may aggregate connected concepts or operating companies where appropriate.

  1. Roark Capital Group54,500 units
  2. Inspire Brands23,200 units
  3. Subway23,000 units
  4. Yum! Brands20,300 units
  5. Starbucks18,300 units
  6. Restaurant Brands International16,300 units
  7. McDonald’s15,400 units
  8. Dunkin’10,100 units
  9. Taco Bell8,400 units
  10. Domino’s7,900 units
  11. Pizza Hut7,010 units
  12. Burger King6,980 units
  13. Wendy’s6,150 units
  14. MTY Food Group5,700 units
  15. GoTo Foods5,060 units
  16. Dairy Queen4,900 units
  17. KFC4,580 units
  18. Little Caesars4,500 units
  19. Tim Hortons4,260 units
  20. Chipotle Mexican Grill4,200 units
  21. Panera Brands3,770 units
  22. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen3,540 units
  23. Chick-Fil-A3,480 units
  24. Jersey Mike’s3,425 units
  25. Sonic Drive-In3,370 units
  26. Papa Johns3,340 units
  27. Dine Brands3,270 units
  28. Arby’s3,260 units
  29. Casey’s Carryout Pizza2,850 units
  30. Flynn Group2,800 units
  31. Jimmy John’s2,790 units
  32. Wingstop2,785 units
  33. Panda Restaurant Group2,630 units
  34. Panda Express2,600 units
  35. CKE Restaurants Inc2,495 units
  36. Kahala Brands2,460 units
  37. Jack in the Box2,400 units
  38. Darden Restaurants2,340 units
  39. Baskin-Robbins2,265 units
  40. Panera Bread2,260 units
  41. Waffle House2,090 units
  42. Dhanani Group1,935 units
  43. IHOP1,700 units
  44. Five Guys Burgers and Fries1,600 units
  45. Hardee’s1,500 units
  46. Denny’s1,475 units
  47. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar1,470 units
  48. Firehouse Subs1,450 units
  49. Auntie Anne’s1,420 units
  50. Buffalo Wild Wings1,410 units

Unit figures are RestaurantData estimates for the United States and Canada. Parent-level figures may aggregate multiple concepts or operating companies. Connected parent and child entities may both appear because the Index profiles each organization’s distinct role within the enterprise hierarchy.

Release Summary

Key Findings

  • 10 to 50 profilesThe Index opened with 10 profiles, expanded to 20, and now includes 50 public company profiles.
  • 54,500 to 1,410 unitsRoark Capital Group ranks first, while Buffalo Wild Wings is the 50th profile in the current release.
  • Enterprise entities, not only chainsThe Index includes parent companies, brands, franchise organizations, multi-concept operators and ownership groups.
  • Connected company intelligenceProfiles introduce unit count, system sales, headquarters, trading areas, concepts and applicable ownership relationships.

The Latest Release

The New Profiles Broaden the Company Mix

RestaurantData released the first 10 Restaurant Enterprise Index profiles last week, added another 10, and has now published 30 more. The newest group extends the Index beyond the largest global franchisors and restaurant systems to include additional parent companies, operating groups, franchise organizations and individual brands.

The release includes major restaurant names such as Panera Bread, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Chick-Fil-A, Jersey Mike’s, Sonic Drive-In, Papa Johns, Arby’s, Wingstop, Waffle House, Denny’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. It also adds organizations whose role is best understood at the company or portfolio level, including Panera Brands, Dine Brands, Flynn Group, Panda Restaurant Group, CKE Restaurants Inc, Kahala Brands, Darden Restaurants and Dhanani Group.

Enterprise Structure

Following the Organization Behind the Restaurant Brand

A restaurant brand may be the enterprise itself, or it may sit beneath a concept parent, operating company, franchisor, investment group or ultimate owner. The expanded Index makes those relationships visible by following company structure from the restaurant concept upward.

Several of the first 50 profiles show the distinction. Panda Restaurant Group and Panda Express each appear because one represents the parent organization and the other represents its largest restaurant concept. Dine Brands appears alongside IHOP and Applebee’s. CKE Restaurants Inc appears alongside Hardee’s, while Panera Brands and Panera Bread are presented as connected but separately researchable entities.

This structure helps identify the organization associated with purchasing, technology, real estate, franchising, finance, development and executive responsibility. It also explains why two companies with similar restaurant-unit totals may require different approaches to research, account planning and outreach.

Who Uses Enterprise Research

Built for Decisions That Depend on Company Structure

For restaurant suppliers, manufacturers and distributors, the Index helps separate a consumer-facing brand from the organization that may coordinate purchasing and account relationships. Technology providers and enterprise sales teams can use the same hierarchy to understand where software, payments, data and operating-system decisions may sit.

Investors, advisers, commercial real estate firms, restaurant executives, consultants, researchers, recruiters and service firms can follow operating scale, geographic reach, concept portfolios, ownership relationships, executive responsibility and enterprise change without relying on isolated brand records.

Company Profiles

What Each Enterprise Profile Contains

Each public profile introduces the enterprise entity represented in the Index. Depending on the company, the record may include estimated U.S. and Canadian restaurant count, system sales, headquarters, trading areas, service type, primary cuisine, associated concepts and portions of the ownership hierarchy.

The profiles are built from continuing restaurant-company research that includes company disclosures, franchise documents, public filings, company websites, location research and executive research. Figures are identified as estimates when an organization does not publish one current U.S. and Canadian total.

Connected Research

From Public Enterprise Profiles to the Broader Restaurant Network

The Restaurant Enterprise Index provides the public entry point for companies that have reached enterprise scale. Atlas by Restaurant Data contains the broader connected network of restaurant locations, companies, concepts, parent organizations, ownership relationships and executive contacts.

The Restaurant Data Dictionary defines the child, parent, grandparent and ultimate-parent relationships used throughout the research. The Expansion Pressure Index™ follows verified growth activity in earlier operating cohorts, while the Restaurant Research Center provides additional analysis of openings, ownership, franchising, executives and operating change.

The first 50 profiles establish a larger public view of the organizations behind major restaurant companies. Industry publications, analysts, companies and researchers are welcome to cite or share the rankings with attribution to RestaurantData and a link to the Restaurant Enterprise Index.