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

Estimated U.S. and Canada location totals as of August 2026 are shown below. Totals may change as companies open, close, acquire, sell or reclassify locations. The 50 profiles are ranked from largest to smallest.

Restaurant Enterprise Index rankings based on estimated U.S. and Canada location totals as of August 2026
Rank Company Locations
1 Roark Capital Group 54,500
2 Inspire Brands 23,200
3 Subway 23,000
4 Yum! Brands 20,300
5 Starbucks 18,300
6 Restaurant Brands International 16,300
7 McDonald’s 15,400
8 Dunkin’ 10,100
9 Taco Bell 8,400
10 Domino’s 7,900
11 Pizza Hut 7,010
12 Burger King 6,980
13 Wendy’s 6,150
14 MTY Food Group 5,700
15 GoTo Foods 5,060
16 Dairy Queen 4,900
17 KFC 4,580
18 Little Caesars 4,500
19 Tim Hortons 4,260
20 Chipotle Mexican Grill 4,200
21 Panera Brands 3,770
22 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen 3,540
23 Chick-Fil-A 3,480
24 Jersey Mike’s 3,425
25 Sonic Drive-In 3,370
26 Papa Johns 3,340
27 Dine Brands 3,270
28 Arby’s 3,260
29 Casey’s Carryout Pizza 2,850
30 Flynn Group 2,800
31 Jimmy John’s 2,790
32 Wingstop 2,785
33 Panda Restaurant Group 2,630
34 Panda Express 2,600
35 CKE Restaurants Inc 2,495
36 Kahala Brands 2,460
37 Jack in the Box 2,400
38 Darden Restaurants 2,340
39 Baskin-Robbins 2,265
40 Panera Bread 2,260
41 Waffle House 2,090
42 Dhanani Group 1,935
43 IHOP 1,700
44 Five Guys Burgers and Fries 1,600
45 Hardee’s 1,500
46 Denny’s 1,475
47 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar 1,470
48 Firehouse Subs 1,450
49 Auntie Anne’s 1,420
50 Buffalo Wild Wings 1,410

Parent-level location totals 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 locationsRoark 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 location 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-location 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.

RestaurantNews.com has published the complete ranking of the first 50 Restaurant Enterprise Index companies, with direct links to the individual company profiles.

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.