Top 100 Restaurant Franchise Systems: 2022–2025 U.S. Outlet Growth Analysis

By RestaurantData  |  Published July 2026

RestaurantData reviewed newly available 2026 Franchise Disclosure Documents to compare the largest U.S. restaurant franchise systems from year-end 2022 through year-end 2025. The analysis uses total system outlets reported in Item 20, including franchised and company-owned restaurants.

The 100 systems in this report increased from 159,020 U.S. outlets at year-end 2022 to 164,280 at year-end 2025. The combined total rose each year while individual systems followed different development paths.

The report compares system scale, net additions and percentage growth. Location change is presented as a multi-year operating record and not as a measure of profitability, franchisee satisfaction or brand quality.

On this page: Key Findings · Full Top 100 Table · Fastest Growth · Largest Net Additions · Item 20 Source Data · Four-Year Trends · Methodology · FAQ

Key Findings

Top 100 Restaurant Franchise Systems by U.S. System Outlets

The complete ranking is based on year-end 2025 U.S. system outlets reported in Item 20. It includes annual totals from 2022 through 2025, one-year change, two-year change and three-year change.

Fastest Multi-Year Expansion

Percentage growth highlights systems whose footprints changed most rapidly from year-end 2022 through year-end 2025. Smaller starting bases can produce larger percentage gains, so the rate should be read alongside the location totals.

Largest Net Location Additions

Absolute additions show which systems contributed the most new locations over the three-year period. This view gives more weight to franchise systems that expanded from an already substantial base.

How Item 20 Supports the Analysis

Item 20 of a Franchise Disclosure Document provides three years of outlet history for a franchise system. It reports franchised and company-owned units along with openings, closures, transfers and other changes. It also includes contact information for current and former franchisees. RestaurantData’s broader restaurant Franchise Disclosure Document analysis compares additional operating fields reported across leading restaurant systems, including franchised location counts, company-owned mix, average unit volumes, service type and geographic footprint.

Most franchisors update their FDDs annually. Many filings containing completed year-end 2025 outlet information became available from late winter through early summer 2026. RestaurantData reviewed and standardized those newly released records for this report.

FDD outlet tables generally cover the United States and U.S. territories. Public companies may report worldwide counts in Form 10-K filings. Those filings use different reporting periods, geographic scopes and definitions. This report uses U.S. system counts so the franchise systems can be compared on the same basis. RestaurantData’s ongoing restaurant franchise FDD analysis examines these disclosures across the full annual filing cycle.

What the Four-Year Record Shows

Beverage and coffee concepts continue to gain scale

7 Brew, Scooter’s Coffee, The Human Bean and PJ’s Coffee all expanded their footprints during the period. Their growth reflects continued investment in beverage-led formats, drive-through development and smaller-footprint operating models.

Chicken concepts remain active across several size tiers

Wingstop, Chick-fil-A, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Chicken Salad Chick, Slim Chickens and Popeyes all added locations. The category includes both mature national systems and younger concepts that are still building regional coverage.

Fast-casual and specialty systems recorded substantial expansion

Jersey Mike’s, Tropical Smoothie Café, Cinnabon, Playa Bowls and Tous les Jours all expanded during the period. Their growth shows that meaningful development is occurring outside the largest legacy quick-service systems.

System maturity produces different development patterns

Not every established franchisor is pursuing the same unit-growth strategy. Some systems are adding new markets. Others are concentrating on franchisee quality, remodels, unit economics, portfolio management or market optimization. Location change should therefore be interpreted as one part of a broader operating picture.

How RestaurantData Would Extend This Research

This public analysis is intentionally centered on scale and multi-year franchise development. It does not need to include every field maintained in Atlas. Adding headquarters addresses, square footage, average checks, sales estimates and other operating details to all 100 rows would make the page harder to use and would blur the purpose of the report.

Those fields are more useful inside company research. Atlas can connect a franchisor to its headquarters, parent organization, operating structure, executive contacts, franchise relationships, technology assignments and development activity. Company-specific information can then be reviewed in context rather than compressed into one oversized public table.

The same structure can later support links to individual Restaurant Enterprise Index™ profiles as those profiles are published. That would allow readers to move from the broad franchise market to deeper research on selected restaurant enterprises.

Methodology and Interpretation

Independent research notice: RestaurantData independently compiled this analysis from publicly available Franchise Disclosure Documents and other public sources. Rankings, calculations, and commentary represent RestaurantData’s research and are not endorsed by the franchise systems or franchisors identified.

RestaurantData standardized annual system-wide outlet counts from Item 20 of restaurant Franchise Disclosure Documents, including newly available filings issued during the 2026 disclosure cycle. The figures combine franchised and company-owned outlets and compare year-end totals for 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Percentage changes are calculated from the published totals shown in the table.

FDDs may use different fiscal year-end dates and may define territories or outlet types differently. RestaurantData reviews the underlying disclosures before placing the figures into a common comparison. Openings, closures, transfers, acquisitions, refranchising, market exits and reporting changes can all affect annual totals.

This report is limited to U.S. system outlets and U.S. territories reported in FDDs. Global counts disclosed in public-company filings are not substituted into the ranking because SEC reports are not standardized in the same way as Item 20.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a restaurant franchisor?

A restaurant franchisor grants franchisees the right to operate under its brand and operating system. The franchisee owns or operates the local business under the terms of a franchise agreement.

How were the Top 100 restaurant franchise systems selected?

The Top 100 were ranked by total U.S. system outlets at year-end 2025. The count includes franchised and company-owned restaurants reported in Item 20.

What is Item 20 in a Franchise Disclosure Document?

Item 20 shows the growth and turnover of a franchise system. It includes three years of outlet tables covering openings, closures, transfers and changes in franchised and company-owned units. It also lists contact information for current and former franchisees.

What other important information is contained in the FDD reports?

Beyond the outlet tables and financial disclosures, FDDs contain another category of information that is often overlooked but extremely revealing: the Business Experience section (Item 2). This portion profiles the leadership behind the franchisor, and depending on how the organization is structured, it may include biographies for the Board of Directors, parent-company executives, brand-level C-suite leaders and key regional operators.

Each bio typically lists the individual’s title, name and a concise summary of their professional background. These summaries outline prior roles both within the organization and at other companies. When read carefully, they offer insight into whether the franchisor tends to promote talent internally or prefers to bring in outside leadership.

Because the Business Experience section is updated annually, it can also be scanned for year-over-year changes. Prospective franchisees often look for signs of leadership stability, while others may view new executives as evidence of a strategic shift. For companies that consistently promote from within, the FDD allows you to trace an executive’s progression through the ranks, a pattern RestaurantData examines in its research on restaurant executive changes. Conversely, when leadership is recruited externally, the bios make it possible to follow a manager’s movement across brands and industries on the path to their current role.

What is the source for restaurant location counts?

RestaurantData draws the location counts from Item 20 of each franchisor’s FDD. The system-wide outlet summary provides a structured record of franchised, company-owned and total units for annual comparison.

Why do restaurant franchise location counts change from year to year?

Systems open restaurants, close locations, enter or leave markets, acquire units, transfer ownership and revise development plans. Food costs, labor costs, operating efficiency, franchisee execution and local conditions also affect unit performance and system development.

Are company-owned restaurants included?

Yes. The report uses total system outlets and includes both franchised and company-owned restaurants. Across approximately 300 systems tracked by RestaurantData, franchisees operate about 89% of outlets and companies operate about 11%.

Why can FDD totals differ from public-company reports?

FDDs generally report U.S. outlets and U.S. territories. Public companies may report global restaurant counts in Form 10-K filings. The reporting periods, geographic scope and definitions may differ.

Does a lower outlet count mean a restaurant franchise system is performing poorly?

No. Outlet counts do not measure profitability, unit economics, franchisee satisfaction or brand strength. A system may contract while closing weak locations, refranchising units or changing its market strategy.

When are Franchise Disclosure Documents generally issued?

Most franchisors update their FDDs annually after the close of their reporting year. Many documents containing completed year-end 2025 outlet figures became available from late winter through early summer 2026, although timing varies by company and filing requirements.

Why does a report published in 2026 analyze 2025 outlet figures?

Franchise Disclosure Documents report completed historical operating periods and are generally issued after the reporting year has ended. The documents containing final year-end 2025 outlet totals were released during the 2026 filing cycle. RestaurantData assembled this report after those records became available.

How often is this report updated?

RestaurantData plans to update the report annually as new FDDs and related company records become available.

How is this report different from the Restaurant Enterprise Index™?

This report compares restaurant franchise systems by U.S. outlet count. The Restaurant Enterprise Index™ covers larger restaurant enterprises, including franchisors, franchisees, multi-concept operators and ownership groups.

How is this report different from Atlas by RestaurantData?

Atlas by RestaurantData connects locations to franchisees, franchisors, operating companies, brands, parent companies and ultimate owners. It also includes executive contacts, restaurant technology, operating characteristics and development activity.

Continue Exploring Restaurant Franchise Research

RestaurantData publishes original research on restaurant franchisors, franchise development, restaurant growth, executive leadership, expansion activity, and industry structure.

The RestaurantData Research Center brings together the company’s research reports, methodologies, market studies, and proprietary indexes in one location.

Readers interested in enterprise restaurant organizations can explore the Restaurant Enterprise Index™ (REI™), which tracks many of the industry’s largest restaurant companies, franchisors, franchisees, multi-concept operators, and ownership groups.

Atlas by RestaurantData connects restaurant locations to franchisors, franchisees, parent companies, ownership structures, executive contacts, restaurant technologies, and operating characteristics across the United States and Canada.

To better understand emerging restaurant growth, review the Expansion Pressure Index™ (EPI™), which identifies restaurant companies showing measurable expansion activity before many traditional rankings reflect those changes.

RestaurantData’s Restaurant Franchise FDD Analysis examines Franchise Disclosure Documents beyond outlet counts, including operating characteristics, ownership structure, disclosure trends, and executive information contained within the annual filings.

For additional restaurant industry research, visit the RestaurantData News & Research section, where RestaurantData publishes ongoing analysis covering restaurant openings, closures, executive changes, franchising, ownership groups, and market activity.