2025 Early Bird Report: Restaurant Franchise Biggest Gainers and Losers
Restaurant brands across the U.S. encompass a wide range of service styles and cuisines. Almost all fast-growing chains today are counter service; and often in the snack category. This segment is being highly targeted by today’s successful restaurant suppliers, vendors, and manufacturers. This report displays early bird results on specific company growth from the Top 100 Franchisors for 2025, based on 50 of the top 100 brands that have reported through April 8, 2025.
📊 Early Bird Report: 50 of the Top 100 restaurant franchisors have reported as of April 8, 2025. Location counts reflect year-end 12/31/2024 figures. YOY growth and decline percentages are year-over-year vs. prior year-end. Full results will be updated as remaining brands file their 2025 FDDs.
Big Gainers- Fastest Growing Franchise Brands
The following brands showed the strongest year-over-year location count growth as of December 31, 2024, based on early FDD filings received through April 8, 2025.
Source: Restaurantdata.com · Top 100 Franchisors Early Bird Report · 50 of 100 brands reporting · Location counts as of 12/31/2024
| # | Brand | Locations (12/31/2024) | YOY Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wingstop | 2,204 | +14.43% |
| 2 | Scooter’s Coffee | 849 | +13.20% |
| 3 | Jersey Mike’s | 2,989 | +11.74% |
| 4 | Wetzel’s Pretzels | 425 | +10.10% |
| 5 | Freddy’s | 550 | +6.38% |
| 6 | Cinnabon | 1,030 | +5.75% |
| 7 | Culver’s | 997 | +5.61% |
* YOY growth = year-over-year percentage change vs. prior year-end location count. Based on early FDD filings as of April 8, 2025. 50 of the top 100 franchisors have reported to date.
Big Losers- Brands Facing Unit Count Declines
The following brands reported year-over-year declines in location count as of December 31, 2024, based on early FDD filings received through April 8, 2025.
| # | Brand | Locations (12/31/2024) | YOY Decline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Checkers | 484 | -3.97% |
| 2 | Taco John’s | 340 | -6.59% |
| 3 | Papa Murphy’s | 1,044 | -7.36% |
* YOY decline = year-over-year percentage change vs. prior year-end location count. Based on early FDD filings as of April 8, 2025.
Key Observations
Counter service and snack brands continue to lead growth. Wingstop (+14.43%), Scooter’s Coffee (+13.20%), and Jersey Mike’s (+11.74%) are all counter service concepts, consistent with the broader trend of fast casual and QSR outpacing full-service dining in expansion activity.
Jersey Mike’s is approaching 3,000 locations with 2,989 units at year-end 2024 — a remarkable milestone for a brand that was under 2,000 locations just a few years ago. Its 11.74% YOY growth rate at that scale is exceptional.
Papa Murphy’s leads declines at -7.36% with 1,044 locations — a significant contraction for the take-and-bake pizza chain. Taco John’s (-6.59%) and Checkers (-3.97%) also reflect continued pressure on legacy QSR brands facing competitive and operational headwinds.
In all, there are more than 135,000 restaurant franchised locations in the U.S. Contact us for complete brand lists including operating locations, direct contact information, and multi-year growth statistics.
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