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Top 500 2026

Financing

The casual-dining comeback starts at the top

 By Joe Guszkowski on May 15, 2026

Sit-down restaurant chains showed signs of life last year. But much of the growth came from just a few brands, primarily Chili’s.

Financing

The family-dining segment is divided by dinner

 By Joe Guszkowski on May 14, 2026

Family-dining chains that serve only breakfast and lunch are soaring, while those covering all three dayparts have stumbled, according to Technomic Top 500 data.

Financing

Quick-service pizza sales turned negative last year

By Alicia Kelso on May 13, 2026

The overall industry’s sales cooled to 3%, marking the fourth consecutive year of deceleration, but pizza was the only category in the red.

Financing

In the burger business, Culver's and Shake Shack are grabbing market share

By Jonathan Maze on May 13, 2026

Sales among limited-service burger chains remained weak in 2025 amid consumer weakness and a shift to chicken or other items. But higher-quality growth chains are grabbing share and making noise.

Operations

Catering is powering growth at several Top 500 chains

By Patricia Cobe on May 12, 2026

From quick service to casual dining, brands are seeing the value of a robust catering program as a steady revenue stream and marketing tool.

Financing

Chicken chains’ sales growth slows for the second straight year

By Alicia Kelso on May 04, 2026

Sales at chicken chains on the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report grew by 5.3%, mostly because companies keep adding more locations.

Operations

The number of independent restaurants declined by 2.3% in 2025

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 29, 2026

That drop reflected a net loss of about 9,500 restaurant locations due to an increasingly challenging operating environment. Chain restaurants, however, fared a bit better.

Financing

Welcome to the low-growth era

By Jonathan Maze on Apr. 27, 2026

The Bottom Line: In this edition of the weekly restaurant finance newsletter, we discuss slowing Technomic Top 500 sales and why that will be the norm going forward.

Financing

Why Jersey Mike's is planning an IPO

By Jonathan Maze and Joe Guszkowski on Apr. 24, 2026

The Week in Restaurants: This week’s episode of the weekly news discussion podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sandwich chain’s plan to go public, the Technomic Top 500 and RLC.

Operations

Fast-casual restaurant sales growth cooled in 2025

By Lisa Jennings on Apr. 24, 2026

Sales among the largest fast-casual chains grew 6% last year, a notable deceleration. But standout brands defying the slowdown included Shake Shack, Jersey Mike's, Wingstop and Cava.