The fastest-growing restaurant chain in the U.S. last year was drive-thru coffee concept 7 Brew, where sales skyrocketed by more than 267%, according to Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.
But that growth came with a caveat: 7 Brew also opened 140 new restaurants in 2023, a leap of 350% from the prior year.
New unit openings are typically a good thing and a sign of a brand’s momentum. But they can make it difficult to quantify underlying performance. If a chain were to stop opening new stores, would it still be able to grow sales year after year?
In an effort to identify the chains that are growing the fastest without the benefit of new restaurants, Restaurant Business calculated the difference between 2023 sales growth and 2023 unit growth for every chain on the Top 500. The results give a better idea of chains’ “organic” growth for the year.
It’s not a perfect science, because we don’t know when new units were opened (or closed) and therefore how much they contributed to a chain’s total sales. But at the very least, the data provides a different perspective on how the country’s biggest chains are performing. And some of the results are a bit surprising.
Here are the 10 restaurant chains that saw the most “organic” sales growth in 2023.
Photo: Shutterstock
10. Church’s Chicken
2023 sales growth: 4.9%
2023 unit growth: -13%
2023 organic growth: 17.9%
The fried chicken chain made this list because it closed a whopping 120 restaurants last year, but was still able to generate systemwide sales growth of about 5%. And it appears to be in the midst of a reset. According to a press release, Atlanta-based Church’s recorded a threefold increase in U.S. development deals last year, even as many locations closed their doors.
9. Pinstripes
2023 sales growth: 41%
2023 unit growth: 23.1%
2023 organic growth: 17.9%
The bowling-and-dining chain benefited from strong demand for eatertainment concepts last year. It ended 2023 with 16 units but has said it believes there is room for 150 across the country.
8. Pizza Inn
2023 sales growth: 14.1%
2023 unit growth: -3.9%
2023 organic growth: 18%
The 123-unit pizza buffet chain bounced back from a bad year in 2022, but has yet to return to pre-pandemic sales levels. This March, parent Rave Restaurant Group named a slate of new executives, including a CFO, VP of operations and marketing director, inaugurating a new era of growth.
Photo: Shutterstock
7. Golden Corral
2023 sales growth: 17%
2023 unit growth: -1.4%
2023 organic growth: 18.6%
The buffet chain turned 50 last year, and celebrated with strong sales despite closing some locations. It emerged from the pandemic willing to try new things, including table service, drive-thrus and a fast-casual spinoff called Homeward Kitchen. The innovation seems to be paying off.
6. Blue Sushi Sake Grill
2023 sales growth: 19.4%
2023 unit growth: 0.0%
2023 organic growth: 19.4%
Blue Sushi’s sales growth came entirely from existing locations, as it stood pat at 20 units last year. It was part of an impressive year overall for Asian casual-dining chains.
5. Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop
2023 sales growth: 27.2%
2023 unit growth: 6.9%
2023 organic growth: 20.3%
The Scottsdale, Arizona-based chain opened four restaurants last year for its first unit growth in years. That may have contributed to an exponential leap in sales for the 62-unit chain.
Photo courtesy of Dave's Hot Chicken
4. Dave’s Hot Chicken
2023 sales growth: 99.8%
2023 unit growth: 76%
2023 organic growth: 23.8%
Dave’s is well-known for having opened a lot of restaurants in recent years, going from just seven stores in 2020 to around 200 today. But it has also proven that growth to be sustainable. People just can’t seem to get enough hot chicken.
3. Barrio Tacos
2023 sales growth: 35%
2023 unit growth: 8.7%
2023 organic growth: 26.3%
The full-service Mexican chain began as a food truck in Ohio and now has 25 locations in six states. Besides create-your-own tacos, it also specializes in whiskey and tequila and promotes a high-energy atmosphere, which seems to be resonating with guests.
2. Cava
2023 sales growth: 59.8%
2023 unit growth: 30.4%
2023 organic growth: 29.5%
The Mediterranean bowl concept undoubtedly benefited from the publicity surrounding its IPO last June, and has been among the industry’s hottest chains since. It was one of the fastest-growing brands by any measure last year.
Photo: Shutterstock
1. Just Salad
2023 sales growth: 87.5%
2023 unit growth: 25%
2023 organic growth: 62.5%
The 81-unit chain stood out in what was an altogether very good year for salad concepts. It did open 15 restaurants, but sales growth far outpaced those openings: Same-store sales grew 18%, according to CEO Nick Kenner, implying healthy traffic gains. Just Salad is known for its commitment to sustainability and about 50% of its business comes from digital channels.
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