PHOTO: ENVATO
Coffee chains saw a substantial amount of share shift last year. Sales at coffee chains on the Top 1,500 grew 3.3%, which was under menu price inflation, the likely result of surprising weakness at Starbucks. But that sector also included some of the fastest- growing chains in the U.S., notably 7 Brew, which has been the fastest-growing chain in the country the past three years. 7 Brew’s sales grew 163% last year, including 78% unit growth and strong volume growth. It now generates more than $500
million in system sales. But there are also brands like No. 44 Dutch Bros (26%) and No. 77 Scooter’s (29%). “Those drive-thru chains are just proliferating at a rate I’ve never seen before,” Schimpf said. “They can expand so rapidly because they’ve got a small footprint. They don’t have a ton of equipment needs. They don’t need that many employees. They just kind-of popped up everywhere.” Sales at full-service chains grew last year despite bankruptcies and large-scale closures
at several brands. Full-service sales on the Top 500 grew 1.1% last year to $88.3 billion. But they also closed 1% of their restaurants last year. Strength in the full-service chain sector largely depended on the concepts’ price point. Among lower-priced family dining or “midscale” concepts, sales last year were flat at $17.4 billion. Casual-dining chain sales grew 1.3% to $66.2 billion. Fine-dining chains grew 2.4% to $4.7 billion.
2024 SALES GROWTH BY SECTOR Once again, fast-casual chains on the Top 500 grew sales the most last year.
Source: Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report
JULY 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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