Round Table Pizza

2016 Top 500 restaurant chains

More than half of the restaurant industry’s $491 billion in sales come from the Top 500 chains. And these giants grew at a modestly stronger rate, both in terms of sales and store counts, than the industry overall. Restaurant Business focused on the leading 250 performers to identify trends for our first-ever special report delivering lessons from Technomic’s annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. This special package includes lessons for all operators from the largest chains by segment, menu category and more.

Consumer Trends

The supermarket threat

The new Whole Foods Market in Portland, Maine, is a 48,000-square-foot behemoth, just two blocks off the turnpike spur that connects Maine’s largest city with a string of affluent towns along the coast.

One of the bright spots in the restaurant industry is the morning daypart. Breakfast generates $42 billion in annual sales or 12 percent of the industry total, estimates Chicago market consultancy, Technomic.

DIY pizza is again a growth story, but still a relatively small piece of the pie (only Blaze Pizza has hit the top 200).

An IPO may not be in the cards any time soon, but if you’ve set your sights on growth through unit expansion you’re facing a whole new set of challenges than simply having a great concept and executing it well.

If you haven't started preparing for Obamacare, you're not alone. A July poll of 4,000 employers, by human relations consulting firm Mercer, found 56 percent had been waiting for a Supreme Court decision before planning.

The 50-year-old chain will now be a sister concept to Hot Dog on a Stick and Pretzelmaker.

The ability to take an idea from one area and generalize it to another is a sign of intelligence. So let's see how smart you can be about holiday marketing.

Yes, you have to spend it to make it. But why spend more money than you have to? The deals are out there, for everything from wine to cleaning services. You just have to know where to find them, or at least how to ask for them. We sent reporters out looking for all the best ways for restaurant operators to save money. They found some great tips, so take a look and save a few bucks.

Making a quick batch of kimchi from seasonal vegetables is a daily task in the kitchens of Urban Belly, bellyQ and Belly Shack, chef-owner Bill Kim’s trio of Asian-inspired eateries in Chicago.

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