While some of the legacy brands (such as IHOP and Bob Evans) saw declines, Technomic Chief Insights Officer Darren Tristano expects breakfast-and-lunch concepts to keep growing. Up-and-comer First Watch, for example, grew sales and units by more than 10%. Overall, the family-style category grew slightly; sales are up .9% over 2016, to $14.3billion, and units, 0.7%, to 9,080.
2017 Rank | Chain Name | 2016 U.S. Sales ($000) | 2016 U.S. Units |
| 23 | IHOP | 3,222,400 | 1,631 |
| 27 | Denny's | 2,585,000* | 1,610 |
| 31 | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | 2,323,200 | 640 |
| 44 | Waffle House | 1,246,900* | 1,882 |
| 49 | Bob Evans | 951,200 | 527 |
| 70 | Perkins Restaurant and Bakery | 635,000* | 380 |
| 106 | Village Inn | 361,000* | 212 |
| 122 | Friendly's | 309,000* | 250 |
| 146 | Huddle House | 245,769 | 370 |
| 154 | Big Boy | 233,500* | 186 |
| 169 | Shoney's | 210,100* | 138 |
| 171 | Black Bear Diner | 205,281 | 86 |
| 197 | First Watch | 174,500* | 160* |
| 203 | Eat'n Park | 166,368 | 69 |
| 206 | Shari's Cafe and Pies | 160,400* | 95 |
| 207 | The Original Pancake House | 157,100* | 133 |
| 223 | Country Pride Restaurant | 140,700* | 145* |
| 224 | Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery | 139,800* | 62 |
*Technomic estimate; Source: Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report
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