Four of the 10 newcomers to this year's Top 100 Independents list are Chicago steakhouses: Maple & Ash, RPM Steak, Swift & Sons and Prime & Provisions broke into RB's ranking based on their 2017 sales. In addition, Farmers Restaurant Group landed another concept on the list this year—Farmers Fishers Bakers—after adding two Founding Farmers locations last year. And Junior's new 49th Street restaurant also made its inaugural appearance, despite having only been opened for part of 2017. Read on to see the rest of the restaurants new to the ranking.
Despite the recent flurry of restaurant activity on Wall Street, AJ Kumaran, co-CEO of the fast-growing chicken finger chain, said his fast casual plans to remain steadfastly private to keep its company culture intact.
Working Lunch: This week’s podcast from Joe Kefauver and Franklin Coley also features a discussion on industry opponents taking agendas to a local level.
Customer demand led the founders of the retail brand Amy’s Kitchen to create a restaurant. The concept is now pushing to grab a bigger piece of the market.
