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Future 50: Emerging Brands

Restaurant Business magazine's annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in America

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

 Jul. 04, 2017

This hot-and-spicy full-service chain serves chicken, sides and plates. Gus’s recently announced plans to triple its units, with expansion to D.C. and Burbank, Calif., and is eyeing an overseas rollou...

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Lessons from founder-led chains

 By Dina Berta on Jul. 13, 2017

An entrepreneur’s passion can fuel growth, or get in the way.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill

Sep. 13, 2013

JD and Sarah Gardner founded the Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill concept in 2003 in Layton, Utah. The chain is fast casual, and nearly all food is fresh made,...

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Cafe Express

Sep. 13, 2013

Houston star-chef Robert Del Grande and his partners in Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group launched the fast-casual bakery-cafe Cafe Express in 1984...

Future 50: Emerging Brands

The Egg & I Restaurants

Jun. 25, 2014

The Egg & I Breakfast & Lunch is a full-service family-style restaurant chain specializing in fresh breakfast and lunch fare.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Zoës Kitchen

Jul. 08, 2014

Zoës Kitchen’s Mediterranean-inspired comfort food is always made from scratch, always fresh and always healthy, with dishes like Greek chicken pitas and chicken orzo soup.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant

Jul. 08, 2014

John Pelletier opened his first Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1985.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Moxie Java

Jul. 09, 2014

Moxie Java serves all the coffee drinks you’d find at a typical coffee shop—plus, at many of its 63 units, a wide range of food, from quiches and wraps to a proprietary gelato-style ice cream.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café

Jul. 09, 2014

Palm trees and lilting music evoke the islands at Tommy Bahama’s Tropical Café, geared for the well-heeled resort crowd with its signature cocktails and seafood items. But in Newport Beach, California, the chain recently revamped its concept to fit a “more local market” with a lunch menu and lower price points.

Future 50: Emerging Brands

Karl Strauss Brewing Company

Jul. 15, 2014

Craft-beer pioneers Chris Cramer and Matt Rattner opened their first brewpub in 1989. The beer was such a hit that they eventually built a brewery, won a slew of awards for the beers and opened more brewpubs, all in Southern California.

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