Future 50: Emerging Brands
Restaurant Business magazine's annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in America
Restaurant Business magazine's annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in America
In 1991 Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, looking for an alternative to pizza, launched a fast-service concept from their University of Florida fraternity house...
Toppers Pizza is a limited-service pizza chain focused primarily on serving a younger crowd of college kids.
Founded in 1902 by an immigrant selling fresh rolls filled with ham, cheese and vegetables to fellow dockworkers, Amato’s developed an expanded menu including grilled sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, calzones and salads plus the original signature item, The Italian. Today it reaches beyond Maine into Vermont and New Hampshire and is exploring opportunities in Massachusetts and upstate New York, says Franchising Director Jeff Perkins.
When Juice It Up! came on the scene in 1995, smoothie joints were just beginning to jump in the southern California market. Conceived as a way for founder Larry Sidoti to ditch a suit-and-tie advertising career, the concept struck a chord and has since evolved from a low-key local favorite into a fast-track national franchise.
Living in the suburbs shouldn't mean you're doomed to eat at mediocre restaurants for exorbitant prices. That was Steve Silverstein's gripe back in 1994, when the former CPA and retail executive founded Not Your Average Joe's. Now with 16 units—all in Massachusetts, plus one in Leesburg, Virginia—the casual dining chain offers a varied menu ranging from mustard-crusted chicken to vegetarian stir-fry and Tuscan shrimp scampi. Silverstein expects to open two units in Virginia this year.