Restaurant Franchises Ranking
By Units And Category

For information on a specific franchise, look under the category listed for that restaurant.

Asian Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units
1	Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant	Asian Fast Food	1997	678
2	Manchu Wok	Asian Fast Food	1989	167
3	Teriyaki Experience	Asian Fast Food	1987	135
4	Asian Chao/Maki of Japan/Chao Cajun	Asian Fast Food	2001	65
5	Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill	Asian Fast Food	1995	57
6	Genghis Grill-The Mongolian Stir Fry	Asian Fast Food	2001	43
7	HuHot Mongolian Grill	Asian Fast Food	2002	33
8	BD's Mongolian Barbeque	Asian Fast Food	1992	31
9	Teriyaki Madness	Asian Fast Food	2005	7
10	Masala Bowl Indian Café	Asian Fast Food	2007	4

Bagels

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Bruegger's	Bagels	1993	289
2	Big Apple Bagels	Bagels	1993	100
3	Between Rounds Bakery Sandwich Café	Bagels	1992	3

Bakeries

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Dunkin' Donuts	Bakeries	1955	9235
2	Auntie Anne's Hand-Rolled Soft Pretzels	Bakeries	1989	1126
3	Cinnabon	Bakeries	1986	763
4	Pretzelmaker/Pretzel Time	Bakeries	1992	350
5	Great American Cookies	Bakeries	1977	305
6	Wetzel's Pretzels	Bakeries	1996	273
7	Great Harvest Franchising Inc.	Bakeries	1978	209
8	Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet	Bakeries	1987	160
9	Honey Dew Donuts	Bakeries	1974	150
10	Golden Krust Franchising Inc.	Bakeries	1996	117
11	Philly Pretzel Factory	Bakeries	2004	102
12	Nestle Toll House Cafe by Chip	Bakeries	2000	98
13	Saint Cinnamon Bakery Ltd.	Bakeries	1986	90
14	We're Rolling Pretzel Company	Bakeries	2000	46
15	Breadsmith	Bakeries	1993	35
16	LaMar's Donuts	Bakeries	1992	29
17	Pretzels Plus Inc.	Bakeries	1991	17
18	Gigi's Cupcakes LLC	Bakeries	2008	16
19	Cookies in Bloom	Bakeries	1992	15
20	Insomnia Cookies Franchising LLC	Bakeries	2006	14
21	House of Bread	Bakeries	1998	8
22	Didoughs Twisted Pretzel Co.	Bakeries	2006	4
23	A Grande Finale Franchise LLC	Bakeries	2007	2
24	Bread Poets Franchising	Bakeries	2008	1
25	San Francisco Bread Co.	Bakeries	2003	0

Barbecue Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Famous Dave's	Barbecue Restaurants	1998	175
2	Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants	Barbecue Restaurants	1994	148
3	Bandana's Bar-B-Q	Barbecue Restaurants	2004	31
4	Virginia Barbeque	Barbecue Restaurants	2004	16
5	The Little Dooey Barbeque & Blues	Barbecue Restaurants	2004	4
6	McGhin's Southern Pit Bar-B-Que	Barbecue Restaurants	2006	2

BBQ Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	L&L Hawaiian Barbeque	BBQ Fast Food	1991	191
2	Shane's Rib Shack	BBQ Fast Food	2005	67
3	Woody's Bar-B-Q	BBQ Fast Food	1989	42
4	Bar-B-Cutie	BBQ Fast Food	2003	17
5	Billy Sims BBQ	BBQ Fast Food	2009	17
6	VooDoo BBQ & Grill	BBQ Fast Food	2006	15

Burger Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Johnny Rockets Group Inc.	Burger Restaurants	1987	218
2	Hamburger Mary's Bar & Grille	Burger Restaurants	1999	10

Chicken Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	KFC Corp.	Chicken	1952	16327
2	Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	Chicken	1976	1945
3	Church's Chicken	Chicken	1969	1693
4	Buffalo Wild Wings	Chicken	1991	732
5	Zaxby's Franchising Inc.	Chicken	1994	502
6	Bojangles' Restaurants Inc.	Chicken	1978	478
7	Wingstop Restaurants Inc.	Chicken	1998	453
8	El Pollo Loco	Chicken	1980	413
9	Wing Zone Franchise Corp.	Chicken	1999	92
10	Golden Chick	Chicken	1972	90
11	Buffalo Wings and Rings LLC	Chicken	1988	55
12	Wow Cafe & Wingery	Chicken	2002	48
13	Hurricane Grill & Wings	Chicken	2006	33
14	Ranch 1 Grilled Chicken	Chicken	1993	26
15	Wings Over…	Chicken	2002	25
16	Pudgie's Famous Chicken	Chicken	1998	7
17	Wingman Wings	Chicken	2001	7
18	Otter's Chicken Tenders	Chicken	2006	2
19	Brewster's Chicken	Chicken	2009	1

Coffee

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies	Coffee	1997	370
2	It's A Grind Coffee House	Coffee	2000	111
3	The Coffee Beanery	Coffee	1985	109
4	Biggby Coffee	Coffee	1999	108
5	Gloria Jean's Coffees	Coffee	1986	92
6	Dunn Bros Coffee	Coffee	1994	91
7	Scooter's Coffeehouse	Coffee	2002	75
8	Bad Ass Coffee Co.	Coffee	1998	53
9	The Human Bean Drive Thru	Coffee	2002	47
10	PJ's Coffee of New Orleans	Coffee	1989	44
11	Port City Java	Coffee	2003	42
12	The Bearclaw Coffee Co.	Coffee	2003	25
13	Mountain Mudd Espresso	Coffee	2007	21
14	Java Detour	Coffee	1999	20
15	Dazbog Coffee	Coffee	2006	9
16	Ellianos Coffee Co.	Coffee	2003	7

Family Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Denny's Inc.	Family Restaurants	1963	1601
2	Friendly's Restaurants Franchise LLC	Family Restaurants	1996	502
3	Perkins Restaurant & Bakery	Family Restaurants	1958	477
4	Big Boy Restaurants Int'l.	Family Restaurants	1952	357
5	Ground Round I.O.C.	Family Restaurants	1970	50

Fish Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Long John Silver's Restaurants Inc.	Fish Fast Food	1970	1024

Fondue Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc.	Fondue	1984	144

Frozen Yogurt

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Baskin-Robbins USA Co.	Frozen Yogurt	1948	6328
2	Cold Stone Creamery	Frozen Yogurt	1994	1392
3	Yogen Fruz	Frozen Yogurt	1987	892
4	TCBY	Frozen Yogurt	1982	618
5	Rita's Italian Ice	Frozen Yogurt	1989	562
6	Dippin' Dots Franchising	Frozen Yogurt	2000	488
7	Marble Slab Creamery	Frozen Yogurt	1984	362
8	Yogurtland Franchising Inc.	Frozen Yogurt	2007	114
9	Red Mango Franchising Co.	Frozen Yogurt	2007	66
10	Tasti D-Lite	Frozen Yogurt	2008	60
11	Menchie's	Frozen Yogurt	2008	42
12	Cefiore	Frozen Yogurt	2006	30
13	All American Specialty Restaurants Inc.	Frozen Yogurt	1987	26
14	Juice It Up Frozen Yogurt	Frozen Yogurt	2008	18
15	FreshBerry Natural Frozen Yogurt	Frozen Yogurt	2007	16
16	Spoon Me Franchising LLC	Frozen Yogurt	2008	11
17	Golden Spoon Franchising	Frozen Yogurt	2007	9
18	Sub Zero Ice Cream	Frozen Yogurt	2005	8
19	Fiji Yogurt	Frozen Yogurt	2009	4

Greek Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Mr. Greek Restaurants	Greek Fast Food	1993	31
2	Santorini Island Grill	Greek Fast Food	2006	3

Hamburgers

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	McDonald's	Hamburgers	1955	32737
2	Burger King Corp.	Hamburgers	1961	10170
3	Sonic Drive In Restaurants	Hamburgers	1959	3561
4	Hardee's	Hamburgers	1962	1901
5	Carl's Jr. Restaurants	Hamburgers	1984	1233
6	Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc.	Hamburgers	1989	806
7	A & W Restaurants Inc.	Hamburgers	1925	637
8	Culvers	Hamburgers	1988	421
9	Five Guys Burgers & Fries	Hamburgers	2002	389
10	Back Yard Burgers Inc.	Hamburgers	1988	181
11	Fatburger Restaurants	Hamburgers	1990	97
12	Smashburger Franchising LLC	Hamburgers	2008	72
13	Farmer Boys	Hamburgers	1997	65
14	The Counter	Hamburgers	2005	25
15	Foster's Grille	Hamburgers	2005	24
16	Mooyah Franchise LLC	Hamburgers	2007	18
17	Elevation Burger	Hamburgers	2008	8
18	Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries	Hamburgers	2008	7
19	Burger Hut	Hamburgers	2007	5
20	Carla's Sandwiches & Burgers	Hamburgers	2009	1

Healthy Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Saladworks	Healthy Fast Food	1992	97
2	Salad Creations LLC	Healthy Fast Food	2004	51
3	Freshii Development LLC	Healthy Fast Food	2008	19
4	Energy Kitchen	Healthy Fast Food	2004	9
5	Tossed Franchise Corp.	Healthy Fast Food	2004	6
6	Fresh Planet	Healthy Fast Food	2010	3
7	California Fresh	Healthy Fast Food	2009	2

Hot Dogs

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Nathan's Famous Inc.	Hot Dogs	1988	253
2	Woody's Chicago Style	Hot Dogs	1991	44
3	Jody Maroni's Sausage Kingdom	Hot Dogs	1998	19
4	Coney Beach	Hot Dogs	2007	5
5	Franktitude	Hot Dogs	2006	2
6	The Dogfather	Hot Dogs	2008	1

Ice Cream

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Dairy Queen	Ice Cream	1944	5815
2	Ben & Jerry's	Ice Cream	1981	815
3	Carvel	Ice Cream	1947	476
4	The Haagen-Dazs Shoppe Co. Inc.	Ice Cream	1977	250
5	Bruster's Real Ice Cream	Ice Cream	1993	229
6	MaggieMoo's	Ice Cream	1997	144
7	Happy Joe's	Ice Cream	1973	58
8	Repicci's Italian Ice	Ice Cream	2005	48
9	Paciugo Gelato & Caffe	Ice Cream	2004	45
10	Abbott's Frozen Custard	Ice Cream	1977	39
11	La Paletera Franchise Systems Inc.	Ice Cream	2003	36
12	Shake's Frozen Custard	Ice Cream	1998	34
13	Freddy's Frozen Custard LLC	Ice Cream	2004	27
14	California Quivers	Ice Cream	2004	13
15	Blue Sky Creamery	Ice Cream	2004	8
16	Ricky's Italian Ice	Ice Cream	2009	1
17	Scandinavian Shave Ice	Ice Cream	2008	1

Italian Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Villa Enterprises	Italian Fast Food	1999	249
2	Papa Gino's Pizzeria	Italian Fast Food	2006	176
3	Vapiano	Italian Fast Food	2004	56
4	Amato's	Italian Fast Food	2002	26

Italian Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	CiCi's Pizza	Italian Restaurants	1987	622
2	DoubleDave's Pizzaworks Systems Inc.	Italian Restaurants	1995	47
3	Rotelli Pizza & Pasta Inc.	Italian Restaurants	1999	31
4	Green Mill Restaurants	Italian Restaurants	1991	27
5	The Italian Pie Franchise LLC	Italian Restaurants	1995	15
6	AZPCO Arizona Pizza Company	Italian Restaurants	2002	11
7	Brixx Wood Fired Pizza	Italian Restaurants	2007	10

Juice Bars

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Smoothie King	Juice Bars	1988	612
2	Tropical Smoothie Café	Juice Bars	1997	286
3	Booster Juice	Juice Bars	2000	163
4	Surf City Squeeze	Juice Bars	1994	155
5	Robeks Premium Fruit Smoothies	Juice Bars	2001	130
6	Planet Smoothie	Juice Bars	1998	121
7	Juice It Up!	Juice Bars	1998	103
8	Nrgize Lifestyle Café	Juice Bars	2006	94
9	Happy & Healthy Products Inc.	Juice Bars	1993	56
10	Froots	Juice Bars	2004	39
11	Bahama Buck's Original Shaved Ice Co.	Juice Bars	1993	24
12	MixStirs	Juice Bars	2007	23
13	Juiceblendz Int'l. Inc.	Juice Bars	2005	16
14	Indigos Fruit Smoothies	Juice Bars	2004	9
15	Vitality Juice, Java & Smoothie Bar	Juice Bars	2005	6

Mexican Fast Food

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Taco Bell Corp.	Mexican Fast Food	1964	5833
2	Qdoba Mexican Grill	Mexican Fast Food	1997	513
3	Taco John's Int'l. Inc.	Mexican Fast Food	1969	418
4	Moe's Southwest Grill	Mexican Fast Food	2001	408
5	TacoTime	Mexican Fast Food	1961	296
6	La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill	Mexican Fast Food	1989	99
7	Salsarita's Fresh Cantina	Mexican Fast Food	2000	79
8	Panchero's Mexican Grill	Mexican Fast Food	1995	54
9	California Tortilla	Mexican Fast Food	2003	37
10	Barberitos Franchising Inc.	Mexican Fast Food	2002	22
11	Baja Sol Tortilla Grill	Mexican Fast Food	1995	14
12	Desert Moon-Fresh Mexican Grille	Mexican Fast Food	1999	10
13	Izzo's Illegal Burrito	Mexican Fast Food	2006	6
14	The Sea Casa	Mexican Fast Food	2009	1

Mexican Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
15	Pepe's Mexican Restaurants	Mexican Restaurants	1967	50
16	Austin Grill	Mexican Restaurants	2007	7

Misc. Fast Food Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Hot Stuff Foods LLC	Misc. Fast Food	1993	970
2	Orange Julius of America	Misc. Fast Food	1948	196
3	Steak-Out Franchising Inc.	Misc. Fast Food	1988	53
4	Tapioca Express Inc.	Misc. Fast Food	2000	52
5	Roy Rogers Franchise Co. LLC	Misc. Fast Food	2003	51
6	The Cereal Bowl	Misc. Fast Food	2007	28
7	Zoup! Systems LLC	Misc. Fast Food	2003	24
8	Off The Grill Franchising LLC	Misc. Fast Food	1999	9
9	Popcornopolis	Misc. Fast Food	2009	9
10	Million Snacks	Misc. Fast Food	2009	6
11	Miami Rice Pudding Co.	Misc. Fast Food	2006	3
12	Jerk Q'zine Caribbean Grille	Misc. Fast Food	2005	2

Misc. Full-Service Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Huddle House	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1966	408
2	Beef 'O'Brady's	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1998	261
3	Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc.	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1998	100
4	Houlihan's	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1994	90
5	Quaker Steak & Lube	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1997	40
6	Native New Yorker	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	1991	21
7	Scrambler Marie's Breakfast Bistro	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2005	14
8	Twin Peaks Restaurant	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2007	14
9	The Wine Loft	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2005	7
10	Eggs Up Grill	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2005	4
11	The Flying Biscuit Café	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2006	3
12	Sherlocks of Celebration LLC	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2008	2
13	The Chocolate Martini Bar	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2009	2
14	KEO Asian Cuisine	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2009	1
15	Naples Tomato Franchising LLC	Misc. Full-Service Restaurants	2009	1

Pizza Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units
1	Pizza Hut Inc.	Pizza	1959	13281
2	Domino's Pizza LLC	Pizza	1967	8624
3	Papa John's Int'l. Inc.	Pizza	1986	3529
4	Papa Murphy's	Pizza	1982	1217
5	Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs	Pizza	1982	560
6	Pizza Inn Inc.	Pizza	1963	316
7	Fox's Pizza Den	Pizza	1974	291
8	Marco's Franchising LLC	Pizza	1979	217
9	Jet's Pizza	Pizza	1990	192
10	Donatos Pizza	Pizza	1991	178
11	Pizza Ranch	Pizza	1984	151
12	Peter Piper Pizza Inc.	Pizza	1977	148
13	Gatti's Pizza	Pizza	1974	135
14	Pizza Factory Inc.	Pizza	1985	117
15	Vocelli Pizza	Pizza	1989	115
16	Famous Famiglia	Pizza	2002	108
17	The Original Pizza Pan	Pizza	1992	97
18	Breadeaux Pizza	Pizza	1985	97
19	Ledo Pizza System Inc.	Pizza	1989	96
20	Ledo Pizza System Inc.	Pizza	1989	96
21	Z Pizza	Pizza	1999	93
22	Mellow Mushroom	Pizza	1987	87
23	Mr. Jim's Pizza	Pizza	1978	77
24	Straw Hat Pizza	Pizza	1969	77
25	Figaro's Pizza	Pizza	1986	76
26	RedBrick Pizza	Pizza	2001	61
27	Shakey's Pizza Restaurant	Pizza	2004	50
28	Nick-N-Willy's Pizza	Pizza	1995	45
29	Buck's Pizza	Pizza	1994	43
30	Garlic Jim's Famous Gourmet Pizza	Pizza	2004	43
31	Extreme Pizza	Pizza	2000	42
32	Stevi B's Pizza	Pizza	1999	35
33	Russo's New York Pizzeria	Pizza	1998	27
34	Pizza Schmizza	Pizza	2002	26
35	Toppers Pizza	Pizza	2000	26
36	Ronzio Pizza	Pizza	1992	21
37	Pizza Fusion	Pizza	2007	18
38	Sam & Louie's	Pizza	2000	18
39	Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill	Pizza	1985	17
40	Teresa's Pizza	Pizza	1996	15
41	The Pizza Pipeline	Pizza	1988	14
42	Captain Tony's Pizza & Pasta Emporium	Pizza	1985	11
43	NYPD Pizza	Pizza	2004	10
44	Chicago's Pizza Franchises	Pizza	1981	10
45	Manny & Olga's Pizza	Pizza	1998	8
46	Reginelli's Pizzeria	Pizza	2007	6

Pubs

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	The Firkin Group of Pubs	Pubs	1987	48
2	Winger's Grill & Bar	Pubs	1997	41
3	The Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille	Pubs	2003	27
4	Locos Grill & Pub	Pubs	1997	26
5	Indigo Joe's Sports Pub & Restaurant	Pubs	2002	25
6	Prime Group of Pubs	Pubs	1996	15

Sandwiches Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Subway	Sandwiches	1974	34134
2	Quiznos Sub	Sandwiches	1983	5114
3	Arby's	Sandwiches	1965	3679
4	Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shops	Sandwiches	1993	1173
5	Blimpie Subs & Salads	Sandwiches	1970	919
6	Charley's Grilled Subs	Sandwiches	1991	409
7	Jersey Mike's Subs	Sandwiches	1987	409
8	Firehouse Subs	Sandwiches	1995	388
9	Pita Pit Inc.	Sandwiches	1997	302
10	McAlister's Deli	Sandwiches	1994	274
11	Togo's Franchisor LLC	Sandwiches	1977	240
12	Penn Station East Coast Subs	Sandwiches	1987	215
13	D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches	Sandwiches	1988	188
14	The HoneyBaked Ham Co. & Café	Sandwiches	1998	174
15	The Great Steak & Potato Co.	Sandwiches	1986	170
16	Lenny's Sub Shop	Sandwiches	2001	158
17	Cousins Subs	Sandwiches	1985	150
18	Port Of Subs	Sandwiches	1985	139
19	Which Wich Superior Sandwiches	Sandwiches	2004	111
20	Mr. Goodcents Franchise Systems Inc.	Sandwiches	1990	101
21	Bellacino's Pizza & Grinders Inc.	Sandwiches	1995	94
22	Camille's Sidewalk Café	Sandwiches	1999	88
23	Murphy's Deli	Sandwiches	1996	80
24	The Steak Escape	Sandwiches	1983	80
25	Nature's Table Café	Sandwiches	1987	78
26	Tubby's Sub Shop Inc.	Sandwiches	1978	75
27	Larry's Giant Subs	Sandwiches	1986	70
28	Great Wraps	Sandwiches	1983	69
29	Submarina Inc.	Sandwiches	1988	66
30	Capriotti's Sandwich Shop Inc.	Sandwiches	1991	63
31	Dominic's of New York/Johnnyboy's	Sandwiches	1996	50
32	Frullati Cafe & Bakery	Sandwiches	1994	43
33	Kolache Factory	Sandwiches	2000	39
34	Spicy Pickle	Sandwiches	2003	34
35	Heidi's Brooklyn Deli	Sandwiches	2004	29
36	Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop	Sandwiches	2006	24
37	Groucho's Deli	Sandwiches	2001	23
38	My Friend's Place	Sandwiches	1990	22
39	Sandella's Flatbread Café	Sandwiches	2007	18
40	Baker Bros American Deli	Sandwiches	2000	16
41	Currito, Burritos Without Borders	Sandwiches	2004	15
42	Smiling Moose Deli	Sandwiches	2008	15
43	Cheba Hut Toasted Subs	Sandwiches	2002	13
44	Rising Roll Franchising Company LLC	Sandwiches	2003	12
45	Blendz Franchise System Inc.	Sandwiches	2005	11
46	San Francisco Sourdough Eatery Inc.	Sandwiches	2003	10
47	Evos	Sandwiches	2006	9
48	Earl of Sandwich (USA) LLC	Sandwiches	2005	8
49	Rollerz	Sandwiches	2000	7
50	Mustard Café	Sandwiches	2004	6
51	Atlantic City Sub Shops	Sandwiches	1995	3
52	Big Al's Steaks	Sandwiches	2009	2
53	Chedd's Gourmet Grilled Cheese	Sandwiches	2007	2

Seafood Restaurants

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Grampa's Catfish House	Seafood Restaurants	2005	4

Steakhouses

Number	Name	Category	Franchising Since	Open Units Most
1	Golden Corral Franchising Systems Inc.	Steakhouses	1987	479
2	Western Sizzlin	Steakhouses	1965	104