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

Franchises not listed here were not operating at least one franchised unit at the time the data was gathered according to the information available.

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