Full-service chains continue to battle the changing tides of the industry. Consumer demand for off-premise has made it harder than ever to fill seats in dining rooms, even as chains such as Applebee’s and Chili’s Grill & Bar seek to add off-premise capabilities. When they do decide to dine out, customers continue to seek an experience, with eatertainment chains such as Dave & Buster’s and Topgolf posting strong year-over-year sales growth.
Full-service sales growth by segment
Fastest-growing full-service chains (>$200M in sales)
Rank: 82
Sales: $558M
Sales growth: 35.1%
Unit growth: 24.7%
Rank: 166
Sales: $213.3M
Sales growth: 21.3%
Unit growth: 20%
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants
Rank: 120
Sales: $338.6
Sales growth: 19.9%
Unit growth: 17.1%
Fastest-growing full-service chains (<$200M in sales)
110 Grill
Rank: 369
Sales: $76.8M
Sales growth: 58.8%
Unit growth: 61.1%
North Italia
Rank: 326
Sales: $91.8
Sales growth: 40.2%
Unit growth: 53.3%
Metro Diner
Rank: 201
Sales: $171M
Sales growth: 36.3%
Unit growth: 3%
These are the largest chains in the casual-dining, fine-dining and family-dining categories.
Largest casual-dining chains
| Rank | Chain name | Menu type | 2019 U.S. sales ($000,000) | Sales stimated | 2019 U.S. units | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olive Garden | Italian/Pizza | $4,287 | 866 | 15 | |
| 2 | Applebee's | Varied Menu | $4,086 | 1,665 | 16 | |
| 3 | Buffalo Wild Wings | Sports Bar | $3,670 | 1,206 | 22 | |
| 4 | Chili's Grill & Bar | Varied Menu | $3,564 | * | 1,242 | 23 |
| 5 | Texas Roadhouse | Steak | $3,016 | * | 553 | 26 |
| 6 | Outback Steakhouse | Steak | $2,636 | 724 | 29 | |
| 7 | Red Lobster | Seafood | $2,490 | * | 679 | 31 |
| 8 | The Cheesecake Factory | Varied Menu | $2,181 | 206 | 33 | |
| 9 | LongHorn Steakhouse | Steak | $1,868 | 530 | 37 | |
| 10 | Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews | Varied Menu | $1,549 | 556 | 41 | |
| 11 | BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse | Varied Menu | $1,161 | 208 | 48 | |
| 12 | TGI Fridays | Varied Menu | $1,085 | * | 385 | 49 |
| 13 | P.F. Chang's | Asian | $918 | 221 | 52 | |
| 14 | Hooters | Sports Bar | $859 | * | 341 | 56 |
| 15 | Ruby Tuesday | Varied Menu | $731 | * | 451 | 62 |
| 16 | Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen | Varied Menu | $725 | 175 | 64 | |
| 17 | Carrabba's Italian Grill | Italian/Pizza | $653 | 225 | 68 | |
| 18 | California Pizza Kitchen | Italian/Pizza | $621 | * | 199 | 72 |
| 19 | Yard House | Varied Menu | $610 | 79 | 74 | |
| 20 | Bonefish Grill | Seafood | $587 | 197 | 75 |
Largest fine-dining chains
| Rank | Chain name | Menu type | 2019 U.S. sales ($000,000) | Sales stimated | 2019 U.S. units | Top 500 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruth's Chris Steak House | Steak | $703 | 135 | 67 | |
| 2 | The Capital Grille | Steak | $461 | 58 | 96 | |
| 3 | Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar | Steak | $307 | 68 | 132 | |
| 4 | Morton's The Steakhouse | Steak | $266 | * | 63 | 146 |
| 5 | Mastro's Restaurants | Steak | $242 | * | 18 | 155 |
Largest family-dining chains
| Rank | Chain name | Menu type | 2019 U.S. sales ($000,000) | Sales stimated | 2019 U.S. units | Top 500 rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IHOP | Family Style | $3,267 | 1,710 | 25 | |
| 2 | Denny's | Family Style | $2,692 | 1,558 | 27 | |
| 3 | Cracker Barrel | Family Style | $2,482 | 660 | 32 | |
| 4 | Waffle House | Family Style | $1,344 | * | 1,959 | 45 |
| 5 | Bob Evans | Family Style | $795 | * | 483 | 59 |
Source: Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report; *Technomic estimate
Learn more about Technomic’s Top 500.
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