Originally appearing in the RestaurantChains.net research series, this report was republished in May 2026.
REI links, ownership references, and reuse terms reviewed . Original July 2012 rankings and figures remain unchanged.
Featured chains demonstrated growth trends that stood out among their peer concepts.
(Began period with between 50-200 units)
Research Period: 1/21/12 to 5/20/12. Re-confirmed for counts as of 7/1/2012.
REI marks a current company or parent-company profile in the Restaurant Enterprise Index. Parent and acquisition notes describe later ownership connections, separately from the historical ranking.
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| Rank | Name | Cuisine | Service Type | Start Count | Growth | End Count | Growth % | Research Ended | Trading States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FREDDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD & STEAKBURGERSREI View Freddy’s Vector | Burger | Quick Serve | 54 | 19 | 73 | 35% | 3/13/2012 | AZ, CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NV, OK, TX, UT |
| 2 | FRESHSLICE PIZZAREI | Pizza | Take-out/Delivery | 51 | 17 | 68 | 33% | 4/3/2012 | BC, ON |
| 3 | FREEBIRDS WORLD BURRITOREICurrent parent: Sun Holdings | Mexican | Fast Casual | 57 | 13 | 70 | 23% | 4/2/2012 | CA, OK, TX |
| 4 | FIRST WATCH RESTAURANTSREI | American | Family/Casual | 85 | 17 | 102 | 20% | 4/10/2012 | AZ, FL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, WI, WV |
| 5 | CHEDDAR’S CASUAL CAFEREICurrent parent: Darden Restaurants | American | Family/Casual | 95 | 15 | 110 | 16% | 3/27/2012 | AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MO, MS, NC, OH, OK, TN, TX, VA, WV |
| 6 | HAPPY’S PIZZAREICurrent parent: Happy Group | Pizza | Mostly take-out | 69 | 11 | 80 | 16% | 4/17/2012 | CA, IL, MI, NV, OH |
| 7 | WHICH WICHREI | Sandwich | Fast Casual | 146 | 24 | 170 | 16% | 4/17/2012 | AR, AZ, CA, CO, GA, IA, IL, IN, LA, MO, MS, NC, NM, NV, NY, OK, SC, TN, TX, WA |
| 8 | MOUNTAIN MIKE’S PIZZAREI | Pizza | Quick Serve | 138 | 12 | 150 | 9% | 3/14/2012 | CA, NV, OR, UT |
| 9 | TACO MAYO | Mexican | Quick Serve | 79 | 7 | 86 | 9% | 4/10/2012 | AR, KS, OK, TX, |
| 10 | ZOE’S KITCHENREIAcquired by CAVA Group in 2018. | Mediterranean | Fast Casual | 55 | 5 | 60 | 9% | 3/1/2012 | AL, AZ, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA, |
| 11 | RUNZA | Sandwich | Quick Serve | 82 | 6 | 88 | 7% | 4/9/2012 | CO, IA, KS, NE, |
| 12 | WAHOO’S FISH TACO | Mexican | Fast Casual | 56 | 4 | 60 | 7% | 4/19/2012 | CA, CO, HI, NV, NY, TX |
| 13 | CORNER BAKERY CAFEREICurrent parent: SSCP Management | Bakery/Café | Fast Casual | 127 | 8 | 135 | 6% | 3/13/2012 | AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MS, NJ, NY, PA, TX, UT, VA |
| 14 | CHAMPPS AMERICANA | American | Family/Casual | 58 | 3 | 61 | 5% | 3/27/2012 | CO, DE, FL, IA, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SD, TX, VA, WI |
| 15 | MOXIE’S CLASSIC GRILLREICurrent parent: Northland Properties | American | Family/Casual | 60 | 3 | 63 | 5% | 4/10/2012 | AB, BC, MB, NS, ON, SK |
| 16 | HARD ROCK CAFE | American | Family/Casual | 136 | 6 | 142 | 4% | 3/13/2012 | AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NJ, NV, NY, OH, ON, PA, SC, TN, TX, WA |
| 17 | WING ZONEREICurrent parent: Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop | Chicken | Take-out/Delivery | 57 | 2 | 59 | 4% | 2/27/2012 | AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI |
| 18 | TACO BUENOREICurrent parent: Sun Holdings | Mexican | Fast Casual | 179 | 5 | 184 | 3% | 4/17/2012 | AR, KS, LA, MO, NE, NM, OK, TX, |
| 19 | VAPIANO | Italian | Fast Casual | 103 | 3 | 106 | 3% | 4/9/2012 | DC, IL, MA, MD, NC, NY, TX, VA, |
| 20 | PAPA GINO’S INCREI | Pizza | Fast Casual | 159 | 3 | 162 | 2% | 2/29/2012 | CT, MA, ME, NH, RI |
Research Notes
Unit ranges, including starting, growth and ending counts, reflect growth information from each company’s research date range as recorded in the original RestaurantChains.net archive.
RestaurantChains.net presents quarterly lists of Top 20 Fastest Growing Concepts based on recent growth captured during the re-verification process. Information is derived from the continual process of interviewing and verifying more than 7300 restaurant chain concepts.
Parameters Considered
- A restaurant chain or group with at least 50 units.
- A restaurant chain or group who began the period with fewer than 200 units.
- A restaurant chain or group who grew by at least 2 units.
- A concept with growth within the U.S. or Canada.
- A concept that is a unique brand/concept, not a franchisee.
- A concept with reliable information available regarding unit counts and activity.
Repeat Concept Leaders
This report includes concepts that appeared on previous RestaurantChains.net growth lists.
- CHAMPPS AMERICANA
- CHEDDAR’S CASUAL CAFE
- CORNER BAKERY CAFÉ
- FIRST WATCH RESTAURANTS
- HAPPY’S PIZZA
- MOUNTAIN MIKE’S PIZZA
- VAPIANO
- WAHOO’S FISH TACO
- WHICH WICH
Readers should know that unit counts and percentages are not annualized and relate to recent growth only. Companies on the list are placed without opinion and are a result of academic research.
Related Restaurant Chain Research
For nearby historical comparisons, read the June release of the April 2012 Top Ten report and the Third Quarter 2012 Top Ten report. Other historical rankings are available in the Fastest Growing Restaurant Chains Archive.
For current restaurant intelligence, visit Restaurantdata.com. Explore new restaurant openings through RestaurantPipeline.com, and consult the Restaurant Chain Data Dictionary for definitions used in this research.
