The Fast Casual Landscape in 2009
Fifteen years before delivery apps, ghost kitchens, and $20 burritos. This was the industry. We ranked the top 125 fast casual chains by systemwide sales. Some grew into giants. Some were acquired. Some are gone. All of it looks different from here.
Explore all 125 brands
Filter by cuisine. Sort any column by clicking the header.
| # | Brand | Sales | Units | AUV | Cuisine | States |
|---|
Rank is by estimated 2009 systemwide sales. AUV is calculated from sales and unit count.
What the data tells us
Five things that stand out looking back at the 2009 rankings.
The top 10 owned the segment
The top 10 brands controlled 73% of all systemwide sales. The remaining 115 brands split the other 27%. Scale already mattered enormously in 2009.
Mexican was already a war zone
Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Qdoba, Moe’s, Taco Time, and Taco Cabana were all in the top 30. The burrito bowl wars were well underway before Chipotle’s full momentum hit.
Almost nobody offered delivery
Only 22% of the top 125 brands offered delivery in 2009. DoorDash launched in 2013. The entire off-premise revolution was still years away.
Franchise was the dominant model
77 of the top 100 brands offered franchising. Non-franchise operators like Chipotle and Boston Market were the exception.
Smashburger was a baby
Ranked #89 with just 29 locations and $35M in sales. Some of today’s most recognized names were tiny regional players when this list was published.
Panera’s unit economics led all
Panera’s implied AUV of ~$1.8M was the highest in the segment by a wide margin. It wasn’t just the biggest brand. It was running the most productive units.
Who made it and grew
These 12 brands from the 2009 list are not just still open. They’re significantly larger today.
Still the segment’s anchor. Grew to 2,100+ US locations.
Now 3,500+ units and one of fast casual’s defining success stories.
Panda Express now has 2,400+ locations worldwide.
One of the Midwest’s most durable growth stories.
Grew to 1,700+ locations globally.
Part of Focus Brands and expanded nationally.
Expanded to 500+ locations.
Grew into one of the largest BBQ chains in the US.
Grew to 200+ units before Jollibee acquired it.
Now 175+ locations nationally.
Quietly doubled its footprint.
Now has 40+ US locations and is still expanding.