Top 125 Fast Casual Restaurant Chains 2009 | Restaurantchains.net

Throwback · 2009 Archive

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.

Research period ended Sep 1, 2009 · Originally published by Restaurantchains.net · Rankings based on estimated systemwide sales
Originally published November 2009 · Restored and reviewed May 2025

$19.8B

Total systemwide sales tracked

~37,000

Total units across all 125 brands

$537K

Average unit volume, all brands

121×

Sales gap: #1 Panera vs. #125 Spangles

Explore all 125 brands

Filter by cuisine or service type. Click any brand name to visit their site, or click the row for full 2009 detail.

Brands shown

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Total sales

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Total units

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Avg unit vol

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# ↑	Brand ↕	Sales ↕	Units ↕	Cuisine ↕	States

Rank is by systemwide sales. Unit count sorts independently — a brand with many low-volume locations may rank higher on units than on sales.

What the data tells us

Five things that stand out looking back at the 2009 rankings.

73%

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.

6 brands

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.

22%

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.

77%

Franchise was the dominant model

77 of the top 100 brands offered franchising. Non-franchise operators like Chipotle and Boston Market were the exception. Today's company-owned growth playbook hadn't been written yet.

29 units

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.

~$1.8M

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.

Panera Bread

#1 in 2009 · 1,345 units · $2.4B

Still the segment's anchor. Grew to 2,100+ US locations, went private via JAB Holding in 2017.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

#2 in 2009 · 886 units · $1.4B

Now 3,500+ units and ~$10B in annual sales. The defining fast casual success story of the past 15 years.

Panda Restaurant Group

#5 in 2009 · 1,233 units · $1.0B

Still privately held by the Cherng family. Panda Express now 2,400+ locations worldwide.

Culver's

#7 in 2009 · 415 units · $706M

One of the Midwest's genuine success stories. Now 900+ locations and widely regarded as a top QSR brand.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries

#24 in 2009 · 400 units · $240M

Grew to 1,700+ locations globally, one of the fastest franchise expansions in fast casual history.

Moe's Southwest Grill

#13 in 2009 · 402 units · $362M

Part of Focus Brands portfolio. Grew to 700+ locations across the US.

McAlister's Deli

#14 in 2009 · 288 units · $346M

Focus Brands portfolio brand. Expanded to 500+ locations, strong presence in the South and Midwest.

Dickey's BBQ Pit

#34 in 2009 · 112 units · $134M

Grew aggressively to 500+ locations nationally post-2009. One of the largest BBQ chains in the US.

Smashburger

#66 in 2009 · 29 units · $35M

Was barely on the map in 2009. Grew to 200+ units before Jollibee Foods acquired it in 2018.

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop

#74 in 2009 · 55 units · $39M

One of the better franchise growth stories post-2009. Now 175+ locations nationally.

HuHot Mongolian Grill

#73 in 2009 · 30 units · $36M

Quietly doubled its footprint. Now 60+ locations across the Midwest and Mountain West.

Nando's

#96 in 2009 · 27 units · $21M

Was barely in the US in 2009. The South African peri-peri chain now has 40+ US locations and is still expanding.

Data from Restaurantchains.net · Research period ended Sep 1, 2009 · Rankings based on estimated systemwide sales · Some brands include international units · Copyright November 2009 · Brand status notes reflect publicly available information as of 2025 and should not be treated as current company profiles.

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