2011 might have been a lousy year for a number of sectors, but it was a bumper period for U.S. restaurant chains, according to a recent report from Technomic.
The food consulting and research firm released its annual report on the country’s restaurants, and found that the 500 largest chains banked a 3.4% jump in annual sales to $242 billion — better than the 1.8% improvement from the year before.
Of the $242 billion, $8.2 billion alone can be credited to the top 10 fastest-growing chains in the nation, which included a few publicly traded companies, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG), BJ’s Restaurant Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:BJRI) BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD).
Here’s a quick look at the full list of the 10 fastest-growing chains with sales of more than $200 million:
| Company | Ticker | U.S. Sales (millions) |
% Sales Change |
% Unit Change |
| Five Guys Burgers and Fries | N/A | $951 | 32.8% | 24.7% |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | CMG | $2,261 | 23.4% | 13.0% |
| Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop |
N/A | $895 | 21.8% | 17.1% |
| Yard House | N/A | $262 | 21.5% | 20.7% |
| Firehouse Subs | N/A | $285 | 21.1% | 19.0% |
| BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse | BJRI | $621 | 20.9% | 12.7% |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar | BWLD | $2,045 | 20.1% | 11.6% |
| Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers | N/A | $206 | 18.2% | 24.0% |
| Noodles & Company | N/A | $300 | 14.9% | 11.4% |
| Wingstop | N/A | $382 | 14.7% | 3.4% |
| Ranked by percentage increase in sales in 2011 vs. 2010 * Technomic estimate | ||||
The full Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report (2012) can be ordered here.
— Kyle Woodley, InvestorPlace Assistant Editor
