The quick-service restaurant industry continues to evolve, and that’s no more evident than in the 2014 QSR 50, the yearly report from QSR magazine ranking the 50 brands that are setting the pace in the quick-service and fast-casual restaurant industries.
Last year, Panera Bread inched closer to the top 10, while fellow fast casual Chipotle padded its sales by nearly half a billion dollars to climb to spot No. 15. Chick-fil-A put more space between it and competitor KFC, while Starbucks used a product diversification strategy to gain ground on No. 2 brand Subway. Meanwhile, McAlister’s Deli entered the top 50 for the first time, Zaxby’s crossed the billion-dollar threshold, and McDonald’s struggled to find consistency as the growing demand for premium products threatened to steal market share.
Following is the QSR 50 ranking for the chicken segment:
SEGMENT RANK |
QSR 50 RANK | COMPANY/CHAIN NAME | 2013 U.S. SYSTEMWIDE SALES (MILLIONS) | 2013 U.S. AVERAGE SALES PER UNIT (THOUSANDS) | NUMBER OF FRANCHISED UNITS IN 2013 | NUMBER OF COMPANY UNITS IN 2013 | TOTAL UNITS IN 2013 | TOTAL CHANGE IN UNITS FROM 2012 |
| 1 | 9 | Chick-fil-A | $5,052.6 | $2,846.5 | 1,713 | 62 | 1,775 | 92 |
| 2 | 10 | KFC | $4,300.0 | $942.0 | 4,285 | 206 | 4,491 | -127 |
| 3 | 21 | Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | $2,179.7 | $1,298.0 | 2,172 | 53 | 2,225 | 126 |
| 4 | 26 | Zaxby’s | $1,073.4 | $1,845.4 | 497 | 99 | 596 | 30 |
| 5 | 27 | Bojangles’ | $925.2 | $1,727.8 | 349 | 225 | 574 | 38 |
| 6 | 30 | Church’s Chicken | $855.4 | $713.7 | 946 | 258 | 1,204 | -4 |
| 7 | 37 | El Pollo Loco* | $604.0 | $1,500.0 | 237 | 165 | 402 | 5 |
| 8 | 39 | Boston Market | $600.9 | $1,298.0 | 0 | 460 | 460 | 9 |
| 9 | 45 | Wingstop * | $540.2 | $974.0 | 569 | 24 | 593 | 60 |
