These 10 retail brands are the fastest growing in the U.S., Yelp says

The
new
restaurant
in
your
neighborhood
may
look
familiar.

Chains
owned
by
publicly
traded
restaurant
companies
accounted
for
half
of
the
top
10
fastest-growing
retail
brands
in
the
U.S.
last
year,
according
to
a
new

Yelp
report.

Review
site


Yelp
compiled
the
list
by
using
a
blended
metric
that
includes
net
new
openings,
searches
on
its
platform
from
2022
to
2023
and
consumer
interest
that
was
measured
by
page
visits,
posted
photos
and
written
reviews.
Of
the
50
fastest-growing
chains
in
Yelp’s
report,
35
were
restaurant
brands.

Jack
in
the
Box,


First
Watch
and


Dutch
Bros
were
among
the
public
restaurant
chains
included
in
the
report,
but
they
didn’t
crack
the
top
10.
Publicly
traded
retailers
included


Levi
Strauss,


Nordstrom
and


Costco.

Here
are
the
top
10
fastest-growing
brands,
based
on
Yelp’s
research:

The
Mediterranean
fast-casual
chain
went

public
through
an
IPO
10
months
ago,
raising
nearly
$318
million.
Cava
said
in
a
regulatory
filing
that
it
planned
to
use
the
offering’s
proceeds
for
new
location
openings,
as
well
as
general
corporate
purposes.
It
opened
30
net
new
locations
in
the
second
half
of
2023
and
plans
to
open
at
least
48
this
year.

The
Midwestern
coffee
chain
was
founded
in
1998
in
Nebraska
but
has
only
recently
begun
aggressively
expanding
through
franchised
locations.
Its
standard,
drive-thru-only
location
is
only
664
square
feet.
The
restaurant’s
small
size
makes
it
cheaper
to
operate
and
quicker
to
build,
helping
the
chain
and
its
franchisees
accelerate
development
quickly.

Scooter’s
net
new
locations
jumped
53%
from
2022
to
2023,
giving
it
the
largest
percentage
growth
of
any
restaurant
brand
on
the
list,
according
to
Yelp.

The


Darden
Restaurants
steakhouse
had
more
than
560
locations
nationwide
at
the
end
of
Darden’s
fiscal
2023.
Since
the
pandemic
began,
the
casual-dining
chain’s
sales
have
consistently
outperformed
the
restaurant
industry’s
average,
fueled
in
part
by
the
strong
growth
of
its
takeout
business.

Parent
company
Darden
plans
to
open
at
least
50
new
locations
across
all
of
its
brands
in
fiscal
2024.

When


Yum
Brands
bought
the
California-based
burger
chain
in
2020,
its
footprint
was
less
than
280
restaurants,
dwarfed
by
Yum’s
other
chains:
Pizza
Hut,
Taco
Bell
and
KFC.
But
Yum
has
been
accelerating
the
Habit
Burger
Grill’s
development
ever
since
the
deal
closed.
At
the
end
of
2023,
the
chain
had
378
locations
on
the
East
and
West
coasts.

While
Wawa
is
a
convenience
store
and
gas
station
chain,
its
loyal
fans
probably
know
it
more
for
its
cheesesteaks
and
hoagies.
The
chain
has
been
expanding
outside
its
Philadelphia
stronghold
into
new
markets
down
the
Atlantic
seaboard.
It’s
also
been

opening
drive-thru
locations,
encroaching
further
on
restaurants’
territory.

The


Restaurant
Brands
International
chain’s
famous
chicken
sandwich
has
helped
fuel
its
new
restaurant
growth
in
the
U.S.
and
beyond.
Popeyes’
higher
sales
have
encouraged
franchisees
to
open
more
locations
and
led
new
operators
to
join
the
brand,
Restaurant
Brands
executives
have
previously
said.

In
2023,
Popeyes

surpassed
KFC
as
the
second-most
popular
chicken
chain
in
the
U.S.
by
sales,
trailing
only
Chick-fil-A.

Private
equity
firm
Thompson
Street
Capital
Partners
bought
the
Midwestern
fast-casual
chain
in
2021
for
an
undisclosed
sum.
Under
its
new
ownership,
Freddy’s
has
ramped
up
its
development,
opened
restaurants
in
new
locations
like
airports
and
signed
on
new
franchisees.
Last
year,
the
burger
joint
opened
62
new
locations,
setting
a
new
development
record
for
the
chain
and
surpassing
500
locations
overall.

Rally
House
is
the
sole
apparel
retailer
to
crack
the
top
10
of
Yelp’s
report.
The
store,
which
sells
team
gear
and
sports
apparel
for
professional
and
college
teams,
has
been
setting
its
own
record
for
new
openings.
In
August,
it
opened
seven
locations
in
a
single
weekend.
While
its
footprint
is
largely
concentrated
in
the
Midwest,
its
stores
now
stretch
from
Pennsylvania
to
Arizona.

The
Italian-inspired
chain
is
the
gem
of


Darden
Restaurants‘
portfolio,
accounting
for
nearly
half
of
the
company’s
overall
revenue.
It’s
also
the
rare
casual-dining
chain
to
open
locations,
adding
about
20
new
restaurants
in
its
fiscal
2023.

Jersey
Mike’s
is
the
second-largest
U.S.
sandwich
chain,
trailing
only
Subway
by
number
of
stores.
Its
current
footprint
hovers
around
2,700
restaurants,
but
it’s
growing
rapidly.
And
despite
its
name
and
origin,
most
of
its
restaurants
are
now
in
California,
Texas
and
Florida.

The
privately
owned
sandwich
chain
is
also
reportedly
looking
for
a
buyer,
according
to
a

Wall
Street
Journal
report
last
week.
Blackstone’s
interest
in
Jersey
Mike’s
has
reportedly
cooled,
but
a
new
owner
could
further
ramp
up
the
chain’s
development.