QSR Report
The QSR 50
2007
Rank 		2006
Rank		 QSR Chain QSR
Market
Segment		 2006 Systemwide Sales ($MIL) 2006 Change System Sales 2005 Systemwide Sals ($MIL) 2004 Systemwide Sals ($MIL) Number of Franchised Units Number of Company Units Total Units
26 26 Little Caesars Pizza1 Pizza/pasta $810.00 11.00% $730.00 $675.00 1,326 400 1,726
Little Caesars exceeded its 2006 growth plan by opening several hundred locations, most of them in the U.S. System sales numbers followed suit.
27 24 Church’s Chicken Chicken $806.90 4.50% $771.90 $753.60 951 236 1,187
After two years of moving up in the rankings, Church’s falls three places this year. Will recently spiced-up advertising efforts reverse the course?
28 23 Long John Silver’s1 Seafood $800.00 2.00% $784.00 $800.00 661 460 1,121
The nation’s largest quick-serve seafood chain joined fellow YUM! brands by switching its company-owned restaurants to PepsiCo beverages last year.
29 28 Steak ‘n Shake Burger $728.00 4.70% $695.00 $661.00 429 48 477
President and CEO Peter Dunn blames flat unit sales on bad weather, gas prices, and faltering customer service. He’s launched a long-term training plan to bring employees up to speed.
30 27 Boston Market Chicken $680.30 -4.00% $708.70 $700.00 0 619 619
The chicken chain was grounded with flagging sales and unit growth. Now McDonald’s might be looking to sell the company—or spin it off, as with Chipotle.
31 31 Checkers Drive-In/Rally’s Burger $647.00 3.40% $625.70 $619.10 534 273 807
Checkers and Rally’s might be the official drive-thru of NASCAR, but per-unit sales growth seems stuck in the slow lane. Will a new CMO reverse the trend?
32 33 Baskin-Robbins Snack $554.00 -0.10% $554.50 $535.00 2,822 0 2,822
The numbers are negative for Baskin Robbins. Is it pressure from high-end competitors like Marble Slab and Cold Stone Creamery? Still, the company rises one spot this year.
33 36 CiCi’s Pizza Pizza/pasta $540.90 10.30% $490.30 $434.50 585 16 601
The buffet pizza, pasta, and salad chain helps itself to a higher ranking this year, but per-unit sales grew less than 1 percent.
34 32 White Castle Burger $539.40 0.40% $537.00 $511.20 0 402 402
Sales and growth at White Castle were almost as flat as the company’s famous Slyder burgers.
35 34 Del Taco Mexican $534.20 2.10% $523.30 $472.10 214 276 490
Having found a new owner in Sagittarius Brands and promoted longtime executive Shirlene Lopez to president, Del Taco ended 2006 with its focus set on field marketing. Will those efforts bump up sales per unit?
36 37 Culver’s Burger $531.90 10.60% $480.90 $423.10 345 6 351
Culver’s cooked up a smaller restaurant design, with 98 versus 120 seats, to make urban expansion easier and help mitigate rising construction costs.
37 38 El Pollo Loco Chicken $528.10 10.50% $478.10 $426.90 208 151 359
In November, the grilled chicken chain inked a series of multi-unit development agreements for 61 new locations in Georgia, Missouri, Arizona, Virginia, and Utah. Sales in existing units grew, too.
38 35 Captain D’s Seafood $513.40 -0.70% $516.90 $524.70 275 315 590
After positive feedback from operators and customers during tests, The Captain rolled out Shrimp Pasta Bowls and Chicken Pasta Bowls. The result: a greater variety of non-fried items on the menu.
39 40 Bojangles’ Chicken $506.70 12.80% $449.30 $424.00 231 142 373
Same-store sales were strong again this year for Bojangles’, which unveiled a high-end prototype with flat-screen televisions, Wi-Fi service, and more than 4,000 square feet.
40 39 Sbarro1 Pizza/pasta $496.00 7.10% $463.00 $456.00 289 479 768
Private equity firm MidOcean Partners acquired Sbarro from the founding family and kept president and CEO Peter Beaudrault at the helm.
41 43 Cold Stone Creamery Snack $471.00 16.00% $406.00 $286.00 1,327 33 1,360
Cold Stone and Six Flags signed a strategic marketing alliance that puts locations in amusement parks, plus leads to marketing and cross-promotions.
42 42 Krystal Burger $445.50 5.40% $422.60 $406.80 170 233 403
The company created an online gathering place for its cult fan base with the Krystal Lovers Lounge, an entertainment and networking community. On our screen: a healthy up tick in sales per unit.
43 41 Papa Murphy’s Pizza Pizza/pasta $444.20 8.00% $411.40 $385.90 913 50 963
It was a busy year for Papa Murphy’s, which celebrated its 25th anniversary, opened its first international location in Vancouver, B.C., and rolled out an interior re-do in about 90 percent of locations.
44 45 Einstein Bros./Noah’s Bagels1 Sandwich $390.00 0.20% $389.10 $373.90 96 414 510
In early 2006 Einstein Bros./Noah’s Bagels parent New World Restaurant Group refinanced its debt on the strength of improving performance.
45 44 In-N-Out Burger1 Burger $385.00 5.50% $365.00 $330.00 0 203 203
After a year of flat revenues in 2005, the slow-growing fan favorite stacks up slightly better numbers this time around.
46 48 Jason’s Deli Sandwich $375.00 9.00% $344.00 $281.00 67 91 158
The system is still more than 60 percent company-owned, but it’s seeking investors and area developers with at least five years of restaurant experience.
47 52 Jamba Juice Snack $364.00 17.70% $309.20 $262.60 217 342 559
The smoothie chain breaks into the QSR 50 with strong sales and comps, in spite of a bacteria scare in late 2006.
48 51 Fuddruckers1 Burger $330.00 7.50% $307.00 $300.00 129 111 240
The privately held, Austin-based hamburger chain lost its president after less than a year’s service.
49 47 Baja Fresh Mexican Grill1 Mexican $325.00 -4.40% $340.00 $345.00 154 144 298
In October, Wendy’s agreed to sell Baja Fresh to a group of investment firms for $31 million—a fraction of the $275-million price tag when Wendy’s bought it in 2002.
50 49 Blimpie Subs Sandwich $317.90 -2.90% $327.40 $308.00 1534 44 1,578
The subs might be tall, but sales were flat. Can new owner Kahala Corp. reverse the sales trend and rebuild relationships with franchisees?
1 Includes figures estimated by GEFF or QSR.
2 U.S. and Canadian units
3 Starbucks reports sales for U.S. company stores only.
Source: GE Capital Solutions, Franchise Finance and QSR