Thanks to a tumultuous economy and weak consumer confidence, most brands merely survived the 2009 fiscal year. However, there were a select few who managed to buck the trend and grow sales despite the gloomy economic climate.

Below are the top 50 chains in the quick-service and fast-casual industries ranked by sales increases. At the top is emerging burger concept Five Guys with 70 percent sales growth over the year before. That’s more than double its closest competitor Jimmy John, which comes in at No. 2 with 21 percent sales growth.

Brands unable to meet their previous year’s sales included White Castle, Sbarro, KFC, and Arby’s, all reporting negative growth in 2009. Long John Silver’s posted the worst growth with -12.5 percent sales growth in fiscal 2009.

Sales
Growth
Ranking
2010
QSR 50
Rank
Chain Segment Change in
Systemwide
Sales
U.S.
Systemwide
Sales ’09
(millions)
U.S.
Systemwide
Sales ’08
(millions)
1 42 Five Guys Burgers & Fries burger 70.31% $499.0 $293.0
2 34 Jimmy John’s* sandwich 21.22% $602.0 $496.6
3 49 Tim Hortons1 snack 18.84% $410.0 $345.0
4 21 Chipotle mexican 15.38% $1,500.0 $1,300.0
5 46 Qdoba mexican 8.92% $434.8 $399.2
6 45 In-N-Out Burger* burger 8.81% $457.0 $420.0
7 12 Chick-fil-A* chicken 8.60% $3,217.0 $2,962.3
8 31 Bojangles’ chicken 8.49% $659.5 $607.9
9 28 Zaxby’s chicken 8.13% $718.0 $664.0
10 33 Papa Murphy’s pizza/pasta 7.69% $630.0 $585.0
11 25 Little Caesars* pizza/pasta 7.11% $1,130.0 $1,055.0
12 15 Panera Bread* sandwich 7.05% $2,796.5 $2,612.3
13 27 Steak 'n Shake* burger 5.49% $753.8 $714.6
14 23 Panda Express asian 4.18% $1,245.0 $1,195.0
15 2 Subway* sandwich 4.17% $10,000.0 $9,600.0
16 1 McDonald’s burger 3.68% $31,000.0 $29,900.0
17 7 Dunkin’ Donuts* snack 3.64% $5,700.0 $5,500.0
18 50 Einstein Bros. Bagels* sandwich 2.97% $378.4 $367.5
19 32 Culver’s burger 1.94% $656.0 $643.5
20 26 Church’s Chicken* chicken 1.58% $835.0 $822.0
21 16 Dairy Queen* burger 1.54% $2,640.0 $2,600.0
22 6 Taco Bell2 mexican 1.49% $6,800.0 $6,700.0
23 17 Papa John’s pizza/pasta 1.13% $2,057.0 $2,034.0
24 43 Jason’s Deli sandwich 0.96% $471.6 $467.1
25 37 Del Taco mexican 0.85% $568.0 $563.2
26 13 Jack in the Box burger 0.78% $3,072.1 $3,048.3
27 10 Sonic burger 0.69% $3,837.4 $3,811.2
28 30 Checkers/Rally’s burger 0.58% $663.5 $659.7
29 24 Whataburger burger   0.51% $1,178.9 $1,172.9
30 20 Popeyes* chicken 0.25% $1,597.0 $1,593.0
31 47 Cold Stone Creamery snack 0.02% $429.9 $429.8
32 3 Burger King burger 0.00% $9,000.0 $9,000.0
33 14 Domino’s* pizza/pasta -0.23% $3,030.8 $3,037.7
34 19 Hardee’s* burger -1.19% $1,660.0 $1,680.0
35 22 Carl’s Jr.* burger -2.49% $1,370.0 $1,405.0
36 36 Baskin-Robbins* snack -2.56% $570.0 $585.0
37 4 Wendy’s* burger -2.62% $8,388.0 $8,614.0
38 38 CiCi’s Pizza pizza/pasta -2.79% $563.6 $579.8
39 44 Captain D’s seafood -3.19% $461.2 $476.4
40 5 Starbucks Coffee* snack -3.45% $8,347.2 $8,645.7
41 48 Krystal burger -3.50% $413.8 $428.8
42 40 White Castle burger -4.14% $544.4 $567.9
43 41 Sbarro* pizza/pasta -5.17% $517.1 $545.3
44 9 KFC2 chicken -5.77% $4,900.0 $5,200.0
45 18 Quiznos Subs* sandwich -5.83% $1,776.5 $1,886.5
46 11 Arby’s* sandwich -6.61% $3,228.8 $3,457.5
47 35 El Pollo Loco chicken -7.18% $582.0 $627.0
48 39 Boston Market* chicken -8.40% $545.0 $595.0
49 8 Pizza Hut2 pizza/pasta -9.09% $5,000.0 $5,500.0
50 29 Long John Silver’s*2 seafood -12.50% $700.0 $800.0
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