Miniature versions of burgers have settled along the lines of menu staples, appearing in many types of restaurants and many different forms. It’s not hard to see why: sliders are budget-friendly, portable, and embody the idea of vanishing caloric density—a fancy way of saying that you eat one and immediately want another.

While the realm of quick-service slider specialists has mostly been populated by legacy chains or mom-and-pop shops, the niche category is getting a jolt of energy from newer brands inking franchise deals across the country with aspirations of becoming national contenders.

Take Smalls Sliders as an example. The Atlanta-based brand launched in 2019 and quickly put together a franchise growth curve, thanks to a hyper-focused menu that doesn’t stray from the namesake product. It serves up cheeseburger sliders, fries, drinks, and milkshakes from 750-square-foot shipping containers it calls “cans.”

“I think handheld and small-format food has a place because it simplifies decision-making,” says CEO Maria Rivera. “We keep it simple in a world where decision overload is an everyday occurrence, and we play the service game and the experience game when the dollar is stretched better than anyone else.”

With new units consistently outperforming expectations and AUVs tracking around $2 million, operating in such a small space requires a laser-like focus on movement and deployment inside the cans to keep things running smoothly, she adds.

“We have to become experts at tiny living,” Rivera says. “The way that people assemble, move, and fulfill orders all has to be taken into consideration. We also have to get really creative with our supply chain, the number of trucks that deliver weekly into our operations, and how we scale vendors.”

The footprint only requires around half an acre of land, so housing the brand in shipping containers allows for greater real estate flexibility. Smalls operates with a fraction of the labor typically required in an average quick-service restaurant, too. The modular design reduces overhead expenses, enabling the brand to invest in premium beef and absorb inflation without passing on costs to consumers.

Rivera says the innovative buildings and streamlined business model are key advantages for the fast-growing brand, which is entering 2024 with 11 locations open and a pipeline of over 120 units under development across the Southeast. It expects to open 40 cans this year as it works toward the long-term goal of reaching over 400 stores via franchising.

Strong unit economics also are driving franchise growth at Savvy Sliders. Unlike Smalls, the Michigan-based chain leans on variety as its big differentiator. The menu features mini-burgers along with chicken, fish, and spicy falafel sliders.

“We’re reimagining the slider category with a much broader menu,” says chief development officer Bryon Stephens. “It has quality components equal to casual dining, but miniaturized and priced for quick-service.”

The breadth of the menu, coupled with supply chain and distribution partnerships, allows Savvy to expand anywhere in the country, he adds. The brand started pushing beyond the Midwest last year and saw new markets achieve sales trends of over $2 million on an annual basis. It plans to open 20-25 new stores in 2024, on par with 2023’s unit growth. Stephens expects it will reach 100 openings annually within four years.

The company is bucking the trend toward downsizing with buildings that are 2,800 to 3,200 square feet, enough space for a kitchen, double drive-thru, and a 60-seat dining room. It also is leaning into second-generation locations that still have plenty of room for robust in-store seating.

“One of the things you get with miniaturized items is people ordering shareable multi-slider packs across different product lines,” Stephens says. “That’s something we see a lot in our dining rooms, and that isn’t the case for everybody in quick-service.”

Savvy isn’t banking solely on in-store occasions. There’s a pared-down prototype for markets where large dining rooms aren’t a fit. Enhanced digital ordering capabilities are enabling it to process more orders per hour. It also has invested in digital menu boards and a new POS system, plus back-of-house tech and kitchen upgrades to increase throughput and better handle growing volumes.

With newer entrants gaining momentum and plotting ambitious growth trajectories, legacy slider chains are stepping up their game, too.

“It’s both exciting and interesting, especially as a brand that’s been around for over 100 years, to see the uptick in brands creating their own slider varieties, and now to see some newer slider concepts that we’re running into across the country,” says Jeff Carper, chief operations officer at White Castle. “It keeps us sharp, and it keeps us asking, ‘Okay how do we evolve?’”

The Ohio-based chain, which is credited with inventing the slider back in 1921, is answering that question in a couple of ways. One is a series of “home run” menu innovations, from the first-of-its-kind Impossible Slider and thick-cut 1921 Slider to last year’s breakfast-centric French Toast Slider. Another is an aggressive remodeling initiative that will continue into 2024. The company has renovated around 25 restaurants annually over the past two years with fresh exteriors and layout changes to support omnichannel service opportunities.

Eschewing the franchise model, the family-owned company has a history of debt-free growth and gradual, steady expansion. It opened one new store in a new market last year and expects to add a handful of stores in new and existing markets this year. For now, it’s focused on updating its current footprint, but Carper says development could ramp up after that.

White Castle also is pushing innovation in its operations with Flippy 2, a robot that handles the fry station without any human intervention and boosts throughput by 30 percent. The company is working to integrate the technology with its POS system so it can proactively prepare items based on business flow and sales patterns.

Flippy 2 was installed in seven additional kitchens last year and is expected to reach 100 restaurants over the next few years. White Castle is advancing even quicker with Julia, a drive-thru system that automates the outdoor lane using AI voice technology and license plate recognition.

“Julia is easier to implement, so I think we’re going to move faster on the drive-thru AI, but Flippy is definitely right there and is about to start making some big jumps,” Carper says. “For us, it’s all about simplifying the roles and responsibilities within the castle, so our team members can really focus on engaging with the customer.”