From legacy chains to rising upstarts, here’s a look at 42 concepts worth keeping an eye on in 2021.
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Note: These are ranked 1–42 based on restaurant submissions and are not necessarily a continuation of The Contenders.
| DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER | DISPLAY_LABEL_PLACEHOLDER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auntie Anne's | Snack | 349 | 397 | 1,185 | 12 | 1,197 | -25 |
| WNB Factory | Burger | 327 | 1,020 | 48 | 16 | 62 | 18 |
| Schlotzsky's | Sandwich | 270 | 840 | 309 | 24 | 333 | -19 |
| A&W | Burger | 235 | 1,100 | 538 | 3 | 541 | -34 |
| Golden Chick | Chicken | 229 | 1,159 | 192 | 6 | 198 | 14 |
| Mountain Mike's | Pizza | 206 | 946 | 228 | 0 | 228 | 13 |
| Donatos | Pizza | 204 | 1,213 | 114 | 54 | 168 | 10 |
| Chicken Salad Chick | Chicken | 175 | 1,060 | 126 | 50 | 176 | 32 |
| Slim Chickens | Chicken | 163 | 1,834 | 92 | 10 | 102 | 79 |
| Pollo Campero | Chicken | 148 | 1,924 | 17 | 62 | 79 | 1 |
| Cinnabon | Snack | 143 | 396 | 941 | 1 | 942 | 32 |
| WaBa Grill | Global | 140 | 729 | 175 | 17 | 192 | 0 |
| Ledo Pizza | Pizza | 115 | 1,100 | 107 | 0 | 107 | 4 |
| Nekter Juice Bar | Snack | 79 | 600 | 115 | 33 | 148 | -11 |
| Pizza Factory | Pizza | 67 | 736 | 100 | 1 | 101 | -4 |
| Toppers | Pizza | 65 | 1,030 | 47 | 20 | 76 | 2 |
| Teriyaki Madness | Global | 61 | 1,079 | 89 | 0 | 89 | 29 |
| Cottage Inn | Pizza | 53 | 981 | 45 | 9 | 54 | 2 |
| Bahama Buck's | Global | 51 | 485 | 103 | 4 | 107 | 5 |
| Cheba Hut | Sandwich | 48 | 1,500 | 37 | 0 | 37 | 9 |
| Clean Juice | Snack | 41 | 485 | 89 | 13 | 102 | 25 |
| Your Pie | Pizza | 40 | 720 | 76 | 0 | 76 | 7 |
| Dog Haus | Global | 38 | 1,179 | 38 | 5 | 43 | 5 |
| Robeks | Snack | 34 | 491 | 82 | 1 | 83 | 0 |
| Juice it Up! | Snack | 33 | 459 | 78 | 1 | 79 | -3 |
| Vitality Bowls | Snack | 29 | 444 | 70 | 4 | 74 | -4 |
| Mo' Bettahs | Global | 29 | 1,695 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 6 |
| Pokeworks | Global | 27 | 800 | 49 | 9 | 58 | 9 |
| Fresh Brothers | Pizza | 27 | 145 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 1 |
| Kona Ice | Snack | 26 | 90 | 85 | 21 | 1,309 | 105 |
| Bubbakoo's Burritos | Global | 26 | 901 | 32 | 11 | 43 | 11 |
| Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe | Global | 23 | 256 | 67 | 23 | 90 | -3 |
| SoBol | Global | 23 | 650 | 45 | 3 | 48 | 10 |
| Swig | Snack | 21 | 956 | 0 | 29 | 29 | 9 |
| The Chicken Shack | Chicken | 20 | 1,200 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 3 |
| Ziggi’s Coffee | Snack | 17 | 827 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 6 |
| Nardelli's | Sandwich | 13 | 872 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 0 |
| Kettleman's Bagels | Sandwich | 13 | 3,250 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Chaps Pit Beef | Sandwich | 8 | 1,253 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Tso Chinese Delivery | Global | 4 | 1,890 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Fresh Catch Poke Co. | Global | 2 | 840 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Crave Hot Dogs and BBQ | Snack | 2 | 350 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
