Modest 2018 Sales Growth For Top Chains?

Technomic’s first-ever Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report 2018 Forecast has been released, with projections revealing that the Top 500 chain sales will grow 3.2% by the end of 2018.

“We're seeing some major movement within the top 10 chain rankings based on our 2018 projections,” says Joe Pawlak, Technomic managing principal. “Several growth players that we've been watching over the past couple of years are starting to encroach upon chains that are struggling to overcome branding and operational challenges.”

The sales forecast—developed as an extension of the annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report—is an improvement over the cumulative 3.0% seen in 2017, and much of it is fueled by the quick-service segment, where impressive sales growth has been seen from McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, and Domino’s.

Growth for the fast-casual segment is forecasted to remain strong but the days of annual double-digit sales growth have likely concluded. Sales growth for full-service chains is expected to improve marginally after slowing to 0.9% in 2017.

The full 2018 forecast, providing segment- and menu category-level growth along with chain-level sales and unit counts for the leading 100 chains, is available for purchase from Technomic.