QSR Magazine - The QSR 50 - August 2002 - 8

ing from 10 to 9, and vice versa for Dairy Queen. Hardee’s, which was once a staple in the top 10, experienced a drop in sales of over 15 percent; the North Carolina–based burger chain was as high as number five in the rankings based on its 1995 systemwide sales, but has continued to drop. Other chains have made noticeable increases in their slots in the top 50 over time. The big winner here is Panera Bread/St. Louis Bread Co., which clocked in at number 27 this year but would have been in spot number 58 five years ago, for a remarkable increase of 31 spots. (See the breakdown of the quick-casual segment on page 54.) Bagel chain Einstein/Noah’s Bagels has also experienced big gains, improving from 50 to 34 in systemwide sales, while CiCi’s Pizza and Bojangle’s have also enjoyed double-digit place gains—both have jumped 11 spots over time. Other notable gains: Papa John’s Pizza (8), Steak ’n Shake (7), Schlotzsky’s Deli (9), Fazoli’s (9), Panda Express (9), and Papa Murphy’s Take ’N Bake Pizza (7). Eat ’n Park, with its quirky, backwards name (Don’t you park first? The chain is so named because Park and Eat signs were a common sight in the late 1940s, when it was founded), tops the list of chains that didn’t quite make it into the top 50. Among those chains, the most notable gains in systemwide sales over 2000 were enjoyed by two players in the hot “Next Mex” segment of the ultrahot quick-casual industry. Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, recently acquired by Wendy’s International, saw an increase of almost 61 percent, while Rubio’s turned in a more modest but still impressive increase of almost 19 percent. A third quick-casual, next-Mex chain, Pollo Tropical, posted an increase of over 8 percent. The three chains respectively placed 53, 58, and 61 overall in the rankings. Could all three vault into the top 50 next year? If so, they’re all likely to be near the bottom of the rankings, but that’s the nature of the game. As in anything and everything, the balance of power is concentrated at the top of the list. The average gain in systemwide sales among the top 50 was about $1.7 billion; Papa John’s Pizza, at number 14, hit that figure almost exactly, leaving the next 36 chains below the average. With apologies to Plant, Page, Jones, and Bonham, the song remains the same, at least at the top of the list. The bottom is where the action is. q 46 AUGUST 2002 QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com

QSR Magazine - The QSR 50 - August 2002

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of QSR Magazine - The QSR 50 - August 2002