Special Reports
The Future 50
This year’s class of America’s up-and-coming chains faces an uncertain future. But as the coronavirus hit, these small and innovative concepts were characteristically quick to adapt, repacking menu items into meal kits, creating pop-up drive-thrus and more. Here’s a look at how they got here, and where they plan to go next.
Instagram, food festivals and TV chefs are accelerating the speed at which unique flavors and ingredients hit the mainstream. Consumers now expect operators to update menus more frequently with on-trend ideas. To keep ahead of the curve, operators have to stay on top of new flavor trends without abandoning the old.
For this year’s Power 20 list, RB sought to recognize the next wave of great restaurant leaders. We gathered nominations from current executives and did some groundwork of our own to identify these 20 standouts, whose careers are on the rise thanks to their accomplishments across many areas of the business.
In today’s hypercompetitive restaurant industry, the slightest edge can make a difference. The ideas collected here range from small tweaks such as dedicated gum-disposal slips to transformational changes such as solar-powered restaurants. But each one has the potential to make a positive impact for operators.
Which industry trends are gaining traction? What's garnering consumer interest? These emerging chains are the growth vehicles to watch—the ones poised to be major industry players in the coming years. The fastest-growing small chains in America represent a mixed bag of trends, but they have one thing in common: impressive growth in both sales and unit count.
