Technomic Top 500: Take aways, trends, and surprises from ranking of biggest restaurant chains
Top editors for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Business discuss the most recent rankings in the latest episode of Quick Bites.
June 16, 2026
In this special episode of Quick Bites, join Nation’s Restaurant News editor in chief Sam Oches and Restaurant Business editor in chief Jonathan Maze as they debate the latest Technomic Top 500, which ranks the largest restaurant chains in the U.S. by systemwide sales. In this episode of Quick Bites, Oches and Maze offer their top take-aways from the data, including warning signs in sales trends among the biggest chains; what to watch in the beverage boom; why Chili’s and 7 Brew are two of the most impressive chains in America; and why the chicken and pizza categories should be worries.
For more on these Top 500 stories:
The Technomic Top 500: Another tough year for chain restaurants
There’s a new No. 2 brand in casual dining
QSR pizza sales turned negative in 2025
Click here to return to the Top 500 landing page.
All data courtesy Technomic Ignite company. Looking for more data? Click here to access the complete Technomic Top 500.
About the Authors
Sam Oches
Editor in Chief
Sam Oches is an award-winning Editorial Director with Informa Connect Foodservice and editor in chief of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, Sam previously served as Editorial Director of Food News Media, publisher of QSR and FSR magazines. He’s a past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) and a past board member with the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE). His foodservice insights have been shared in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, and CNBC. He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and three kids.
Jonathan Maze
Editor in Chief, Restaurant Business
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.
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The Technomic Top 500: Another tough year for chain restaurants
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