Franchise 500

The pizza chain partnered with Flytrex to fly full family meals through the air, with big plans to eventually reach 100 million people.

ARC Burger operated restaurants across nine states before shuttering everything in December and laying off 1,600+ employees.

David Stever was pushed out of Ben & Jerry's over social activism tensions. Now he's leading rival Jeni's in its franchising efforts.

The franchise awarded 52 new restaurant locations in Q1 2026, up nearly 50% from the same period last year.

The sandwich chain confidentially filed for an IPO less than two years after the private equity giant acquired it.

A typical new Rolling Suds franchisee needs between $350,000 and $450,000 in capital to launch.

Here's what we learned from the brands on this year's Franchise 500 ranking.

When costs climb and consumers tighten budgets, most franchises raise prices or cut staff. But the smartest brands are reengineering value.

Eddie Flores Jr. couldn't get a loan, so he built L&L Hawaiian Barbecue without much cash for traditional marketing. Here is his "impact marketing without spending money" strategy.

Jersey Mike's is #1 on the Franchise 500 for the first time, with a new CEO. He plans to scale at an ambitious pace, while preserving the brand's 50-year legacy.

Raul Larez now owns two Batteries Plus locations, but still has plenty of time for family. We asked him to keep a diary of one average day.

These franchises identified market gaps, and are turning unique ideas into scalable business models for our current moment.

What drove explosive franchise growth in 2025? Here are the five different growth strategies that helped these franchises rocket up in the Franchise 500 rankings.

How the Golden Arches landed back in the Franchise 500 Top 10.

After 18 months of culinary invention, their sales jumped, landing them at #9 on the Franchise 500.

At #8 on our Franchise 500, their brand's strategy is simple: "It's about the feeling you get when you walk through the door."

Peer to peer learning among franchisees has helped The UPS Store land at #7 on the Franchise 500.

Wingstop's Smart Kitchen, which uses machine learning to predict exactly when to start preparing food, has helped the brand land at #6 on the Franchise 500.

Kumon invests heavily in learnings across regions. That landed it at #5 on our Franchise 500.

At #4 on our Franchise 500, the 102-year-old company is using a hyperlocal strategy with franchisees to drive digital growth.

The #3 brand on our franchise 500 has proven masterful at selling to multiple generations

The brand isn't just maintaining its #2 spot on the Franchise 500 — it's setting ambitious targets for 2030.

New partnership provides franchisor leadership teams with strategic, financial, and operational support tailored to system growth.