As a successful entrepreneur with three businesses, I was still haunted by missed opportunities and external expectations. Then I realized something powerful.
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.
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.
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.