Fast-casual restaurant chains continue to be on a winning streak, growing both in units and customer visits, according to The NPD Group, a national research and information company.
The number of fast-casual chain restaurants rose by 5 percent to 19,043 total units, based on NPD’s fall 2015 restaurant census, which includes restaurants open as of September 30, 2015. Fast-casual customers increased their visits by 6 percent in the year ended February 2016 compared to a year ago, while total foodservice traffic rose by 1 percent.
The top five fast-casual restaurant chains based on number of units are: Chipotle Mexican Grill, 1,896 units, up 9 percent; Panera Bread, 1,869 units, up 9 percent; Panda Express, 1,729 units, up 5 percent; Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 1,225 units, up 4 percent; and Firehouse Subs, 925 units, up 10 percent.
According to NPD, the fast-casual category is still a relatively small slice of the total foodservice industry. Fast-casual restaurants represent 7 percent of total quick-service visits, which represents 78 percent of total foodservice industry traffic. In units, the fast-casual category is a small portion of the total 343,407 quick-service restaurants in the U.S.
The total U.S. restaurant count decreased slightly (-.6 percent) from a year ago to 629,488 units, based on NPD’s latest census.
“There has been significant unit growth in the fast-casual category over the past several years, and it hasn’t reached a saturation point since traffic is still increasing,” said Greg Starzynski, director of product management at NPD Foodservice. “This would indicate that there is room for more growth for the fast-casual category into the foreseeable future.”
