Infographic: Bigger Not Necessarily Better For Restaurants

The 500 largest restaurant chains in the United States accelerated their cumulative sales growth in 2014 to a 4 percent increase, totaling an estimated $274.4 billion. But some of the biggest brands among them, namely Subway and McDonald's, lost ground to focused-menu competitors and emerging fast-casual chains and reported overall sales decreases for the year.

CHICAGO (PRNewswire) — The 500 largest restaurant chains in the United States accelerated their cumulative sales growth in 2014 to a 4 percent increase, totaling an estimated $274.4 billion. But some of the biggest brands among them, namely Subway and McDonald's, lost ground to focused-menu competitors and emerging fast-casual chains and reported overall sales decreases for the year.

According to data released today by Technomic Inc. in an advance brief of its annual report on the largest U.S. restaurant companies, the nation's 500 biggest chains improved their sales growth from a 3.4 percent increase in 2013, when they collectively reported $264.4 billion in sales. The Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report also found that the industry's 500 biggest brands grew their overall unit count 2.2 percent in 2014, to more than 220,000 locations.

To read the full press release, click here.

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