Will chain restaurants ever stop working to grow bigger and better than ever before?
If the past is any indication, the answer is probably no.
Year after year, restaurant chains toil to expand their footprint throughout the world.
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This will “mark the fastest period of growth” in the company’s history, per the announcement.
In November 2023, Starbucksrevealedgrand plans to open 17,000 additional locations by 2030.
The company’s long-term goal for expansion in the United States is to reach 20,000 locations.
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Last August, the companyunveileda brand-new punch in of restaurant called Global Next Gen. Every Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich, Tasted & Ranked For 2024
Chipotle
Chipotlefans, rejoice!
That could turn out to be an even larger total than the271 locationsthat Chipotle opened in 2023.
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Since the state currently boasts 28 locations, this will double Chick-fil-A’s presence in Michigan.
Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Jackson are among the areas slated to receive new Chick-fil-A locations.
Michigan, however, isn’t the only place that Chick-fil-A is expanding right now.
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It plans to open 157 franchised units total across the United States in 2024 alone,Restaurant Divereported.
Subway
After years of mass store closures, Subway isplanning some major expansion moves.
Subway’s expansion efforts will focus heavily on international markets.
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The chain has already made notable progress on that objective.
These planned locations will be located throughout the Midwest, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida.
Texas Roadhouse
Several big changesare being rolled out atTexas Roadhousein 2024.
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The burger chain has no intention of letting its momentum slow now that 2024 has arrived.
Freddy’splans to open about 65 newrestaurants this year alone.
Looking beyond 2024, the burger-slinger has an overarching goal of reaching the 800-restaurant milestone by 2026.
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It only operated 84 units as of the summer of 2019, perQSR Magazine.
But nowadays, that total has skyrocketed to more than 270, according to Slim Chickens' franchise site.
Slim Chickens expects to open more than 70 restaurants in 2024 and has1,200 in total in development right now.
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The regional Mexican-style chain scored 138 new restaurant commitments during the 2023 fiscal year, according to apress release.
Del Taco will enter several brand-new markets as it expands, including Texas, Montana, and Wyoming.
In Florida, which already boasts a handful of locations, Del Taco has inked 52 additional restaurant commitments.
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The coffee chain opened an impressive 159 new shops throughout 2023, including 37 in the fourth quarter alone.
Dutch Bros. plans to one-up itself in 2024 by opening between 150 and 165 new stores.
CEO Peter Cancro toldQSR Magazinelate last year that the company plans to open 350 locations in 2024.
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Afterward, the company plans to start expanding its unit count by 13% to 15% annually.
The Minneapolis-based chainDunn Brothers Coffeeis looking to accelerate expansion andopen a whopping 250 locationswithin the next five years.
These new openings should help Dunn Brothers raise its footprint to new heights.
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It also expects to open 60 restaurants in 2024 and then 80 or more annually starting in 2025.
“We are in the process of aggressively accelerating new restaurant development in partnership with existing and new franchisees.
“We are building a robust pipeline of growth for the coming years,” he added.
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; Tucson, Ariz.; and Ann Arbor, Mich. Additionally, it has inked 20 additional deals for future store openings since the start of the year.
The company recently announced plans to open 40 new locations.
After a string of closures in recent years, Fuzzy’s currently has 128 locations in operation.
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However, that doesn’t mean the chain is shrinking by any means.
Crumbl previewed plans to open 122 new locations throughout 2024 in its latest franchise disclosure document.
Notably, that total isn’t quite as high as the number of Crumbl openings in recent years.
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The chain opened 184 shops in 2023, 363 in 2022, and 184 in 2021.
The chain recently filed a new franchise disclosure document thatunveiled plans to open 51 stores this year.
Las Vegas is one of the markets where Smoothie King is expanding its presence.
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That’s a significant increase over the net total of 18 restaurants it opened over the past three years.
The chain started 2024 with 41 locations across the Midwest, South, and Canada.
So, these ambitious growth plans will seriously expand its footprint.
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It’s aiming to keep up the growth momentum in 2024 with25 planned store openings.
That would be more than double the 11 restaurants it opened in 2023.
In June 2023,Odd Burgerannounceda deal to open 20 Washington State locations through 2031.
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Then in May 2024, it announced another franchise deal todevelop 40 additional locations in Florida.
These locations are also slated to open through 2031.
It wants to set a new record this year with plans to openan additional 700 new locations.
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Krispy Krunchy Chicken currently boasts nearly 3,000 locations across 47 states.
However, the company already hasalready established an aggressive expansion pipeline.
In 2024 alone, it expects to openmore than 40 new stores.
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The chain has not shared details on the timing of these openings yet.
Fans should expect to see plenty more growth from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf moving forward.
The companysaidearlier this year that it expects to sign more than 225 new store commitments.
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It also recentlyannouncedplans to enter the Maldives for the first time.
Local entrepreneur Pat Mancuso and his daughter, Ashley Mancuso, will lead the development of the new stores.
However, Mountain Mike’s planned Wisconsin openings are only a small portion of its aggressive growth pipeline.
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It’s also aiming to reach 400 locations by the end of 2026, according to apress release.
If it succeeds, Mountain Mike’s will have grown its footprint by 120% just since 2017.
But in just a few years, the brand wants to more than triple its store count.
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The company has also inked anagreementto expand into Tennessee for the first time.
Surcheros' franchise partners plan to open seven locations in the Nashville area over the next five years.
The first of these planned restaurants should open in October this year.
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By the end of 2024, the company expects to approach the 100-store milestone.
Of those planned restaurants, 93 will be developed in New Jersey alone within the next 20 years.
The chain doesn’t plan to stop expanding by any means once 2024 comes to a close.
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It has awhopping 270 storesin its development pipeline right and expects to surpass 100 units in 2025.
Cheba Hut will also make its Iowa debut thanks to a separate franchise agreement with native Mistene Nugent.
The company is aiming to kick off the first of these planned stores in 2025.
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The chain has more than 250 restaurants in development in total.
So, this expansion agreement will significantly increase its American presence.
The Florida-based brand, owned by Denny’s, currently operates 61 restaurants, primarily in its home state.
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However, the new locations will be dotted across several states, including Georgia, Texas, and Nevada.
These plans will come to fruition by early 2025.
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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
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