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2012 Franchise Times

October 2012 • Franchise Times 3

Top 200 Overview

It’s good to be at the top.The bigger a company gets, usu-

ally the slower its rate of growth. But that’s not the case with companies on the Franchise Times Top 200, our ranking of the largest franchise systems in the coun-try. The largest franchise systems keep pulling away from the rest.

Collectively, the 200 largest operators’ global revenue grew 8.9 percent last year, to $545.1 billion, while their unit count grew 3 percent. Yet for the top 10 com-panies, total global revenue grew 13.4 percent. And the two largest franchise systems, McDonald’s and 7-Eleven, grew 15.8 percent, collectively.

The Top 200 has been top-heavy since we first published the ranking in 2000, when the 10 largest franchise sys-tems accounted for 45.2 percent of total sales. That percentage has increased ever since, and the 10 biggest companies now account for more than half of the 200 franchises’ overall revenue, 50.2 percent.

International developmentOne reason for increased dominance

is their ability to grow internationally. Many of these largest franchises have developed well-known brands that are in demand in foreign countries. And they’ve created sophisticated systems, enabling them to speed their growth in places like Asia and Europe and Latin America even as market saturation slows domes-tic development.

Franchise systems overall are increas-ingly reliant upon overseas markets for growth. When we first compiled this ranking, 24 percent of the Top 200 fran-chises’ units were in other countries. By last year it had risen to 34 percent. To look at it another way, while the number of domestic units in systems on the Top 200 grew 32.1 percent in 12 years, the number of international locations more than doubled, growing 112.9 percent.

Double DigitsTop 10 franchise systems pull away from rest of the pack

Franchise ConceptSales

Growth

7-Eleven 13,600

McDonald’s 8,561

KFC 1,900

Subway 1,400

Circle K Convenience Stores 1,081

Hertz 971

Pizza Hut 826

Domino’s Pizza 688

Sheraton 500

Chick-Fil-A 475

Franchise ConceptSales

Growth %

Snap Fitness 40.9%

Five Guys 31.2%

Jimmy John’s 28.5%

Anytime Fitness 28.2%

Unishippers 27.1%

Plato’s Closet 24.1%

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (The) 23.8%

Massage Envy 23.3%

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels 23.0%

Firehouse Subs 22.5%

Top 200 Sales Growth %Top 200 Sales Growth ($M)

7-Eleven’s continued international growth is remarkable. The chain, based in Dallas but owned by Japan’s Seven and i Holdings, saw international unit count grow 12.2 percent last year. It added 4,070 international locations last year. By comparison, the No. 9 company, Circle K, has 3,946 international units, total.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands now gets more of its profits from China than it does anywhere else, thanks to the strength there of its KFC brand, No. 3 on our ranking. And some time in the next year or two, No. 15 Domino’s Pizza will have more units internationally than it does in the United States.

Smaller companies have been focus-ing on foreign investment, too, and more franchises are investing in it earlier in their life cycles. “You have to diver-sify your portfolio,” said John Reale, chief operating officer, international, for Atlanta-based franchisor Focus Brands. “If you have everything built in the U.S., and the U.S. goes into recession, you’re in

a tough spot.” Besides, growth in the United States

is tough right now. Reale said his compa-ny’s brands, including Moe’s Southwest Grill (No. 152), Schlotzsky’s, Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, could double their international presence in four years.

Auntie Anne’s revenue last year grew 20.3 percent, rocketing the chain up the ranking from No. 159 to 140. The company is about to open its 300th international location. Cinnabon is just outside of the Top 200 at No. 208, up more than 50 spots from last year. Cinnabon is nearing its 500th interna-tional unit. Its foreign unit count could soon surpass the number of domestic out-lets.

Unloading company unitsAnother big trend in the franchise sec-

tor is the companies’ growing reluctance to operate units. In our first ranking,

Double Digits continued on 21

4 Franchise Times • October 2012

Top 200 Franchise Chains

Rank Franchise Concept Parent CompanyWorldwide Sales ($M)

Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

1 McDonald’s McDonald's Corporation 85,941 14,098 19,412 33,510 81% 11.1% 2.4%

2 7-Eleven Seven and i Holdings Co. Ltd. 76,600 6,497 37,415 43,912 97% 21.6% 11.2%

3 KFC YUM! Brands, Inc. 21,300* 4,780 12,621 17,401 75% 9.8% 3.3%

4 Subway Doctor's Associates, Inc. 16,600 24,722 11,198 35,920 100% 9.2% 5.8%

5 Burger King Burger King Holdings, Inc. 14,975* 7,500 5,012 12,512 90% 1.2% 2.1%

6 Pizza Hut YUM! Brands, Inc. 12,626 7,600 6,147 13,747 87% 7.0% 2.3%

Worldwide sales are in millions. * Franchise Times Estimate

Top 200 Franchise Chains by Worldwide Sales

This year we’ve deepened our look into the numbers presented in our Top 200 list. In addition to analyzing what the figures mean overall, financial reporter Jonathan Maze and researcher Matt Haskin have broken the list down by industries to see what’s behind record growth—or falling numbers. We’ve also included the next 300 franchises, in order to look at some concepts that might make the Top 200 in future years.

The NumbersWhat’s behind the pluses and minuses

2012 Franchise Times




Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

7 Ace Hardware Ace Hardware Corp. 12,500 4,072 357 4,429 100% 0.0% 2.8%

8 Hertz Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 11,850* 5,115 3,702 8,817 54% 8.9% 3.5%

9 Circle K Convenience StoresAlimentation Couche-Tard, Inc.

11,807 3,506 3,946 7,452 59% 10.1% 0.4%

10 Wendy’s The Wendy's Company 9,200* 5,876 718 6,594 79% 1.1% 0.3%

11Marriott Hotels, Resorts & Suites

Marriott International 8,300* 353 202 555 41% 3.8% 0.2%

12 Taco Bell YUM! Brands, Inc. 7,300* 5,670 275 5,945 80% 1.4% 0.8%

13 Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hilton Hotels Corporation 7,200* 251 304 555 42% 2.9% 2.0%

14 Health Mart McKesson Corp. 7,050* 2,941 0 2,941 100% 1.9% 5.0%

15 Domino’s Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc. 6,956 4,907 4,835 9,742 96% 11.0% 4.2%

16 RE/MAX RE/MAX, LLC 6,740* 3,319 2,969 6,288 100% 1.7% 0.1%

17 Tim Hortons Tim Hortons, Inc. 6,037* 714 3,300 4,014 100% 7.3% -0.3%

18 Dunkin’ Donuts Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 6,004 6,772 3,020 9,792 100% 0.0% 0.3%

19 SheratonStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

5,600* 204 214 418 48% 9.8% 5.8%

20 Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts InterContinental Hotels Group 5,390* 809 424 1,233 100% 5.7% -0.6%

21 Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation 5,300* 350 110 460 31% 6.0% 7.2%

22 H&R Block Tax Services H&R Block, Inc. 4,950* 11,068 1,708 12,776 49% -1.2% -2.8%

23 Hampton Inn & Suites Hilton Hotels Corporation 4,700* 1,802 67 1,869 98% 6.8% 7.2%

24 Applebee’s DineEquity, Inc. 4,430* 1,871 148 2,019 91% 0.4% 0.4%


TOP 200#72

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The ARCO gasoline and ampm convenience store franchises are offered in the states of CA, AZ, NV, WA and OR. Powerful, distinctive branding is the cornerstone of our high visibility in the convenience-store industry. A key element of ampm’s convenience strategy is the delivery of a differentiated and distinctive offer focused on meeting the needs of its target customer segments. The ampm brand has meaning to its customers (irreverent, fun, satisfies urgent wants, indulgent...TOO MUCH GOOD STUFF). At ampm, there is always something more to get - it is okay to indulge yourself and give in to your natural cravings.

*Subject to BP’s policies, requirements and qualifications. ** If you have an existing supplier or contractual obligations, seek independent legal advice before responding to this invitation. BP does not solicit any breaches of contractual obligations. This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: CA, HI, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, VA, WA and WI. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your state. In addition, in NY an offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law.

© 2012 BP West Coast Products LLC All Rights Reserved. © 2012 BP Products North America Inc. All Rights Reserved.

E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.arcoampmfranchise.com



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

25 Chili’s Grill & Bar Brinker International 4,310* 1,299 235 1,534 46% -2.0% 1.3%

26 Holiday Inn Express InterContinental Hotels Group 4,300* 1,874 240 2,114 100% 4.9% 1.9%

27 Chick-Fil-A Chick-Fil-A, Inc. 4,100 1,615 0 1,615 100% 13.1% 4.9%

28 Century 21 Real Estate Realogy Corporation 3,918* 2,550 4,700 7,250 100% -2.1% -9.4%

29 Coldwell Banker Real Estate Realogy Corporation 3,825* 2,388 746 3,134 79% -3.7% -8.7%

30 Courtyard Marriott International, Inc. 3,750* 805 108 913 63% 7.1% 2.4%

31 Sonic, America’s Drive-In Sonic Corp. 3,693 3,561 0 3,561 87% 2.0% -0.3%

32 Comfort Inn & Suites Choice Hotels International 3,550* 2,015 566 2,581 100% 6.0% -1.5%

33 Panera Bread Panera Bread Co. 3,421 1,538 3 1,541 52% 9.5% 6.1%

34 Arby’s Roark Capital 3,025* 3,437 127 3,564 68% 0.8% -2.3%

35 Jack In The Box Jack in the Box, Inc. 2,946 2,221 0 2,221 72% 0.4% 0.7%

36 Dairy Queen IDQ Companies 2,875* 4,467 1,597 6,064 100% 4.5% 2.8%

37Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

InterContinental Hotels Group 2,800* 188 199 387 100% 16.7% -0.3%

38 Radisson Hotels Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group 2,775* 106 311 417 93% 2.8% -1.4%

39 WestinStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

2,750* 118 70 188 40% 19.6% 5.0%

40 IHOP Restaurant DineEquity, Inc. 2,650* 1,514 36 1,550 99% 1.9% 3.1%

41 Prudential Real EstateBrookfield Residential Properties

2,650* 1,473 36 1,509 100% -7.9% -10.0%

42InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

InterContinental Hotels Group 2,650* 52 117 169 96% 6.0% -1.2%



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TOP 200#184

TOP 200#24Applebee’s

Contact: Franchise Development Phone: 888-774-4467 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.applebees.com

With more than 2,000 restaurants in 49 states, 16 countries and one U.S. territory, Applebee’s is the world’s largest casual dining brand. Founded in 1980, Applebee’s has always been dedicated to full service, consistently good food, reasonable prices and quality service in a neighborhood setting. Today Applebee’s continues to grow and prosper, and further differentiates itself with innovative attractions, like the popular Carside to Go service available at many of its restaurants, and its successful Weight Watchers agreement, enabling it to cater to those preferring less-caloric alternatives. And the company continually works to add greater value and broaden its appeal, as evidenced by the “It’s a Whole New Neighborhood” campaign.

Applebee’s is currently seeking qualified multi-restaurant operators and developers for selected Domestic and International markets, as well as Non-Traditional venues such as airports, colleges, military bases and casinos.



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

43 GNC GNC Holdings, Inc. 2,619* 3,971 1,589 5,560 45% 13.8% 5.8%

44 T.G.I. Friday’sCarlson Restaurants Worldwide, Inc.

2,600* 565 337 902 63% -7.1% -0.4%

45 Keller Williams Realty Keller Williams Realty 2,590* 678 16 694 100% 9.9% -1.0%

46 Papa John’s Papa John's International 2,573 3,061 822 3,883 84% 7.7% 6.5%

47 Denny’s Denny’s, Inc. 2,423 1,592 92 1,684 88% 6.6% 1.6%

48 Residence Inn Marriott International, Inc. 2,400* 597 20 617 78% 4.3% 0.7%

49Express Employment Professionals

Express Services, Inc. 2,202 525 46 571 100% 15.9% 3.3%

50 Renaissance Marriott International, Inc. 2,100* 80 74 154 40% 5.0% 5.5%

51 Hardee’s CKE Restaurants, Inc. 2,068 1,695 226 1,921 76% 5.6% 1.2%

52Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. 2,043 813 4 817 61% 20.0% 11.6%

53 Aaron’s Aaron's, Inc. 2,024 1,830 43 1,873 38% 7.8% 3.3%

54 Little Caesar’s Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. 2,000* 3,455 0 3,455 85% 11.1% 7.5%

55 Hilton Garden Inn Hilton Hotels Corporation 1,950* 496 49 545 94% 8.3% 5.0%

56 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen AFC Enterprises, Inc. 1,932 1,627 408 2,035 98% 3.7% 2.9%

57 Doubletree by Hilton Hilton Hotels Corporation 1,900* 244 62 306 79% 18.8% 19.1%

58 Embassy Suites Hilton Hotels Corporation 1,900* 204 9 213 69% 8.6% 1.4%

59 ServiceMaster Clean The ServiceMaster Company 1,880* 3,038 1,809 4,847 100% 4.9% 0.5%

60The UPS Store/Mail Boxes Etc.

MBE 1,800* 4,382 353 4,735 100% 4.7% 0.0%



TOP 200#71Baskin Robbins

Contact: Pamela Gore, Sr. Manager Franchise Recruitment

Phone: 781-737-3432 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.baskinrobbins.com/franchising

Named the top ice cream and frozen dessert franchise in the United States by Entrepreneur magazine’s 31st annual Franchise 500® ranking, Baskin-Robbins is the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops. Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium ice cream, specialty frozen desserts and beverages, providing quality and value to consumers at more than 6,700 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. Baskin-Robbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,000 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats. Headquartered in Canton, Mass., Baskin-Robbins is part of the Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. family of companies. For further information, visit www.baskinrobbins.com.

TOP 200#5Burger King

Worldwide

Contact: Sylvie Jordan E-Mail: [email protected] Phone: 866-546-4452

Web site: www.BeYourOwnKing.com

Founded in 1954, BURGER KING® (NYSE: BKW) is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates in over 12,600 locations serving over 11 million guests daily in 86 countries and territories worldwide. Approximately 94 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades. To learn more about Burger King Worldwide, please visit the company’s website at www.bk.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

61 RamadaWyndham Worldwide Corporation

1,700* 494 351 845 100% 7.9% -5.7%

62 Golden Corral Buffet & Grill Golden Corral Corp. 1,684 485 0 485 80% 2.7% 0.0%

63 Quality Inn & Suites Choice Hotels International 1,650* 1,047 370 1,417 100% 3.1% 2.0%

64 Days InnWyndham Worldwide Corporation

1,600* 1,657 207 1,864 100% 6.7% -0.7%

65 La Quinta Inn & Suites LQ Management, LLC 1,550* 810 6 816 54% 6.9% 1.0%

66 Carl’s Jr. CKE Restaurants, Inc. 1,535 1,116 197 1,313 68% 2.5% 5.1%

67 Midas Midas, Inc. 1,503* 1,279 929 2,208 97% 0.2% -4.6%

68 Super 8Wyndham Worldwide Corporation

1,425* 1,828 421 2,249 100% 5.6% 3.4%

69 Jiffy Lube Pennzoil Quaker State Co. 1,413 1,935 43 1,978 100% -1.1% -0.8%

70 Whataburger Whataburger Restaurants, LP 1,311 728 0 728 16% 7.0% 1.5%

71 Baskin Robbins Dunkin’ Brands, Inc. 1,300 3,300 2,400 5,700 100% -21.4% -11.4%

72 AMPM BP 1,289 1,151 1,201 2,352 100% -24.2% -16.5%

73 Red RobinRed Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc.

1,275* 445 19 464 30% 8.5% 3.1%

74 Fairfield Inn Marriott International, Inc. 1,250* 667 13 680 100% 8.7% 3.3%

75 SERVPRO Servpro Industries, Inc. 1,236 1,613 2 1,615 100% 10.3% 2.8%

76 Church’s Chicken Friedman Fleischer & Lowe 1,192 1,215 443 1,658 84% 1.9% -3.2%

77 Snap-On Tools Snap-On Incorporated 1,155 3,411 1,315 4,726 95% 11.1% -1.8%

78 Disaster Kleenup International DKI Holdings, LLC 1,139 192 42 234 100% 11.1% -4.9%



TOP 200#108Checkers Drive-In

Restaurants, Inc.

Contact: Liz Waibel Phone: 813-283-7069 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.checkersfranchising.com

Checkers/Rally’s Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. is the largest double drive-thru restaurant chain in the United States. To firmly establish its position in the hypercompetitive quickservice burger segment, the chains joined forces in 1999, blending systems, best practices and ultimately menus. Today, the Tampa-based company develops, owns, operates and franchises nearly 800 Checkers and Rally’s restaurants across the U.S. In recent years, the brand has received some of the restaurant industry’s most prestigious awards including Best Drive-Thru in America from QSR Magazine, and the Hot! Again award from Nation’s Restaurant News. For more information about Checkers or Rally’s, please visit www.checkers.com.

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Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

79 Curves Curves International, Inc. 1,064 3,547 3,773 7,320 100% 6.4% -8.9%

80 Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Boston Pizza 1,002 45 346 391 98% 5.1% 0.5%

81 Gold’s Gym Gold's Gym International, Inc. 978 461 240 701 90% 0.0% -5.5%

82 Jimmy John’s Jimmy John's Franchise, LLC 970* 1,329 0 1,329 98% 28.5% 17.5%

83 Five Guys Five Guys Holdings 946 918 28 946 83% 31.2% 27.3%

84 Quiznos The Quiznos Master LLC 935* 2,353 650 3,003 100% -22.1% -12.0%

85 Motel 6 Accor North America 925* 1,009 19 1,028 45% 2.8% 0.0%

86 Homewood Suites by Hilton Hilton Hotels Corporation 925* 303 11 314 88% 8.8% 2.3%

87 Krispy Kreme Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. 915 234 460 694 87% 13.2% 7.4%

88 Hooters Hooters of America, LLC 882* 369 36 405 60% -8.1% -11.0%

89Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates

Realogy Corporation 868* 276 227 503 94% 17.3% -10.5%

90 Great Clips Great Clips, Inc. 864 3,016 70 3,086 100% 5.4% 5.9%

91 Zaxby’s Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. 840 540 0 540 84% 7.8% 5.1%

92 Massage EnvyMassage Envy Franchising, LLC

804 742 0 742 100% 23.3% 13.1%

93 Steak N Shake Biglari Holdings, Inc. 800* 489 0 489 16% 3.9% 1.2%

94 Springhill Suites Marriott International, Inc. 800* 285 2 287 88% 6.7% 4.7%

95 Home Instead Senior Care Home Instead, Inc. 790* 609 341 950 100% 13.2% 5.7%

96 J.D. Byrider J.D. Byrider Systems, LLC 777 138 0 138 86% 5.1% 4.5%

97 Bojangles’ Restaurants Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. 769 506 2 508 61% 7.9% 4.5%



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Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

98 Country Inn & Suites Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group 750* 453 31 484 98% 7.1% -0.8%

99Culver’s Frozen Custard & Butterburgers

Culver Franchising System, Inc.

747 444 0 444 98% 8.4% 4.7%

100 Interim HealthCare Interim HeathCare, LLC 740 326 0 326 100% 4.2% 1.6%

101 Big O Tires TBC Corp. 731 439 0 439 85% -2.1% -3.7%

102 Perkins Restaurant & BakeryPerkins & Marie Callendar's, LLC

716* 415 16 431 70% -11.6% -9.1%

103 Roto-Rooter Chemed Corporation 708 521 33 554 81% 4.1% -1.6%

104 Papa Murphy’s Take ’N’ BakePapa Murphy's International, Inc.

702 1,283 18 1,301 96% 7.4% 3.5%

105 Long John Silver’s LJS Partners, LLC 700* 1,328 31 1,359 100% 0.0% -1.6%

106 Four Points SheratonStarwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

700* 108 53 161 78% 7.7% 1.3%

107 Jani-King Jani-King International, Inc. 680 8,969 2,201 11,170 100% 5.1% -2.5%

108 Checkers/Rally’sCheckers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc.

669 779 1 780 62% 2.4% -2.3%

109 SuperCuts Regis Corporation 659 2,184 229 2,413 42% 1.7% 5.3%

110 Wyndham Hotels & ResortsWyndham Worldwide Corporation

650* 50 25 75 75% 4.0% -25.7%

111 Sbarro the Italian Eatery Sbarro, LLC 642* 373 633 1,006 57% -3.5% -4.1%

112 Clarion Hotels Choice Hotels International 600* 189 138 327 100% 4.3% 2.2%

113 CARSTAR CARSTAR, Inc. 597 245 150 395 100% 5.7% 2.1%

114 ERA Real Estate Realogy Corporation 595* 624 1,750 2,374 100% -7.2% -6.8%

115 Del Taco Del Taco Holdings, Inc. 591 532 0 532 46% 2.1% 1.9%



TOP 200#18Dunkin’ Donuts

Contact: Pamela Gore, Sr. Manager Franchise Recruitment

Phone: 781-737-3432 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.dunkinfranchising.com

Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories.

Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for six years running. The company has more than 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. For the full-year 2011, Dunkin’ Donuts’ restaurants had global franchisee-reported sales of approximately $6.4 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is part of the Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) family of companies. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

TOP 200#387FasTracKids

Contact: Kent Johnson Phone: 303-224-0200 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.FTKfranchise.com

Do you feel a strong desire to impact the growth and development of children in your community? For FasTracKids entrepreneurs, improving the lives of the children we influence is as important as a healthy bottom line. Our children need innovation, creativity, and analytical skills to compete globally and FasTracKids, a global leader in the advancement of children embracing learning with unique education programs, develops better-prepared, more effective learners ready to meet this challenge. Find out more about joining FasTracKids’ global network of high-quality, committed people.



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

116 Pet Supplies "Plus" Pet Supplies Plus, LLC 586 258 0 258 64% 6.7% 5.3%

117 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Ashland, Inc. 572 820 0 820 68% 3.2% -5.6%

118 Jenny Craig Nestle Holdings, Inc. 570* 576 167 743 31% -5.0% 0.8%

119 Ruth’s Chris Steak House Ruth's Hospitality Group, Inc. 570* 117 14 131 52% 5.6% 0.0%

120 El Pollo Loco El Pollo Loco, Inc. 558 394 0 394 58% 0.2% -4.4%

121 Paul Davis Restoration Paul Davis Restoration, Inc. 550 294 0 294 100% 7.1% 17.6%

122 Jason’s Deli Deli Management, Inc. 540 235 0 235 43% 7.3% 6.3%

123 Qdoba Mexican Grill Jack in the Box, Inc. 528 583 0 583 58% 11.2% 7.6%

124 Staybridge Suites InterContinental Hotels Group 520* 174 5 179 99% 4.0% -4.8%

125 Planet Fitness Pla-Fit, LLC 520 508 0 508 94% -0.3% 30.9%

126 Linc Network ABM Industries 519 136 16 152 84% 5.3% 2.0%

127 CiCi’s Pizza CiCi Enterprises, LP 516 547 0 547 98% -5.3% -8.4%

128 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (The)International Coffee & Tea, LLC

500 290 532 822 67% 23.8% 5.5%

129 Howard JohnsonWyndham Worldwide Corporation

500* 302 149 451 100% 3.1% -4.9%

130 Famous Dave’sFamous Dave's of America, Inc.

492 187 0 187 71% 4.4% 2.7%

131 Econo Lodge Choice Hotels International 490* 797 75 872 100% 3.2% 2.8%

132 Wireless Zone Automotive Technologies, Inc. 487 435 0 435 95% 2.5% 3.1%

133 Meineke Car Care Centers Driven Brands, Inc. 486 871 76 947 98% 4.6% -0.2%



TOP 200#210Huddle House

Contact: Mark Whittle Phone: 770-325-1332 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.huddlehousefranchising.com

Huddle House family restaurants have been serving communities “Any Meal, Any Time” for over 48 years. An iconic brand, Huddle House prides itself on offering great quality food, at a value price, in a fun and inviting environment for guests.

With 400 restaurants in 20 states, Huddle House’s unique design is adaptable to various facilities, including our free standing prototype, conversions, c-store, truck stop and motel/hotel joint development and high visibility shopping center end-cap locations.



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

134 Candlewood Suites InterContinental Hotels Group 485* 285 0 285 100% 7.8% -1.0%

135 G.J.Gardner Homes Netdeen Pty, Ltd. 483 21 78 99 100% -4.1% -5.7%

136 Cold Stone Creamery Kahala Corp. 473 1,086 374 1,460 97% -4.1% 0.3%

137 Goddard School (The) Goddard Systems, Inc. 460 381 0 381 100% 10.3% 2.7%

138 AAMCO Transmissions AAMCO Transmissions, Inc. 445* 773 0 773 97% 0.0% -3.1%

139 Fantastic Sams Hair SalonsFantastic Sams International Corporation

444 1,204 9 1,213 90% 6.9% -2.9%

140 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels FOCUS Brands, Inc. 442 898 277 1,175 99% 23.0% 4.4%

141MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting

Driven Brands, Inc. 435 427 31 458 100% 3.8% -1.9%

142 Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen Sun Capital Partners, Inc. 435 519 3 522 47% -3.3% -3.7%

143 Edible ArrangementsEdible Arrangements International, LLC

428 896 93 989 99% 11.1% 8.3%

144 Stanley Steemer Stanley Steemer Int'l. 427* 286 0 286 77% 5.2% -3.1%

145 Minuteman Press Minuteman Press Int'l. 425 711 216 927 100% 0.0% 0.0%

146 Towneplace Suites Marriott International, Inc. 425* 200 1 201 86% 13.3% 4.1%

147 Jamba Juice Jamba, Inc. 423* 750 19 769 60% 5.8% 3.5%

148 Einstein Bros. BagelsEinstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc.

413 626 0 626 42% 3.6% 5.9%

149 Sleep Inn & Suites Choice Hotels International 410* 394 10 404 100% 2.5% -1.0%

150 ProForma Proforma, Inc. 395 700 50 750 100% 10.0% 0.0%

151 Valpak Direct Marketing Cox Target Media, Inc. 382 157 8 165 99% 0.0% -8.3%



TOP 200#40IHOP

Contact: Franchise Development Phone: 888-774-4467 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.IHOP.com

There are only a few names in the restaurant industry that can claim a more than a 54-year heritage and the status of American Icon. IHOP is one of those few because we have always focused on providing guests with delicious food, warm, genuine service and clean surroundings at a great value. Our family dining brand has been built upon the strength of our franchisees, vendor partners and dedicated IHOP team members. Although IHOP restaurants are best known for their signature pancakes, omelets and other breakfast specialties, IHOP restaurants are open throughout the day and evening hours and offer a broad array of lunch, dinner and snack items as well. As of June 30, 2012, there were 1,557 IHOP restaurants located in 50 states and the District of Columbia, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

IHOP is currently seeking qualified multi-restaurant operators and developers for selected Domestic and International markets, as well as Non-Traditional venues such as airports, colleges, military bases and casinos.

TOP 200#300Link Staffing

Services

Contacts: Ben Litalien & Michelle Bearden - Franchise Development Dep’t

Phone: 713-784-4400 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.linkfranchising.com

Link Staffing is a service company specializing in industrial and skilled labor staffing solutions. Owning a Link Staffing franchise is a great option for experienced business professionals with strong managerial and sales skills who want to make an impact in their local community. We have a long, successful history of happy franchisees and we would gladly invite you to join us in this season of growth!

PEOPLE. PRODUCTIVITY. FLEXIBILITY.



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

152 Moe’s Southwest Grill FOCUS Brands, Inc. 381 450 3 453 99% 9.9% 8.1%

153 Wingstop Roark Capital Group 379 489 11 500 95% 10.2% 5.0%

154 Red Roof Inn RRF Holding Company, LLC 375* 342 0 342 43% 7.1% 0.0%

155 Slumberland Furniture Slumberland, Inc. 371 123 0 123 67% 0.2% 5.1%

156Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services

Franchise Services, Inc. 368 264 105 369 99% 0.0% -3.1%

157 McAlister’s Deli McAlister’s Corporation 367 301 0 301 88% 2.6% -0.7%

158 TravelodgeWyndham Worldwide Corporation

365* 346 94 440 100% 4.3% 0.9%

159 Anytime Fitness Anytime Fitness, LLC 365 1,592 197 1,789 99% 28.2% 14.4%

160 Batteries Plus Roark Capital Group 363 500 0 500 93% 15.8% 10.4%

161 Pollo Campero Campero, Inc. 356 47 290 337 22% 4.6% -2.0%

162One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

Clockwork, Inc. 355 275 5 280 19% 17.3% 2.6%

163 Comfort Keepers Sodexo, Inc. 352 635 66 701 99% 8.7% 2.8%

164 Round Table Pizza Round Table Pizza, Inc. 350 445 7 452 77% -5.7% -4.4%

165Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System

CNA Holding Corporation 345 8,083 1,054 9,137 100% 7.4% -3.0%

166 SIGNARAMA United Franchise Group 343 489 320 809 100% -18.6% -7.6%

167 Primrose Schools PHC Acquisitions, Inc. 342 243 0 243 100% 10.0% 10.0%

168 UnishippersUnishippers Global Logistics, LLC

342 291 0 291 87% 27.1% -7.9%

169 UNO Chicago GrillUno Restaurant Holdings, Corp.

336* 141 9 150 40% -4.3% -6.8%



TOP 200#54

Contact: US Development Phone: 800-553-5776 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.LittleCaesars.com

As America’s fastest growing pizza chain, Little Caesars provides franchisee candidates an opportunity for independence with a proven system, outstanding value, convenience and quality for customers, a simple operating model and strong national brand recognition. Franchisees benefit from a comprehensive training program that focuses on all aspects of the business. And continue to receive support, expert analysis and consultation from corporate as their business grows. Visit LittleCaesars.com for more info.

Little Caesars

TOP 200#46Papa John’s

Int., Inc.

Contact: Regan Clauson Phone: 502-261-4844 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.papajohns.com

Papa John’s is the world’s third largest pizza company with more than 4,000 restaurants. Our founder, “Papa” John Schnatter is passionate about our quality positioning of “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.” His high level of commitment to our brand and products result in Papa John’s being recognized as quality leader in the pizza category. Papa John’s offers a relatively low cost of entry and fee structure. In addition, franchisees are offered an enticing package of incentives.

732-292-8272Find out. Call Brian Sommers

visit: jerseymikes.com

Bob MiddletonJersey Mike’s Multi-Unit Franchisee

Michigan

FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can be made only by a

prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute

approval by the Department of Law. IN MINNESOTA: Minnesota Registration Number F-5389. Jersey Mike’s

Franchise Systems, Inc., 2251 Landmark Place, Manasquan, NJ 08736

Is Jersey Mike’s the right fit for you?

“The business model is very strong but what really attracted

me to the brand was that Jersey Mike’s is a good partner in the

communities they serve. Making a positive difference in the lives

of others is important to me. The Jersey Mike’s model makes it easy

to do just that.”

“You know it’s the right fit when the business model is strong and you can help make a difference in

your community.”

Middleton ad FT 200.indd 1 9/6/12 3:33 PM



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

170 Snap Fitness Snap Fitness, Inc. 334 1,070 163 1,233 95% 40.9% 4.1%

171 Liberty Tax Service JTH Tax, Inc. 334 3,828 283 4,111 98% 14.3% 6.6%

172 Chester’s Chester's International, LLC 324 1,620 230 1,850 100% 2.1% 6.4%

173 Spherion Staffing Randstad North America, L.P. 317 148 0 148 100% -85.4% -73.5%

174 Matco Tools Danaher Corporation 312 1,423 44 1,467 100% 11.1% -0.1%

175 Taco John’s Taco John’s Int'l. Inc. 310 416 0 416 98% 4.6% -2.6%

176 Travel Leaders Travel Leaders Group 305* 371 0 371 95% 3.7% -2.1%

177 A & W All American Food A Great American Brand, LLC 300* 773 350 1,123 100% 0.0% -1.6%

178 FastSigns Roark Capital Group 300* 451 72 523 100% 6.9% -2.1%

179 Johnny Rockets Redzone Capital Fund II 300 221 68 289 91% 0.0% -2.0%

180 Noodles & Company Noodles & Company, Inc. 300 284 0 284 16% 15.4% 11.4%

181 Plato’s Closet Winmark Corporation 299 320 4 324 100% 24.1% 7.3%

182 Sizzler Pacific Equity Partners 298 170 0 170 86% -35.8% -34.9%

183 Results! Travel Travel Leaders Group 290* 653 0 653 100% 1.6% -3.5%

184 AlphaGraphics AlphaGraphics, Inc. 286 243 40 283 100% 8.7% 4.0%

185 Firehouse Subs Firehouse Restaurant Group 285 481 0 481 94% 22.5% 19.4%

186 Jersey Mike’s SubsJersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc.

280* 507 0 507 95% 4.7% 12.2%

187 Sylvan Learning Centers Educate, Inc. 277* 733 100 833 95% -7.7% -5.2%

188 Snelling Patriarch Partners, LLC 268 144 0 144 81% 3.1% 2.9%



TOP 200#75SERVPRO®

Contact: Franchise Expansion Phone: 800-826-9586 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.servpro.com

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO® Franchise System is a national leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO’s network of more than 1,600 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss events. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO® System has established relationships with insurance companies, commercial clients and individual homeowners.

TOP 200#457Sharkey’s

Cuts for Kids

Contact: Scott Sharkey Phone: 203-637-8911 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.SharkeysCutsForKids.com

Sharkey’s has become the most innovative and entertaining salon for both boys and girls ages 0-14 throughout the world. Our proven business model(s) feature lower than average royalties and multiple revenue streams, giving you the best opportunity for success! With global commitments for over 235 salons throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, exclusive territories and markets are still available. Franchise price of $89,995, and be open within 60-90 days!

TM



Domestic Units

Intl Units

Total Units

Percent Franchised

Sales Growth %

Unit Growth %

189 Mr. Rooter The Dwyer Group 265 264 95 359 100% 6.9% -6.8%

190 Wingate by WyndhamWyndham Worldwide Corporation

265* 158 4 162 100% 6.0% -1.8%

191 Tuffy/Car-X Tuffy Associates Corp. 265 379 0 379 89% -1.2% -2.6%

192 Corner Bakery Café Roark Capital Group 261 129 0 129 20% 5.6% 9.3%

193 Schlotzsky’s Deli FOCUS Brands, Inc. 255 337 15 352 89% 2.1% 0.3%

194 JAN-PROJAN-PRO Franchising International, Inc.

250 10,646 34 10,680 100% 13.6% 3.3%

195 Microtel Inn & SuitesWyndham Worldwide Corporation

250* 300 16 316 100% 6.4% 0.0%

196 Charley’s Grilled Subs Gosh Enterprises, Inc. 250 394 58 452 92% 7.7% 7.1%

197 Houlihan’s Houlihan's Restaurants, Inc. 245 85 0 85 61% -4.4% -4.5%

198 Sport Clips Sport Clips, Inc. 244 841 0 841 97% 22.0% 8.7%

199 Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q Sonny's Franchise Company 243 126 0 126 92% 2.1% -1.6%

200 Play It Again Sports Winmark Corporation 241 288 37 325 100% 2.1% -0.6%



TOP 200#266The Maids

Contact: Ronn Cordova Phone: 800-843-6243 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.themaidsfranchise.com

Distinguished as the number one residential cleaning franchise by Entrepreneur magazine, and number one in franchisee satisfaction by the Franchise Business Review, The Maids is the quality leader in the industry. Benefit from a time-tested system and business model based on leading-edge technology, and the most comprehensive package of training, support and exclusive territory in the industry. Build a great business and achieve the lifestyle you desire, without working nights, weekends or holidays.

TOP 200#117

Contact: Gayle McMillin Phone: 800-211-8778 E-Mail: [email protected] Web site: www.viocfranchise.com

With more than 860 service centers in 41 states, Valvoline Instant Oil Change still has plenty of room to grow. More than 260 of our stores are company-owned, so our franchisees benefit from our real-world experience in ways other franchisors cannot match. We can help you identify the right number of stores and the right locations for your selected market. Contact us today.

Valvoline Instant Oil Change


T he Franchise Times Top 200 is an annual ranking of the 200 larg-est franchise systems in the U.S. by

global systemwide sales, based on the previous year’s performance. This year, we also ranked the next 300 systems for a total of 500. We use a combina-tion of companies’ voluntary reports and publicly available data, including the franchises’ most recent franchise dis-closure documents and Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

To qualify, a company must be a legal, U.S. franchise. Franchisees must own at least 15 percent of the company’s total units. The company must also be based in the United States, or have at least 15 percent of their total units in the U.S.

Systemwide sales is defined as the total sales for both franchise and com-pany units. Those sales figures should represent sales to customers, and not cor-porate sales to franchisees or prospective

franchisees, such as royalty revenue or franchise fees. Other revenue not directly related to franchising should also not be included.

If two companies reported the same systemwide sales, the higher ranking is given to the company with the most units. Preference is also given to com-panies that voluntarily report their systemwide sales, rather than those com-panies for which we must estimate the sales figures.

Franchise Times’ estimated revenue for hotels is based on a formula multi-plying the chain’s revenue per available room (RevPar) by the number of rooms and the number of days in the year. The estimate is reduced a certain percentage if the chain opened units during the year, to reflect that some of its locations weren’t open the full year. It is increased a cer-tain percentage if it closed units during the year, to account for locations open

part of the year that were later shut down. RevPar comes from the company, or from industry estimates.

We estimate real estate companies based on 2.5 percent of their reported sales volume. Real estate companies report sales based on total volume of homes sold. So if a home is sold for $200,000, it would be listed as $200,000 in revenue. FT’s estimate would count $5,000 in revenue earned as a commis-sion from the sale.

We estimate travel agencies based on 12.5 percent of their total sales volume. Like real estate companies, travel agencies report sales volume based on the value of the vacations sold, rather than their com-missions from sales.

For more information on the Franchise Times Top 200, contact Jonathan Maze at jmaze@

franchisetimes.com.

About the ResearchHow we ranked the Top 200 brands (plus 300 more this year)

79 percent of the locations of Top 200 brands were operated by franchisees. Last year, franchisees owned 88 percent. In other words, the company-owned unit count was cut nearly in half, from 21 per-cent to 12 percent.

Much of this is due to refranchising, or the sale of company-owned units to franchisees. Between 1999 and 2006, the number of company-owned units grew by 16 percent. But since the end of 2006, company unit count on the Top 200 has plunged 22.4 percent as franchisors shed 16,671 locations.

Numerous companies on our rank-

ing, especially restaurants, have engaged in some form of refranchising, including McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box and Applebee’s.

McDonald’s company-owned unit count has declined by 5 percent over the past five years, by 1,731 restaurants. Jack in the Box sold off 641 units in that time, while Applebee’s owner, DineEquity, shed 339 units, according to informa-tion from Piper Jaffray.

A few companies have been buck-ing this trend: Panera Bread (No. 33), Buffalo Wild Wings (No. 52) and Five Guys (No. 83) have all purchased fran-chisees recently. Those companies’ profit

margins are making operations more desirable for the franchisor.

Read on for all the ins and outs of this year’s Franchise Times Top 200, plus 300 more.

Articles by Jonathan Maze Research by Matt Haskin and Abbi

Nawrocki

Double Digits continued from 3

Top 200 Methodology


The Next 300

T here’s little doubt that Pizza Ranch played a prominent role in the pres-idential campaign, making its story

stand out from the “Next 300” brands on our ranking.

Last year, as campaigning intensi-fied for the Iowa caucuses that were held January 4, nearly every GOP can-didate appeared at gatherings at Pizza Ranch locations around the state. Rick Santorum, who would eventually lose to Mitt Romney in Iowa by eight votes, once drew a crowd of 400 to one location. (Pizza Ranch says its restaurants aren’t just limited to Republicans.)

But did the caucuses play a role in the growing success of Pizza Ranch, the 170-unit chain based in little Orange City, Iowa?

Not really, at least according to Jon Moss, the chain’s chief operating officer. “I don’t think it had any effect on sales or traffic at all,” Moss said. “I personally think the media decided to make a big-ger deal out of it than it was.”

On a practical level, Moss noted three things drew candidates to Pizza Ranch locations: First, the company has 72 res-taurants spread across Iowa, so they’re everywhere. Second, each location has

a community room, which is perfect for a campaign stop, and is small enough that 50 people can seem like a crowd. Third: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the 2008 caucuses after campaigning in Pizza Ranches. The 2012 candidates were playing copycat.

We’d suspect one more thing draws Republicans: Pizza Ranch’s mission and vision statements, which were drawn up in 2004 to ref lect founder Adrie Groeneweg’s Christian beliefs and values.

Regardless, Pizza Ranch’s ascendancy in the political world has coincided with its rise as a regional Midwestern pizza

Voting with their FeetPizza Ranch is one standout among ranking’s next 300 entrants


The Next 300

chain, and its rise up seven spots to No. 244.

The chain also has done it by buck-ing a number of trends in the restaurant industry. For one thing, it has succeeded despite operating in the hypercompetitive pizza sector, and has done so by offer-ing dine-in options at a time when most chains go the delivery route.

Moss believes that’s part of the chain’s appeal in its core markets, smaller towns and outer suburbs, where there are few dine-in options but still a demand for eat-out-pizza.

“The pizza category has abandoned family dining,” Moss said. “We’re filling the void that our competition created when they went solely with delivery.”

Eight years ago, the company made a key decision to shift its focus more

Franchise ConceptUnits

Growth

7-Eleven 4,430

Subway 1,961

McDonald’s 773

KFC 548

Domino’s Pizza 391

JAN-PRO 346

Pizza Hut 315

GNC 303

Hertz 299

Burger King 261

Franchise ConceptUnits

Growth

Planet Fitness 30.9%

Five Guys 27.3%

Firehouse Subs 19.4%

Doubletree by Hilton 19.1%

Paul Davis Restoration 17.6%

Jimmy John’s 17.5%

Anytime Fitness 14.4%

Massage Envy 13.1%

Jersey Mike’s Subs 12.2%

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar 11.6%

Top 200 Unit Growth %Top 200 Unit Growth

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Pizza Ranch continued on 44


The Next 300

The Next 300 Franchise Chains by Worldwide Sales

Rank Franchise ConceptWorldwide Sales ($M)

Total Units

Percent Franchised

201 Baymont Inn & Suites 240* 259 100%

202 Fuddruckers 239* 178 68%

203 Labor Finders 235 184 100%

204 Budget Blinds 235 933 100%

205 The Melting Pot 234 142 97%

206 Old Chicago 230* 96 38%

207 Allegra Marketing-Print-Mail 230 302 100%

208 Cinnabon 229 931 99%

209 Two Men and A Truck 228 220 100%

210 Huddle House Restaurants 227 395 96%

211 PostNet 216 745 100%

212Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers

215 119 25%

213 Fazoli’s Restaurants 207 218 42%

214 Peter Piper Pizza 207 135 75%

215 Certa ProPainters 206 321 100%

216 Bruegger’s Bagels 205 301 35%

217 Smoothie King 201 607 100%

218 Right At Home 201 244 100%

219 Griswold Home Care 201 152 93%

220 Rodeway Inn 200* 391 100%

221The HoneyBaked Ham Co. and Café

198 444 41%

222 Once Upon A Child 195 247 100%

223 Cost Cutters 194 773 55%

224 Beef ’O’ Brady’s 194 210 99%

225Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning

193 414 100%

226 AmericInn 190* 218 100%

227 CruiseOne 185 760 100%

228 Molly Maid 176 621 100%

229 Wolfgang Puck Worldwide 174 73 96%

230 The Cleaning Authority 171 177 99%



Total Units

Percent Franchised

231 Cosi 169* 136 41%

232 Petland 167* 134 95%

233 ColorTyme 162 216 100%

234 Precision Tune Auto Care 161 340 90%

235 The Original Pancake House 158 116 99%

236 Godfather’s Pizza 157 630 96%

237 Taco Time 152 292 96%

238Express Oil Change and Service Center

152 187 59%

239 BrightStar Care 150 245 100%

240 U-Save Auto Rental 150 158 100%

241 Granite Transformations 149 166 99%

242 Marco’s Pizza 149 278 100%

243 Fox’s Pizza Den 148 290 100%

244 Pizza Ranch 147 164 99%

245 Donatos Pizza 146 156 67%

246 Hotel Indigo 145* 39 100%

247 Big Boy 142* 129 84%

248 Grease Monkey 141 254 100%

249 Truly Nolen Pest Control 140 253 72%

250 Steamatic 140 373 100%

251 Blimpie Subs & Salads 137 739 99%

252 CleanNet USA 137 2,874 100%

253 Hobbytown USA 137 160 100%

254 Togo’s Sandwiches 136 241 98%

255 Senior Helpers 135 294 100%

256 Gatti’s Pizza 135 129 84%

257 Pizza Inn 134 291 99%

258 Penn Station East Coast Subs 133 239 99%

259 Tropical Smoothie Café 132 309 100%

260 Mazzio’s Italian Eatery 131 160 59%

261 LaRosa’s 129 65 78%

262 Quaker Steak & Lube 129 47 77%




Total Units

Percent Franchised

263 AIA Corporation 127 231 100%

264PIP Printing & Document Services

127 110 100%

265 First Choice Hair Cutters 126 449 43%

266 The Maids 126 1,175 98%

267 Pak Mail 125 422 100%

268 Knights Inn 125* 349 100%

269 Glass Doctor 125 189 100%

270 Wild Birds Unlimited 124 275 100%

271 Ziebart 124 411 97%

272 Huntington Learning Center 122* 262 89%

273Villa Pizza/Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen

121 247 43%

274 Martinizing Dry Cleaning 120* 459 100%

275 Interstate All Battery Center 120 240 88%

276 Sandler Training 120 237 100%

277Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham

120* 74 100%

278 Kwik Kopy Printing 120 207 100%

279 Western Sizzlin 119* 94 95%

280 Hot Stuff Foods 118* 857 100%

281 Smashburger 115 142 58%

282 PuroClean 114 271 100%

283Christian Brothers Automotive

111 94 97%

284 Sirloin Stockade 110 56 98%

285 Weed Man 109 434 91%

286 Rita’s Italian Ice 109 551 100%

287 Vanguard Cleaning Systems 105 2,440 100%

288 Comet Cleaners 104 246 100%

289Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network (CRDN)

104 151 100%

290 Nathan’s Famous 103 302 98%

291 Great Harvest Bread Co. 102 231 100%

292 Yogurtland 101 169 96%

293Genghis Grill - The Mongolian Stir Fry

100 90 39%





Total Units

Percent Franchised

294 COIT 100 47 79%

295 Carvel Ice Cream 99* 404 97%

296 Kiddie Academy 98 98 98%

297 Jazzercise 97 7,741 100%

298 Estrella Insurance 97 48 100%

299 Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt 96 147 97%

300 Link Staffing Services 94 52 87%

301 Black Bear Diner 93 50 96%

302 1-800-Got Junk? 92 177 84%

303 Lawn Doctor 87 460 100%

304 The Learning Experience 85 96 86%

305 Relax The Back 83 98 100%

306 EmbroidMe 82 377 100%

307 The Greene Turtle 82 29 59%

308 Transworld Business Advisors 81 64 100%

309 Goin’ Postal 81 272 100%

310 Aire Serv 79 185 100%

311Which Wich Superior Sandwiches

78 130 99%

312 El Chico Cafe 77 58 31%

313 BD’s Mongolian Grill 76 34 56%

314 Golden Chick 75 99 96%

315 Cheeburger! Cheeburger! 75* 68 96%

316 Wahoo’s Fish Taco 75 62 47%

317 Newk’s Express Café 75 45 84%

318SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune Up

74* 140 96%

319 Lenny’s Sub Shop 73 152 29%

320 Rosati’s Pizza 72 108 88%

321 Pop-A-Lock 71* 165 100%

322 City Wide Franchise Co. 71 31 97%

323 Homewatch Caregivers 71 192 98%

324Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

70 61 85%



Total Units

Percent Franchised

325 Suburban 70* 62 100%

326 Signs Now 70 183 100%

327 Fatburger 70 114 97%

328 Shakey’s Pizza 69 63 60%

329 Saladworks 68 99 97%

330 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Parks 68 77 99%

331 Fitness Together 67 279 100%

332 Complete Nutrition 65 139 87%

333 Huhot Mongolian Grills 65 42 88%

334 Red Hot & Blue 65 24 71%

335 Mr. Electric 65 226 100%

336 Colton’s Steak House & Grill 63 26 100%

337 TCBY 62 570 100%

338 ABC Seamless 62 112 92%

339 Maid Brigade 61 498 100%

340 Cousins Subs 61 143 89%

341 Studio 6 60* 66 41%

342 Planet Beach 58 292 100%

343 Camp Bow Wow 58 114 99%

344 Grandy’s 57 64 97%

345 MainStay Suites 55* 42 100%

346 Dream 55* 5 100%

347 Home Care Assistance 55 68 79%

348 Biggby Coffee 54 126 100%

349Great Steak & Potato Company

53 135 99%

350Fiesta Auto Insurance & Tax Service

52 131 100%

351 Mr. Handyman 50 229 100%

352Clintar Landscape Management

50 22 100%

353 Twin Peaks Restaurants 50 18 56%

354Transmission USA/Milex Complete Auto Care

50 135 99%

355 Port of Subs 48 140 81%





Total Units

Percent Franchised

356 The Egg and I 48 50 84%

357 Hurricane Grill And Wings 48 46 91%

358 Mad Science 46* 162 100%

359 Premier Rental-Purchase 45 64 100%

360 Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop 45 74 93%

361 Craters & Freighters 45 64 100%

362 LivHome 44 19 26%

363 Yesco 43 45 18%

364 Montana Mike’s 43 29 100%

365 Ben & Jerry’s 42* 330 87%

366 Massage Heights 42 74 96%

367 Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs 41 100 96%

368 Magicuts 40 215 39%

369Fish Window Cleaning Service

40 225 100%

370 Anago Cleaning Systems 40 2,240 100%

371 Rooter-Man 40 457 99%

372 Pizza Patron 40 188 48%

373 Kilwins Chocolates 40 84 96%

374Robeks Premium Fruit Smoothies

39 120 100%

375 Max Muscle Sports Nutrition 38* 152 100%

376Elements Therapeutic Massage

38 83 100%

377 Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt 37 125 90%

378 Mr. Appliance 36 160 100%

379 GolfTEC 35 151 78%

380 LA Boxing 35 65 100%

381 Sarpino’s Pizzeria 34* 36 100%

382 Rib City 34 29 55%

383Mathnasium Learning Centers

33 345 99%

384 Wings Over 33* 28 75%

385 Archadeck 31 56 100%

386 Costa Vida 31 39 79%



Total Units

Percent Franchised

387 Fastrackids 30 271 100%

388 Double Dave’s Pizzaworks 30 42 95%

389 Parable 30 39 100%

390 Home2 Suites by Hilton 30* 10 100%

391 Careers USA 30 4 75%

392 ZIPS Dry Cleaners 30 30 97%

393 BuildingStars 30 391 99%

394 Pro Cuts 29 152 97%

395 Intero Real Estate Services 29 58 72%

396 Color Me Mine 29 139 97%

397Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

29 355 97%

398 Real Property Management 28 197 99%

399 Speedpro Imaging 28 130 100%

400 Surf City Squeeze 28 132 98%

401 Cruise Holidays International 27 217 98%

402 Handyman Matters 27* 120 100%

403 Nestle Toll House Café 26 109 99%

404Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop

26 52 98%

405 Nature’s Table Cafe 25 76 95%

406 Music Go Round 25 34 100%

407 Coffee Beanery 25 96 98%

408Always Best Care Senior Services

25 166 100%

409 OpenWorks 24 321 98%

410 Russo’s 24 32 84%

411 Forever Yogurt 23 17 71%

412 Tutor Doctor 22 292 99%

413 Breadsmith 22 36 94%

414 Juice It Up! 21 86 97%

415 School Of Rock 21 77 71%

416 Scooter’s Coffee House 21 100 76%

417 Red Mango 21* 122 98%


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Total Units

Percent Franchised

418 Kolache Factory 20 42 50%

419 Muscle Maker Grill 20 45 98%

420 East Coast Wings & Grill 20 23 96%

421 Window Gang 20 211 97%

422 Spring-Green Lawn Care 19* 93 77%

423 College Nannies & Tutors 18 80 100%

424 Milio’s Sandwiches 18* 45 29%

425Mooyah Burgers Fries & Shakes

18 38 92%

426 Erik’s DeliCafe 18 31 94%

427 Alternative Board (TAB) 18 130 96%

428 City Looks 17 20 90%

429 Caring Senior Service 17 40 80%

430 Pizza Fusion 16 20 100%

431 Sky Zone 16 19 79%

432 I9 Sports 16 126 99%

433 Honest-1 Auto Care 15 26 100%

434Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies

15* 225 100%

435 Town Money Saver 15 42 100%

436 Closet & Storage Concepts 15 12 75%

437 Assisting Hands Home Care 15 42 95%

438Outdoor Lighting Perspectives

15 43 100%

439 Beauty Supply Outlet 15 15 100%

440 Nrgize Lifestyle Cafe 14 103 96%

441 Shelf Genie 14 119 83%

442 Flip Flop Shops 14 59 100%

443 Rotolo’s Pizzeria 13 20 40%

444 Paciugo 13* 37 97%

445 Lamar’s Donuts 12 27 74%

446 Café Yumm! 12 11 82%

447 Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning 12 230 98%

448 VooDoo BBQ & Grill 12 13 77%



Total Units

Percent Franchised

449 Seniors Helping Seniors 12 169 99%

450 1-800-DryClean 12 105 100%

451 Coyote Canyon 11 5 100%

452 Samurai Sam’s Teriyaki Grill 11 44 95%

453 Corporate Caterers 11 13 77%

454 ACFN 11 185 100%

455 ASP Pool and Spa 11 83 100%

456 Five Star Painting 11 98 98%

457 Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids 11 40 100%

458 European Wax Center 10 340 98%

459 Chyten 10 40 93%

460 Celluland 10 16 81%

461 AutoQual 10 45 100%

462 Hut No. 8 10 25 96%

463 Fetch! Pet Care 10 159 96%

464 1-800-Water Damage 10 69 99%

465 Blue Coast Burrito 10 13 46%

466Ling & Louie’s - Asian Bar & Grill

9 6 83%

467 Creative Colors International 9 88 77%

468 Stroller Strides 9 305 99%

469 Ranch 1 8 19 100%

470 Heits Commercial Cleaning 8 166 100%

471 Dryer Vent Wizard 8 60 100%

472 The Beef Jerky Outlet 8 12 67%

473 LED Source 8 11 91%

474 Frullati Cafe 8 34 100%

475 Mosquito Squad 8 104 100%

476 101 Mobility 7 10 90%

477 Mint Condition 7 206 100%

478 ProTect Painters 7 36 100%

479 Tint World 6 13 100%

480 Grout Doctor 6* 75 100%





Total Units

Percent Franchised

481 Billboard Connection 6 95 100%

482 Friendly Computers 6 52 98%

483 Murphy Business & Financial 5 123 100%

484 Renters Warehouse 5 7 71%

485 Soccer Shots 5 100 93%

486 Age Advantage Home Care 5 7 86%

487 Johnnies Pizza 5 15 93%

488 Mainstream Boutique 5 19 95%

489 V’s Barbershop 5 15 80%

490 Big Frog Custom T-Shirts 5 41 100%

491 Plan Ahead Events 4 74 100%

492 Maidpro 4 133 99%



Total Units

Percent Franchised

493The Joint… The Chiropratic Place

4 31 97%

494 Roosters Men’s Grooming 4 42 100%

495 Goldfish Swim School 3 3 67%

496 Alta Mere 3 13 100%

497 Jantize America 3 252 100%

498 Squeegee Squad 3* 22 95%

499 Aero Colours 3 36 100%

500 360Clean 3 39 100%


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Soon there will be only one car-rental company, and it will be called Hertz. OK, that’s not true—the Sherman Antitrust Act preventing monopolies still exists, as far as we know.

But it sure seems that way. In August, well after this list was compiled, the No. 8 franchise made another run at buying Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group, a deal it first attempted in 2010 that the latter company’s shareholders later rejected.

But Hertz was moving even before that deal was completed. Buoyed by growth in auto and equipment rentals, the Park Ridge, New Jersey-based company was the biggest mover on the Top 10, moving from No. 11 on the ranking to No. 8. The improvement came thanks to 8.9 percent sales growth, including unit growth of 3.5 percent. The company grew despite weak-ness in Europe, and was the beneficiary of strong travel trends.

Many of its fellow companies in our automotive segment weren’t so fortunate. Some of the companies on our ranking saw sales declines, and most of them saw a reduction in the num-ber of locations.

Auto-service companies, which dominate this list, have had a strange few years. They generally ran counter to the recession, growing in 2009 and 2010 as new-car sales hit historic lows, cars on the road aged and demand for service on those vehicles grew. But auto sales started picking up in 2010 and grew 12 percent last year, according to federal statistics. Sales at auto parts com-panies were more mixed, growing 5 percent.

Several auto companies on our ranking reflected that growth, including No. 96 J.D. Byrider (5.1 percent sales growth), No. 113 Carstar (5.7 percent sales growth) and No. 133 Meineke (4.6 percent). Still, of the auto companies in our ranking, only two, Hertz and J.D. Byrider, reported a decline in unit count.

Zooming Up Hertz makes biggest move

Top Automotive

Franchise ConceptWorldwide Sales ($M)

Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Hertz 11,850 8,817 5,115 3,702

Midas 1,503 2,208 1,279 929

Jiffy Lube 1,413 1,978 1,935 43

J.D. Byrider 777 138 138 0

Big O Tires 731 439 439 0

CARSTAR 597 395 245 150


572 820 820 0

Meineke Car Care Centers

486 947 871 76

AAMCO Transmissions 445 773 773 0

MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting

435 458 427 31

Tuffy/Car-X 265 379 379 0

Precision Tune Auto Care

161 340 260 80

Express Oil Change and Service Center

152 187 187 0

U-Save Auto Rental 150 158 135 23

Grease Monkey 141 254 189 65

Glass Doctor 125 189 189 0

Ziebart 124 411 100 311

Christian Brothers Automotive

111 94 94 0

Top Automotive

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Top Business Services

Top Business Services


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Express Employment Professionals

2,202 571 525 46

Valpak Direct Marketing 382 165 157 8

Spherion Staffing 317 148 148 0

Snelling 268 144 144 0

Labor Finders 235 184 184 0

AIA Corporation 127 231 231 0

Sandler Training 120 237 172 65

Link Staffing Services 94 52 52 0

Few industries have enjoyed quite as much post-recession-ary success as the temporary employment sector. Employers were wary of taking on full-time workers after the Great

Recession, but many still had work to be done. According to the American Staffing Association, temporary-help services accounted for 91 percent of total nonfarm job growth between June 2009 and June 2011.

This helps explain why No. 49 Express Employment Professionals’ sales grew 15.9 percent last year, helping the Oklahoma City-based company move up three spots from the previous year’s ranking. Or why sales at No. 188 Snelling (mak-ing its debut), based in Dallas, grew 3.1 percent.

We’d imagine that Spherion Staffing grew, too, but its numbers are skewed. The Boston-based company last year was acquired by the Dutch firm Randstad, which removed all of Spherion’s company-owned units from sales calculation. Thus, it fell from No. 48 to No. 173.

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Top Cleaning Services

Top Cleaning Services


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

ServiceMaster Clean 1,880 4,847 3,038 1,809

SERVPRO 1,236 1,615 1,613 2

Disaster Kleenup International

1,139 234 192 42

Jani-King 680 11,170 8,969 2,201

Paul Davis Restoration 550 294 294 0

Stanley Steemer 427 286 286 0

Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System

345 9,137 8,083 1,054

JAN-PRO 250 10,680 10,646 34

Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning

193 414 297 117

Molly Maid 176 621 440 181

The Cleaning Authority 171 177 175 2

Steamatic 140 373 273 100

CleanNet USA 137 2,874 2,874 0

The Maids 126 1,175 1,143 32

PuroClean 114 271 252 19

Vanguard Cleaning Systems

105 2,440 2,247 193

Comet Cleaners 104 246 235 11

Certified Restoration Drycleaning Network

104 151 130 21

COIT 100 47 46 1

T he world must have been really dirty in 2011, which could help explain the success of cleaning services last year. The nine cleaning service companies on the Top 200 averaged

sales growth of 7.8 percent. And most of them, as you’d expect, moved up the list.

Disaster restoration companies in particular had a good year. Servpro, the Gallatin, Tennessee-based chain, reported 10.3 percent sales growth last year and moved up to No. 75 on our ranking. Right behind was Wood Dale, Illinois-based Disaster Kleenup International, whose 11.1 percent sales growth helped it move up to No. 78.

It doesn’t take much thought to understand why all those companies did so well: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, there were 14 billion-dollar disasters last year. That included tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast in April and May, big blizzards in January and flooding in the Upper Midwest.

There are four general cleaning service sub-sectors: disas-ter restoration, commercial janitorial services, carpet cleaning and maid services. Memphis-based ServiceMaster Clean oper-ates in three of those sectors—all but maid services—and last year reported 4.9 percent sales growth and fell one spot on the ranking to No. 59. Still, it’s the largest cleaning services fran-chise in the country.

Several companies operate in the janitorial sector, which has huge numbers of territories with small unit volumes. This sec-tor has been the subject of lawsuits stating their businesses have been misclassified as franchises—when, the suits claim, fran-chisees are treated like employees. Still, in the wake of high unemployment, these franchises are doing well.

Addison, Texas-based Jani-King, No. 107, is the largest. Its sales grew 5.1 percent last year. Alpharetta, Georgia-based Jan-Pro was the fastest growing, with sales growth of 13.6 percent that took the company into the Top 200 at No. 194. Sales at No. 165 Coverall, based in Deerfield Beach, Florida, grew 7.4 percent.

Cleaning TimeYear of disasters helps sector


Top Health/Medical & Home Services

T his could be the beginning of a good decade for the home-services sector, especially HVAC contractors and plumbing franchises.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects that demand for such contractors could increase 34 percent between 2010 and 2020 as the housing stock ages and the need for plumbers and

Senior services are booming, and everyone points to demo-graphics to explain why. Mostly, they point to this statistic: The over-85 population is the fastest-growing group in the

country. Or this one: The number of people over 65 will grow from 13 percent of the population to 20 percent by 2013.

These are telling numbers, to be sure, but they don’t fully explain why Omaha-based Home Instead Senior Care (No. 95, up from 102 last year), Dayton, Ohio-based Comfort Keepers (No. 163, up from 167) or Omaha-based Right At Home (No. 218, up from 227) keep flying up our ranking of the largest franchise systems.

Instead, the franchises are growing because they satisfy a basic need. People are fiercely independent, and that doesn’t change when we age. Studies have routinely found that 90 per-cent or more of seniors fear losing their independence. In short: We don’t want to go to a nursing home.

“Study after study shows that the vast majority want to age and live at home,” said Jeff Huber, president of Home Instead. “People have a fierce desire to stay home.”

Still, the at-home care franchises have generally emerged only within the past 20 years—Home Instead, for instance, started 19 years ago; Comfort Keepers in 1997; Right at Home in 1995. What’s changed, Huber said, is that people are busier now. Seniors today have fewer children than did their parents. The children live far away. They don’t have the time, or the capabil-ity, to take care of their parents’ daily needs.

“It’s a faster-paced world today,” Huber said. “There’s a lot

Home Sweet Home

Better with Age

One Hour leads pack, up 17%

More seniors = more services

Top Health/Medical


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Health Mart 7,050 2,941 2,941 0

Home Instead Senior Care

790 950 609 341

Interim HealthCare 740 326 326 0

Comfort Keepers 352 701 635 66

Right At Home 201 244 241 3

Griswold Home Care 201 152 152 0

BrightStar Care 150 245 243 2

Senior Helpers 135 294 285 9

Top Home Services


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Roto-Rooter 708 554 521 33

Linc Network 519 152 136 16

One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

355 280 275 5

Mr. Rooter 265 359 264 95

Truly Nolen Pest Control 140 253 85 168

Weed Man 109 434 261 173

of pressure on people from a lot of different fronts: kids, jobs. That’s a lot of stress.”

It’s a phenomenon that is not limited to the U.S. Home Instead, the largest at-home care franchise, saw sales grow 13.2 percent last year in part because it has been the most aggressive company of its kind in international markets. Thirty-six percent of its units are in other countries, including Japan and Europe, where the population is aging just as rapidly, if not more so. And we spoke with Huber just after his recent trip to Chile, where the company hopes to open units.

“The aging phenomenon is going on all around the world,” he said. “The basic need is the same.”

As those demographics suggest, the at-home senior care mar-ket isn’t going to fade away anytime soon.

Home Sweet Home continued on 41


Top Hotel/Travel

People got out of their houses a lot more in 2011, either for business or pleasure, and that was a bonus for the travel industry.

According to STR, a Hendersonville, Tennessee-based hotel- research firm, demand for hotels grew 5 percent last year while supply was relatively flat. The result: Industry occupancy rose 4.4 percent. Hotel rates grew 3.7 percent. And revenue per avail-able room—a key industry statistic—rose 8.2 percent. Total tourism spending increased 3.5 percent last year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

That demand was also felt worldwide, and hotel chains saw substantial growth as a result. The 43 hotel and travel compa-nies on our Top 200 averaged 6.7 percent sales growth.

Many of them had really good years. Westin, owned by Stamford, Connecticut-based Starwood Hotels, saw its revenue grow 19.6 percent, to $2.75 billion. It’s now the No. 39-ranked company on our list.

No. 37 Crowne Plaza Hotels, owned by Salt Lake City, Utah-based Intercontinental Hotels Group, had sales growth of 16.7 percent. It moved up five spots on our ranking. And Doubletree by Hilton, based in McLean, Virginia, shot up eight spots to No. 57, with 18.8 percent sales growth. Townplace Suites, the extended-stay concept owned by Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott, moved up to No. 146 thanks to its 13.3 percent sales growth.

All those hotels tend to cater toward upper-middle-end cus-tomers or higher. Indeed, for the most part, it appears that higher-priced hotels performed better last year, buoyed perhaps by an economy that continues to favor higher-end earners while business travel continues to pick up.

Lower-priced hotels, meanwhile, lagged behind, but still grew. Carrolton, Texas-based Motel 6 (No. 85) saw 2.3 per-cent sales growth. No. 131 Econo Lodge, owned by Choice, grew 3.2 percent. No. 154 Red Roof Inn, based in Columbus, Ohio, reported a 7.1 percent sales increase.

There was little change among the largest hotel chains. Marriott Hotels, with $8.3 billion in sales, was No. 11, having fallen out of the top 10 despite 3.8 percent sales growth. Hilton Hotels is the second largest hotel chain, at No. 13 with $7.2 bil-lion in sales. Its sales rose 2.9 percent in 2011.

Well TraveledRevenue per room rises nicely

Top Hotel/Travel


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Marriott Hotels, Resorts & Suites

8,300 555 353 202

Hilton Hotels & Resorts 7,200 555 251 304

Sheraton 5,600 418 204 214

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts

5,390 1,233 809 424

Hyatt 5,300 460 350 110

Hampton Inn & Suites 4,700 1,869 1,802 67

Holiday Inn Express 4,300 2,114 1,874 240

Courtyard 3,750 913 805 108

Comfort Inn & Suites 3,550 2,581 2,015 566

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

2,800 387 188 199

Radisson Hotels 2,775 417 106 311

Westin 2,750 188 118 70

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

2,650 169 52 117

Residence Inn 2,400 617 597 20

Renaissance 2,100 154 80 74

Hilton Garden Inn 1,950 545 496 49

Doubletree by Hilton 1,900 306 244 62

Embassy Suites 1,900 213 204 9

Ramada 1,700 845 494 351

Quality Inn & Suites 1,650 1,417 1,047 370

Days Inn 1,600 1,864 1,657 207

La Quinta Inn & Suites 1,550 816 810 6

Super 8 1,425 2,249 1,828 421

Fairfield Inn 1,250 680 667 13

Motel 6 925 1,028 1,009 19

Homewood Suites by Hilton

925 314 303 11

Springhill Suites 800 287 285 2

Top Hotel/Travel continued on 36


Top Hotel/Travel


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Country Inn & Suites 750 484 453 31

Four Points Sheraton 700 161 108 53

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

650 75 50 25

Clarion Hotels 600 327 189 138

Staybridge Suites 520 179 174 5

Howard Johnson 500 451 302 149

Econo Lodge 490 872 797 75

Candlewood Suites 485 285 285 0

Towneplace Suites 425 201 200 1

Sleep Inn & Suites 410 404 394 10

Red Roof Inn 375 342 342 0

Top Hotel/Travel continued from 35 Franchise ConceptWorldwide Sales ($M)

Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Travelodge 365 440 346 94

Travel Leaders 305 371 371 0

Results! Travel 290 653 653 0

Wingate by Wyndham 265 162 158 4

Microtel Inn & Suites 250 316 300 16

Baymont Inn & Suites 240 259 258 1

Rodeway Inn 200 391 388 3

AmericInn 190 218 218 0

CruiseOne 185 760 758 2

Hotel Indigo 145 39 33 6

Knights Inn 125 349 330 19

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham

120 74 73 1

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Top Personal Care Services

Top Personal Care Services


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

H&R Block Tax Services 4,950 12,776 11,068 1,708

Curves 1,064 7,320 3,547 3,773

Gold’s Gym 978 701 461 240

Great Clips 864 3,086 3,016 70

Massage Envy 804 742 742 0

SuperCuts 659 2,413 2,184 229

Jenny Craig 570 743 576 167

Planet Fitness 520 508 508 0

Goddard School (The) 460 381 381 0

Fantastic Sams Hair Salons

444 1,213 1,204 9

Anytime Fitness 365 1,789 1,592 197

Primrose Schools 342 243 243 0

Snap Fitness 334 1,233 1,070 163

Liberty Tax Service 334 4,111 3,828 283

Sylvan Learning Centers 277 833 733 100

Sport Clips 244 841 841 0

Two Men and A Truck 228 220 200 20

Certa ProPainters 206 321 296 25

Cost Cutters 194 773 773 0

First Choice Hair Cut-ters

126 449 81 368

Huntington Learning Center

122 262 262 0

Martinizing Dry Cleaning

120 459 229 230

Kiddie Academy 98 98 98 0

Jazzercise 97 7,741 6,724 1,017

Estrella Insurance 97 48 48 0

People are still taking care of themselves. They’re getting their hair styled. They’re joining the gym. And they’re still getting massages. The personal-services sector, a list

in which we include fitness chains, tax preparation franchises, hair-care salons and massage companies, is booming.

Three of the 10 fastest growing franchises by sales volume are in the personal-services sector, including two always-open fitness franchises based in Minnesota: Snap Fitness, whose 40.9 percent sales growth last year was tops on our ranking and enough to take it to No. 170 on the Top 200, and No. 159 Anytime Fitness, whose sales grew 28.2 percent, the fourth fast-est. (See related stories on page 20 .)

The fitness industry had a good year in 2011, as more Americans grow concerned about their weight and their level of fitness. According to the Boston-based International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association, industry revenue grew 5 percent to $21.4 billion. Memberships grew 2.4 percent to 51.4 million. People used their memberships, too: Usage increased to 102.5 days, the highest usage rate ever recorded.

We’d suggest the industry is doing a good job luring peo-ple off the couch and making their clubs more available. It’s no secret the clubs that are growing cost less and are open more.

Curves, the biggest fitness brand with 7,320 units, is likely in for some changes this year. As reported in our September issue, founders Gary and Diane Heavin sold their Waco, Texas-based company to North Castle Partners. Managing partner Chip Baird told Franchise Times the system “needs to go back to the basics and focus on results.”

The third company among the 10 fast growers is Scottsdale, Arizona-based Massage Envy, the 92nd-ranked franchise whose sales grew 23.3 percent. The chain has thrived with a unique membership model and post-recessionary consumers still will-ing to treat themselves to regular massages.

Among hair-care chains, Georgetown, Texas-based Sport Clips made the Top 200, reaching No. 198 amid its remark-able growth—sales grew 22 percent last year. The chain has hit on the right formula: targeting men who get more haircuts than women.

No Couch PotatoesFitness franchises bulk up


Top Printing/Shipping & Real Estate

T he printing industry has been in a state of flux ever since somebody decided they could send a letter electronically. The Great Recession intensified its weakness. Commercial

printing sales fell 5.3 percent in 2008 and then 15 percent in 2009.

The industry still hasn’t recovered—sales were basically flat last year, according to the National Association for Printing Leadership, a trade group out of East Rutherford, New Jersey.

So this isn’t much of a surprise: Only one of the printing and shipping companies on our Top 200 saw unit growth last year (No. 184 AlphaGraphics, the Salt Lake City-based com-pany that also bucked the sales trend with 8.7 percent growth). The rest either reported flat unit counts or falling unit counts.

Flat and falling sales were also common. No. 166 Signarama, the sign-making company out of West Palm Beach, Florida, saw sales fall 18.6 percent. Minuteman Press, based in Farmingdale, New York, and at No. 145, had flat sales. So did Mission Viejo, California-based Sir Speedy (No. 156). ProForma, the market-ing supply franchise out of Independence, Ohio, bucked that trend with 10 percent sales growth. It moved up to No. 150.

Shipping companies also seemed to do better—notably No. 168 Unishippers, the Salt Lake City, Utah-based packaging and shipping company whose sales grew 27.1 percent last year.

News flash: The real estate market continued to struggle in 2011. On the one hand, the number of existing homes sold grew slightly, 1.7 percent, in 2011, but the median

price fell 3.9 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors. So while real estate agents, and real estate franchises, sold more homes, the prices they got for those homes contin-ued to fall.

This struggle is reflected in the Franchise Times Top 200. Most of the real estate companies on our ranking had declines in system sales last year. Unit count declines were also common

Unhappy Returns

Home Sales

Sales fall flat for many printers

Luxury is lone bright spot

Top Printing/Shipping


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

The UPS Store/ Mail Boxes Etc.

1,800 4,735 4,382 353

Minuteman Press 425 927 711 216

ProForma 395 750 700 50

Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services

368 369 264 105

SIGNARAMA 343 809 489 320

Unishippers 342 291 291 0

FastSigns 300 523 451 72

AlphaGraphics 286 283 243 40

Allegra Marketing- Print-Mail

230 302 276 26

PostNet 216 745 311 434

PIP Printing & Document Services

127 110 104 6

Pak Mail 125 422 260 162

Kwik Kopy Printing 120 207 87 120

Top Real Estate


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

RE/MAX 6,740 6,288 3,319 2,969

Century 21 Real Estate 3,918 7,250 2,550 4,700

Coldwell Banker Real Estate

3,825 3,134 2,388 746

Prudential Real Estate 2,650 1,509 1,473 36

Keller Williams Realty 2,590 694 678 16

Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates

868 503 276 227

ERA Real Estate 595 2,374 624 1,750

G.J.Gardner Homes 483 99 21 78

Home Sales continued on 41



Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

McDonald’s 85,941 33,510 14,098 19,412

KFC 21,300 17,401 4,780 12,621

Subway 16,600 35,920 24,722 11,198

Burger King 14,975 12,512 7,500 5,012

Pizza Hut 12,626 13,747 7,600 6,147

Wendy’s 9,200 6,594 5,876 718

Taco Bell 7,300 5,945 5,670 275

Domino’s Pizza 6,956 9,742 4,907 4,835

Tim Hortons 6,037 4,014 714 3,300

Dunkin’ Donuts 6,004 9,792 6,772 3,020

Applebee’s 4,430 2,019 1,871 148

Chili’s Grill & Bar 4,310 1,534 1,299 235

Chick-Fil-A 4,100 1,615 1,615 0

Sonic, America’s Drive-In

3,693 3,561 3,561 0

Panera Bread 3,421 1,541 1,538 3

Arby’s 3,025 3,564 3,437 127

Jack In The Box 2,946 2,221 2,221 0

Dairy Queen 2,875 6,064 4,467 1,597

IHOP Restaurant 2,650 1,550 1,514 36

T.G.I. Friday’s 2,600 902 565 337

Papa John’s 2,573 3,883 3,061 822

Denny’s 2,423 1,684 1,592 92

Hardee’s 2,068 1,921 1,695 226

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar

2,043 817 813 4

Little Caesar’s 2,000 3,455 3,455 0

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

1,932 2,035 1,627 408

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

1,684 485 485 0

Top Restaurants

Fast-casual chains have made their presence felt on our rank-ing for more than a decade, since St. Louis-based Panera Bread spun off Au Bon Pain and began moving up the

Franchise Times Top 200. But never have there been so many of the upscale fast-food restaurants on the list as there are this year.

That includes Lorton, Virginia-based Five Guys, which has been surging up our ranking for years now and took its spot at No. 83 after its sales grew 31.2 percent, the second-fastest-grow-ing chain on our ranking. Keeping just ahead of the chain is Jimmy John’s, at No. 82, which had 28.5 percent unit growth—the third-fastest-growing concept.

Indeed, four of the top 10 fastest growing concepts are lim-ited service chains, including Atlanta-based Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, the ninth fastest at 23 percent, and Jacksonville, Florida-based Firehouse Subs, another fast-casual chain, whose sales grew 22.5 percent. It reached No. 185 on our ranking.

Limited-service restaurants are the most popular segment in franchising, and they also performed better last year than their full-service cousins. Family-dining and casual-dining chains continued to lose customers last year.

Eight of the 20 full-service concepts on our Top 200 ranking saw sales declines, and some of them were steep. Memphis-based Perkins, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year, reported an 11.6 percent decline in sales. Chili’s, Hooters, Round Table Pizza, T.G.I. Friday’s, UNO Chicago Grill and Houlihan’s also saw declines in system sales.

One potential explanation for the difference in perfor-mance is customer satisfaction. According to the University of Michigan’s annual American Customer Satisfaction Index, fast-food restaurants this year scored just as high as their full-service concepts for the first time in the index’s 18-year history. Recession-weary consumers are giving casual-dining chains worse scores on value, while they’ve been increasingly pleased with the quality at limited-service chains.

A few casual dining chains have found the recipe for suc-cess last year—notably Buffalo Wild Wings, the 52nd largest restaurant franchise, based in Minneapolis, whose system sales grew a stunning 20 percent last year. The chain has hit on the right formula of alcohol, chicken wings and sports—but it also has an innovative model that allows customers to order their food at a counter, similar to fast food. That makes it something of a hybrid.

Out to Eat Fast-casual continues to rocket

Top Restaurants

Top Restaurants continued on 40


Top Restaurants


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Carl’s Jr. 1,535 1,313 1,116 197

Whataburger 1,311 728 728 0

Baskin Robbins 1,300 5,700 3,300 2,400

Red Robin 1,275 464 445 19

Church’s Chicken 1,192 1,658 1,215 443

Boston’sThe Gourmet Pizza

1,002 391 45 346

Jimmy John’s 970 1,329 1,329 0

Five Guys 946 946 918 28

Quiznos 935 3,003 2,353 650

Krispy Kreme 915 694 234 460

Hooters 882 405 369 36

Zaxby’s 840 540 540 0

Steak N Shake 800 489 489 0

Bojangles’ Restaurants 769 508 506 2

Culver’s Frozen Custard & Butterburgers

747 444 444 0

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

716 431 415 16

Papa Murphy’s Take ’N’ Bake

702 1,301 1,283 18

Long John Silver’s 700 1,359 1,328 31

Checkers/Rally’s 669 780 779 1

Sbarro the Italian Eatery 642 1,006 373 633

Del Taco 591 532 532 0

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

570 131 117 14

El Pollo Loco 558 394 394 0

Jason’s Deli 540 235 235 0

Qdoba Mexican Grill 528 583 583 0

CiCi’s Pizza 516 547 547 0

Famous Dave’s 492 187 187 0

Top Restaurants continued from 39 Franchise ConceptWorldwide Sales ($M)

Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Cold Stone Creamery 473 1,460 1,086 374

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels 442 1,175 898 277

Captain D’s ‘Seafood Kitchen

435 522 519 3

Jamba Juice 423 769 750 19

Einstein Bros. Bagels 413 626 626 0

Moe’s Southwest Grill 381 453 450 3

Wingstop 379 500 489 11

McAlister’s Deli 367 301 301 0

Pollo Campero 356 337 47 290

Round Table Pizza 350 452 445 7

UNO Chicago Grill 336 150 141 9

Chester’s 324 1,850 1,620 230

Taco John’s 310 416 416 0

A & W All American Food

300 1,123 773 350

Johnny Rockets 300 289 221 68

Noodles & Company 300 284 284 0

Sizzler 298 170 170 0

Firehouse Subs 285 481 481 0

Jersey Mike’s Subs 280 507 507 0

Corner Bakery Café 261 129 129 0

Schlotzsky’s Deli 255 352 337 15

Charley’s Grilled Subs 250 452 394 58

Houlihan’s 245 85 85 0

Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q

243 126 126 0

Fuddruckers 239 178 173 5

The Melting Pot 234 142 138 4

Old Chicago 230 96 96 0

Cinnabon 229 931 493 438

Huddle House Restaurants

227 395 395 0


Home Sweet Home continued from 34heating, ventilation and air-conditioning repairs increases. This could be a boon to the few franchises on our ranking that work in such industries.

The franchises on our ranking are few but successful. Consider No. 162, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, the Sarasota, Florida-based chain of air conditioning servicers. It had an extraordinary year in 2011, with system sales up 17.3 percent, or $52 million. Its unit count grew by 2.6 percent.

No. 126 Linc Network, the Pittsburgh-based network of HVAC contractors, reported 5.3 percent sales growth and is now the No. 126-ranked franchise.

Plumbing problems also led to growth at No. 103, Cincinnati-based Roto-Rooter, whose sales grew 4.1 percent, and No. 189, Mr. Rooter, based in Waco, Texas, which grew 6.9 percent last year.

as the industry consolidated and continued to adjust to a mar-ket that simply isn’t that favorable.

On the bright side, the luxury market flourished. Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates (No. 89), the real estate subsid-iary of the famed London auction house Sotheby’s, had 17.3 percent sales growth last year. Austin, Texas-based Keller Williams (No. 45) reported 9.9 percent sales growth. The top real estate broker on our ranking, ReMax International, based in Denver, also had slight sales growth, 1.7 percent. All of the other real estate concepts’ numbers fell, however.

Home Sales continued from 38


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers

215 119 119 0

Fazoli’s Restaurants 207 218 218 0

Peter Piper Pizza 207 135 90 45

Bruegger’s Bagels 205 301 297 4

Smoothie King 201 607 509 98

Beef ’O’ Brady’s 194 210 210 0

Wolfgang Puck Worldwide

174 73 63 10

Cosi 169 136 132 4

The Original Pancake House

158 116 116 0

Godfather’s Pizza 157 630 630 0

Taco Time 152 292 164 128

Marco’s Pizza 149 278 275 3

Fox’s Pizza Den 148 290 290 0

Pizza Ranch 147 164 164 0

Donatos Pizza 146 156 156 0

Big Boy 142 129 129 0

Blimpie Subs & Salads 137 739 739 0

Togo’s Sandwiches 136 241 241 0

Gatti’s Pizza 135 129 129 0

Pizza Inn 134 291 209 82

Penn Station East Coast Subs

133 239 239 0

Tropical Smoothie Café 132 309 309 0

Mazzio’s Italian Eatery 131 160 160 0

LaRosa’s 129 65 65 0

Quaker Steak & Lube 129 47 47 0

Villa Pizza/Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen

121 247 217 30

Western Sizzlin 119 94 94 0

Hot Stuff Foods 118 857 857 0

Smashburger 115 142 142 0


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

Sirloin Stockade 110 56 29 27

Rita’s Italian Ice 109 551 551 0

Nathan’s Famous 103 302 278 24

Great Harvest Bread Co. 102 231 231 0

Yogurtland 101 169 143 26

Genghis Grill - The Mongolian Stir Fry

100 90 90 0

Carvel Ice Cream 99 404 366 38

Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt

96 147 138 9

Top Restaurants


Top Retail

A franchise system is only as good as its poorest performing units. This explains why Wireless Zone spent last year trying to boost its worst performing locations.

“We’re making them become better, or unfortunately they’re going away,” said Kevin Sinclair, CEO of the Wethersfield, Connecticut-based chain. “That’s just life in franchising. You always have to make your best or your worst better. If your worst store is 10 percent better than your worst store last year, then you’ve moved your whole system forward.”

For Wireless Zone, that focus has helped the company’s sales increase 2.3 percent last year, a modest increase that was never-theless good enough for the company to surge 19 spots on our ranking, to No. 132.

But that’s just the sort of year it’s been for retailers on our Top 200. Most of them performed quite well last year, thanks to international growth, or to a simple boost in business.

The sector is led by 7-Eleven, the Dallas-based, Japanese-owned convenience store chain that is the second largest franchise in the world, and could very well become the largest before long if current trends continue. In spite of its size—it has nearly 44,000 units, by far the most locations of any system—it still managed to increase sales by 21.6 percent.

Consider this: The $13.6 billion in sales the venerable chain added last year would have been enough to be No. 6 on our ranking. In other words, 7-Eleven added a system the size of Pizza Hut last year. Much of 7-Eleven’s success is due to its suc-cess in Asia, particularly Japan, where convenience stores are hugely popular.

To wit: No. 72 ampm, a subsidiary of the British oil giant BP, fell 41 spots, and its sales fell 62.3 percent, after it sold off its Japan unit. Asia is a big deal to convenience store chains.

But it wasn’t the only retailer to enjoy success last year. No. 181, Minneapolis-based Plato’s Closet, moved up 10 spots on our ranking thanks to its 24.1 percent sales growth, as the chain continues to benefit from a post-recessionary environment in which consumers favor its low-cost, used clothing.

Last year, the satirical publication, The Onion, wrote a piece with the headline, “Continued Existence Of Edible Arrangements Disproves Central Tenets Of Capitalism.” Yet the Wallingford, Connecticut-based company had the last laugh: Its sales grew 11.1 percent, unit count grew 8.3 percent, and the company moved up seven spots on our ranking to No. 143.

Retail Therapy7-Eleven may get to No. 1 spot

Top Retail


Total Units

Domestic Units

Foreign Units

7-Eleven 76,600 43,912 6,497 37,415

Ace Hardware 12,500 4,429 4,072 357

Circle K Convenience Stores

11,807 7,452 3,506 3,946

GNC 2,619 5,560 3,971 1,589

Aaron’s 2,024 1,873 1,830 43

AMPM 1,289 2,352 1,151 1,201

Snap-On Tools 1,155 4,726 3,411 1,315

Pet Supplies “Plus” 586 258 258 0

Wireless Zone 487 435 435 0

Edible Arrangements 428 989 896 93

Slumberland Furniture 371 123 123 0

Batteries Plus 363 500 500 0

Matco Tools 312 1,467 1,423 44

Plato’s Closet 299 324 320 4

Play It Again Sports 241 325 288 37

Budget Blinds 235 933 814 119

The HoneyBaked Ham Co. and Café

198 444 444 0

Once Upon A Child 195 247 222 25

Petland 167 134 86 48

ColorTyme 162 216 216 0

Granite Transformations 149 166 86 80

Hobbytown USA 137 160 160 0

Wild Birds Unlimited 124 275 260 15

Interstate All Battery Center

120 240 231 9


Alphabetical Listing

Franchise ConceptWorldwide Sales Rank

7-Eleven 2

A & W All American Food

177

AAMCO Transmissions 138

Aaron’s 53

Ace Hardware 7

AlphaGraphics 184

AMPM 72

Anytime Fitness 159

Applebee’s 24

Arby’s 34

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels 140

Baskin Robbins 71

Batteries Plus 160

Big O Tires 101

Bojangles’ Restaurants 97

Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza

80

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar

52

Burger King 5

Candlewood Suites 134

Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen

142

Carl’s Jr. 66

CARSTAR 113

Century 21 Real Estate 28

Charley’s Grilled Subs 196

Checkers/Rally’s 108

Chester’s 172

Chick-Fil-A 27

Chili’s Grill & Bar 25

Church’s Chicken 76

CiCi’s Pizza 127

Circle K Convenience Stores

9

AlphabeticalFranchise Concept

Worldwide Sales Rank

Clarion Hotels 112

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (The)

128

Cold Stone Creamery 136

Coldwell Banker Real Estate

29

Comfort Inn & Suites 32

Comfort Keepers 163

Corner Bakery Café 192

Country Inn & Suites 98

Courtyard 30

Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System

165

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

37

Culver’s Frozen Custard & Butterburgers

99

Curves 79

Dairy Queen 36

Days Inn 64

Del Taco 115

Denny’s 47

Disaster Kleenup International

78

Domino’s Pizza 15

Doubletree by Hilton 57

Dunkin’ Donuts 18

Econo Lodge 131

Edible Arrangements 143

Einstein Bros. Bagels 148

El Pollo Loco 120

Embassy Suites 58

ERA Real Estate 114

Express Employment Professionals

49

Fairfield Inn 74

Famous Dave’s 130

Fantastic Sams Hair Salons

139


FastSigns 178

Firehouse Subs 185

Five Guys 83

Four Points Sheraton 106

G.J.Gardner Homes 135

GNC 43

Goddard School (The) 137

Gold’s Gym 81

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

62

Great Clips 90

H&R Block Tax Services 22

Hampton Inn & Suites 23

Hardee’s 51

Health Mart 14

Hertz 8

Hilton Garden Inn 55

Hilton Hotels & Resorts 13

Holiday Inn Express 26

Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts

20

Home Instead Senior Care

95

Homewood Suites by Hilton

86

Hooters 88

Houlihan’s 197

Howard Johnson 129

Hyatt 21

IHOP Restaurant 40

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

42

Interim HealthCare 100

J.D. Byrider 96

Jack In The Box 35

Jamba Juice 147

JAN-PRO 194


Jani-King 107

Jason’s Deli 122

Jenny Craig 118

Jersey Mike’s Subs 186

Jiffy Lube 69

Jimmy John’s 82

Johnny Rockets 179

Keller Williams Realty 45

KFC 3

Krispy Kreme 87

La Quinta Inn & Suites 65

Liberty Tax Service 171

Linc Network 126

Little Caesar’s 54

Long John Silver’s 105

MAACO Collision Repair & Auto Painting

141

Marriott Hotels, Resorts & Suites

11

Massage Envy 92

Matco Tools 174

McAlister’s Deli 157

McDonald’s 1

Meineke Car Care Centers

133

Microtel Inn & Suites 195

Midas 67

Minuteman Press 145

Moe’s Southwest Grill 152

Motel 6 85

Mr. Rooter 189

Noodles & Company 180

One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

162

Alphabetical Listing continued on 44


toward its buffet. For years, the company only had buffets at lunch, but then its largest-volume restaurant at the time was so busy it had little choice but to shift to a buffet at lunch and dinner. That move went so well that, within three years, the company shifted more than 90 percent of its stores to the same model.

“On the inside, there was a lot of very heated discussion about it,” Moss said. “Do we really want to be in the buffet business? Look at the buffet landscape.” Yet he says the com-pany wouldn’t be in the position it is today if it hadn’t made that move. The buffet works, Moss said, because the chain has a “tight offering,” with just chicken and pizza and the oppor-tunity to bring custom pizzas to the buffet.

The shift to a buffet wasn’t the only move that helped Pizza Ranch shift its growth into high gear. Five years ago, the brand changed its store design and its logo, updating the exteriors on most of its stores.

It also reduced employee turnover, introducing incentive pro-grams for managers and employees. And for the past four years it has taken managers on an all-inclusive trip to a tropical des-tination—not bad for a chain with locations in such spots as Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.

“By really trying to take care of our managers, and our fran-chisees’ managers, we’ve seen our manager turnover go down, and hourly turnover go down,” Moss said.

Alphabetical Listing


Panera Bread 33

Papa John’s 46

Papa Murphy’s Take ’N’ Bake

104

Paul Davis Restoration 121

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

102

Pet Supplies “Plus” 116

Pizza Hut 6

Planet Fitness 125

Plato’s Closet 181

Play It Again Sports 200

Pollo Campero 161

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

56

Primrose Schools 167

ProForma 150

Prudential Real Estate 41

Qdoba Mexican Grill 123

Quality Inn & Suites 63


Quiznos 84

Radisson Hotels 38

Ramada 61

RE/MAX 16

Red Robin 73

Red Roof Inn 154

Renaissance 50

Residence Inn 48

Results! Travel 183

Roto-Rooter 103

Round Table Pizza 164

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 119

Sbarro the Italian Eatery 111

Schlotzsky’s Deli 193

ServiceMaster Clean 59

SERVPRO 75

Sheraton 19

SIGNARAMA 166

Sir Speedy Printing & Marketing Services

156

Sizzler 182


Sleep Inn & Suites 149

Slumberland Furniture 155

Snap Fitness 170

Snap-On Tools 77

Snelling 188

Sonic, America’s Drive-In

31

Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q 199

Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates

89

Spherion Staffing 173

Sport Clips 198

Springhill Suites 94

Stanley Steemer 144

Staybridge Suites 124

Steak N Shake 93

Subway 4

Super 8 68

SuperCuts 109

Sylvan Learning Centers 187

T.G.I. Friday’s 44

Taco Bell 12

Alphabetical Listing continued from 44


Taco John’s 175

The UPS Store/ Mail Boxes Etc.

60

Tim Hortons 17

Towneplace Suites 146

Travel Leaders 176

Travelodge 158

Tuffy/Car-X 191

Unishippers 168

UNO Chicago Grill 169

Valpak Direct Marketing 151


117

Wendy’s 10

Westin 39

Whataburger 70

Wingate by Wyndham 190

Wingstop 153

Wireless Zone 132

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

110

Zaxby’s 91

• Themostsuccessfulfranchiseownerswillrevealtheirwinninggrowthstrategies

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Pizza Ranch continued from 23

• Themostsuccessfulfranchiseownerswillrevealtheirwinninggrowthstrategies

• Don’tmisstheopportunitytonetworkwithlenders,investors,andotherimportantfinancialplaymakersattheconference

HoldtheDate!

Youneedtoknowtheplaybookof

themostsuccessfulfranchisecompanies!

April23-25,2013FourSeASonS•lASVegAS


Notes

To find out how you can arm your prospective franchisees with the information they need to make an informed decision to join your system, call 800-528-3296.

Julie Bennett has been writing about franchising for a number of publications, including Franchise Times and The Wall Street Journal. Franchise Times is the publication both franchisees and franchisors turn to for insights and information on business-format franchising and the success stories of the high-power people who make up the franchise community.

www.franchisetimes.com

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