NRN takes a look at 20 restaurant chains best positioned to crack the Top 200 — and what they’re doing to get there. Related: 2016 Next 20: Young chains bring new energy Gallery: Meet the Next 20 2016 Next 20 sales and unit trend data See the methodology behind the 2016 Next 20
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It was a good year for pizza in the 2016 Next 20 class, with eight of the 20 up-and-coming concepts focusing their menus on made-to-order pies.
But the four traditional pizza players — Monical’s Pizza, Pizza Factory, Vocelli Pizza and Russo’s New York Pizzeria/Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen — could not hold a candle to the growth shown by the four fast-casual pizza players in this year’s Next 20.
In the crowded world of fast-casual pizza, several brands have been racing to claim national domination of the hot niche. Four of those players are leading the sales growth rankings in the Latest Year, cementing their place as the leading national brands.
Topping the growth chart is MOD Pizza, based in Bellevue, Wash., which grew sales 221 percent in the Latest Year, to $64.8 million. MOD Pizza also had the highest growth in unit count, ending the Latest Year with 92 domestic locations, mostly company owned, rising 197 percent compared with the Preceding Year.
Not far behind in growth rate, but ahead in overall sales, was competitor Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, based in Pasadena, Calif. The chain was founded in 2012, and topped $101 million in domestic sales in the Latest Year, a 206-percent increase.
The mostly franchised Blaze Pizza is the largest of the fast-casual pizza chains, ending the Latest Year with 105 units, a 110-percent increase over the Preceding Year. Blaze Pizza had the highest estimated sales per unit among the four fast-casual pizza brands — $1.3 million — which was an increase of more than 18 percent.
Pie Five Pizza Co., The Colony, Texas-based sister brand to the full-service Pizza Inn chain, ranked third in domestic systemwide sales growth, rising 117 percent, to $55 million in the Latest Year. The chain’s estimated sales per unit of $765,000 increased nearly 12 percent.
Pieology, based in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., fell close behind Blaze Pizza, with estimated sales per unit of $1.2 million. But that was actually a 23-percent decline from the Preceding Year. Still, overall domestic sales of $74.6 million rose 67 percent over the Preceding Year.
Pieology also ranked third in terms of unit count, ending the Latest Year with 78 locations, rising 85 percent.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout
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