This story is part of NRN’s Top 100 special report, a proprietary census ranking the foodservice industry’s largest restaurant chains and companies by sales and unit data, among other metrics.
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Applebee's is the largest Casual Dining chain, with $4.5 billion in U.S. systemwide sales.
While casual dining has endured its share of sluggish growth during and after the recession, it remains a full-service powerhouse in the industry.
Total U.S. systemwide sales for the 27 Casual-Dining chains in this year’s Top 100 rose 3.4 percent to $36.7 billion from $35.5 billion in the Preceding Year.
But despite that modest increase, casual-dining sales growth has continued to trail that of the upscale and fast-casual categories over the past three years, according to Wally Doolin, chairman and founder of the Dallas-based Black Box Intelligence analytics firm.
“One of the things you have to remember about casual dining is that it’s a huge market,” Doolin said. “A difference of a few points in comp sales doesn’t tell you a whole l...
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