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The 10 biggest full-service Midscale restaurants in the U.S.The 10 biggest full-service Midscale restaurants in the U.S.

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

August 29, 2023

10 Slides
Bob Evans top Midscale restaurant chains

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Every year, Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential partner to present The Top 500, the definitive sales ranking of restaurants in America.

One element of this data is restaurant segment, meaning each can be broken down by systemwide domestic sales, units, and estimated sales per unit. NRN has been analyzing the Top 10 restaurant chains in each segment by sales, and today we’re talking about full-service Midscale chains.

These 10 chains, out of 36 on the full Top 500, all saw systemwide sales growth, some as high as 27.8%. Only half, however, saw unit growth last year, with the other five closing net units in 2022. But all 10 managed to grow estimated sales per unit.

Of these 10 chains, only one is new to the list since last year: Village Inn. That restaurant’s parent company filed bankruptcy in January 2020 but has since found its stride, with the brand opening 24 net units last year and growing systemwide sales by 27.8%.

Closer to the top of the list, the No. 2 and No. 3 chains swapped places from last year.

Click through the gallery to see the 10 biggest full-service Midscale restaurants in America.

About the Author

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Managing Editor

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director.  Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.

Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. 

Email Leigh Anne at [email protected] 

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: 

  • Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)

  • Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)

  • Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)

  • Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)

  • Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)

  • Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)

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