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The 10 biggest full-service restaurants in the U.S. serving regional foodsThe 10 biggest full-service restaurants in the U.S. serving regional foods

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

September 5, 2023

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Sonnys BBQ

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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 chains that serve food from specific regions.

These 10 chains, out of 31 in the segment on the full Top 500, all saw systemwide sales growth in 2022 — some as high as 26.8% — and growth in estimated sales per unit, with two hitting 18.7% growth. All but four of these chains saw net unit growth, and two of those four came out even with the prior year.

Of these chains, only one is new to the list since last year: Gyu-Kaku Japanese Bbq. That company just eked past The Melting Pot, which did see systemwide sales growth last year as well. The chains on this list come from Asian segments as well as Brazilian, Mexican and BBQ.  

Click through the gallery to see the 10 biggest full-service restaurants in America serving regional foods.

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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