---
title: "Albuquerque Business First: Papa Murphy's Targets Albuquerque For Growth"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/0882d9a3-a2a3-4ea0-b108-fbc540f2e186
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/albuquerque-business-first-papa-murphys-targets-albuquerque-for-growth-5933
category: "Pizza"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Pizza"
published: 2016-09-23T20:15:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:15:37.203Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/a369baae47b6545f7ff4c8b0c3de22d06928160923133048.jpg
---

# Albuquerque Business First: Papa Murphy's Targets Albuquerque For Growth

**TL;DR:** Papa Murphy's is targeting Albuquerque for growth, aiming to expand its presence in the market over the next three years. The QSR 50 report highlights the industry's resilience despite cautious consumer spending and intense competition.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-09-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/albuquerque-business-first-papa-murphys-targets-albuquerque-for-growth-5933).*

## Story

QSR Magazine recently released its 2026 QSR 50 report, painting a picture of an industry that remains impressively resilient despite cautious consumer spending and intense competition.

- Across the rankings, AI has evolved from experimentation into real operational deployment
- Loyalty programs have become increasingly sophisticated
- Beverages have emerged as one of the industry's fastest-growing profit centers
- Brands are placing greater emphasis on sustainable unit economics than simply opening more restaurants

McDonald's maintained its No. 1 position by pairing aggressive value offerings with a renewed beverage strategy, while accelerating unit development as well.

- Chick-fil-A has continued delivering extraordinary average unit volumes while steadily expanding its footprint
- Taco Bell remained one of the industry's strongest performers through a combination of value, menu innovation, entertainment-driven marketing, beverage growth and digital engagement

Many brands lower on the list illustrated that even iconic restaurant chains are willing to fundamentally rethink their business models when performance weakens. Wendy's, Burger King, Panera, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and others all launched significant turnaround initiatives centered on simplifying operations, improving execution, investing in AI, strengthening franchisee economics and refining customer value propositions.

The biggest lesson for franchising extends well beyond restaurants: the brands winning in 2026 are those that make franchisee economics the foundation of growth rather than an afterthought. Growth is increasingly being driven by repeat customers, operational consistency and scalable systems rather than rapid expansion alone.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- McDonald's (company)
- Taco Bell (company)
- Wendy's (company)
- Burger King (company)
- growth strategy (topic)
- Pizza Hut (company)
- Papa Johns (company)
- Chick-fil-A (company)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/albuquerque-business-first-papa-murphys-targets-albuquerque-for-growth-5933). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/0882d9a3-a2a3-4ea0-b108-fbc540f2e186).