--- title: "2024 Mega 99: Rising Trends in Multi-Unit Franchising" url: https://burnaze.com/article/296cc72b-8993-4b66-99e0-4c0364aa35ad source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/2024_mega_99_rising_trends_in_multiunit_franchising.html author: "Christina Niu" category: "Franchise Industry" industry: "Franchise Industry" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2024-03-16T08:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T19:55:20.106Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/8312_plate.jpg --- # 2024 Mega 99: Rising Trends in Multi-Unit Franchising **TL;DR:** Multi-unit operators control over 50% of all franchised units in the US, with a significant share in various sectors, according to the 2024 Mega 99 report. The number of multi-unit operators with more than 50 units has surged by 112.3% since 2019. *By Christina Niu, originally published in Franchising.com on 2024-03-16. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/2024_mega_99_rising_trends_in_multiunit_franchising.html).* ## Key facts - MUOs control over 50% of franchised units - 112.3% surge in MUO franchisees with over 50 units since 2019 - MUOs dominate 82% of QSR units, 71.5% of beauty-related franchises ## Story ## Multi Unit Ownership With more than 420,000 franchised units owned by 234,000 franchisees in the system, multi-unit operators (MUOs) are shaping franchising’s future. Notably, MUOs in the U.S. control more than 50% of all franchised units, marking a substantial shift in the franchising paradigm. According to our latest data, the number of MUO franchisees with more than 50 units has surged by an impressive 112.3% since 2019 with certain sectors exhibiting even higher concentrations. MUOs hold a significant share in various sectors, dominating 82% of QSR units, 71.5% of beauty-related franchises, and 72% of sit-down restaurants across the U.S. ## Lending Trends In 2024, large multi-unit ownership and consolidation will continue to gain traction. One key driver of this trend is the positive perception of multi-unit franchise operators by the lending community. There have been significant changes in the eligibility and application process for Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. In addition, repayments and refinancing out of SBA loans negatively affect secondary market premiums, reducing the amount of capital an SBA department has to lend. These factors are pushing lenders to target high-quality borrowers. Interest rates may remain unchanged longer than anticipated because the Federal Reserve isn’t expected to make cuts until later this year. This further emphasizes the need for borrowers to be financially well equipped as business loans become less affordable. Another prominent trend is mid-to-large-sized multi-unit owners acquiring brands outside of their typical industry. For example, seasoned QSR franchisees, known for their successes with brands like Papa Johns and Qdoba Mexican Grill, are targeting Phoenix, Arizona, with a multi-unit franchise agreement with GLO30, a skincare franchise concept. ## Growth Strategies Our analysis of Dunkin’ franchisees shows that 14% own another franchise brand, and those brands range from oil change concepts to optometry and health clinics. In addition, multi-unit franchisees are actively exploring diverse strategies to fuel growth, and one approach gaining momentum involves considering alternative locations, like airports and travel centers. Nontraditional locations present opportunities for franchisees to adopt various business formats, catering to emerging trends and consumer preferences. It allows them to broaden customer outreach and operate with lower overhead costs, promoting efficiencies. Franchisees from well-known brands, such as Arby’s, Taco John’s, Wendy’s, Bojangles, McDonald's, and others, are successfully expanding their footprints this way. The trends in multi-unit franchising reflect a dynamic industry responding to economic shifts, regulatory changes, and entrepreneurial ambitions. As the landscape evolves, adaptability and strategic decision-making will be pivotal for stakeholders navigating 2024. ***Christina Niu** is director of research at FRANdata.* 2024 MEGA 99 RANKINGS RANK COMPANY UNITS BRANDS 1 FLYNN GROUP 2,709 Pizza Hut, Applebee’s, Arby’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Panera Bread, Planet Fitness 2 SUN HOLDINGS 1,755 Arby’s, Popeyes, Burger King, Applebee’s, Papa Johns, GNC Live Well, McAlister’s Deli, IHOP, Golden Corral, T-Mobile, Taco Bueno, Rodeo Bar, Cantina Laredo, Papi’s Caribbean Grill 3 THE DHANANI GROUP 1,493 Burger King, Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’, La Madeleine, Baskin-Robbins 4 KBP BRANDS 1,107 KFC, Taco Bell, Arby’s 5 CARROLS RESTAURANT GROUP 1,092 Burger King, Popeyes 6 TARGET 831 Pizza Hut 7 LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS & COUNTRY STORES 717 Subway, Godfather’s Pizza, Chester’s, Arby’s, Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. , Taco John’s, Sleep Inn by Choice Hotels, Holiday Inn, Fairfield by Marriott, Dunkin’, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, DQ Treat, Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill, Bojangles, Best Western Hotels & Resorts, MainStay Suites Extended Stay by Choice Hotels, Jet’s Pizza, Bimbo Foods Bakeries Distribution, Hampton Inn by Hilton 8 PILOT COMPANY 686 Subway, Cinnabon, Dunkin’, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Taco Bell, DQ Treat, Auntie Anne’s, Pizza Hut, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Comfort, Chester’s, Little Caesars, KFC, IHOP 9 HAZA GROUP 538 Wendy’s, Taco Bell 10 SIZZLING PLATTER 523 Little Caesars, Jamba, Wingstop, Dunkin’, Sizzler, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 11 TEAM CAR CARE 509 Jiffy Lube 12 ARAMARK 503 Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Subway, Panda Express, Dunkin’, Oath Pizza, Which Wich, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Steak ’n Shake, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Jamba, Papa Johns, Freshii, Raising Cane’s, Taco Bell, Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop, Panera Bread, Mooyah, Tim Hortons, Auntie Anne’s, Village Juice Co., PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, Caribou Coffee, Quiznos, McAlister’s Deli, Chili’s, Paciugo Gelato & Caffe, BurgerFi, La Madeleine, Extreme Pita, Pizza Hut, Rusty Taco, Baja Fresh, Wendy’s, Denny’s, Smashburger, Jersey Mike’s Subs 13 GPS HOSPITALITY 501 Burger King, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Days Inn by Wyndham 14 ARMY & AIR FORCE EXCHANGE SERVICES 481 Subway, Burger King, Charleys, Popeyes, Arby’s, Taco Bell, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin’, Rice King, Wing Zone, Regal Nails Salon & Spa, Slim Chickens, Pizza Hut, Taco John’s 15 CMG COMPANIES 458 KFC, Sonic, Rent-A-Center, Taco Bell, Little Caesars, Ace Hardware 16 CHARTER FOODS 440 Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W 17 AMPLER GROUP 434 Burger King, Little Caesars, Church’s Texas Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut 18 SUMMIT RESTAURANT GROUP 409 IHOP, Applebee’s, Sonny’s BBQ 19 PACIFIC BELLS 395 Taco Bell, Buffalo Wild Wings, KFC 20 WKS RESTAURANT GROUP 381 Wendy’s, Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Blaze Pizza 21 HARMAN MANAGEMENT CORPORATION 379 KFC, A&W, Taco Bell, Long John Silver’s 22 AMPEX BRANDS 367 KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s, Taco Bell, A&W 23 JIB MANAGEMENT (YADAV ENTERPRISES) 357 Jack in the Box, Denny’s, TGI Fridays, El Pollo Loco, Sizzler, Super 8 by Wyndham, Quality by Choice Hotels 24 TACALA 348 Taco Bell 25 ALLINE SALON GROUP 347 Supercuts, Cost Cutters Family Hair Salon 26 ROTTINGHAUS COMPANY 346 Subway 27 QUALITY RESTAURANT GROUP 342 Pizza Hut, Sonic, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Arby’s 28 TASTY RESTAURANT GROUP 338 Pizza Hut, KFC, Burger King, Taco Bell, Baskin-Robbins 29 MERITAGE HOSPITALITY GROUP 337 Wendy’s 30 FRASIER ENTERPRISES 336 Miracle-Ear 31 HEARTLAND RESTAURANT GROUP 331 Hardee’s, Dunkin’ 32 K-MAC ENTERPRISES 327 Taco Bell, KFC 33 DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT GROUP 315 Taco Bell, Arby’s 34 COMPASS GROUP USA 303 Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Papa Johns, Panda Express, Dunkin’, Subway, Pizza Hut, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Jamba, Steak ’n Shake, PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Wendy’s, Caribou Coffee, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Tim Hortons, Which Wich, Chili’s, Slim Chickens, Freshii, Taco Bell, Bojangles, Sbarro, Pita Pit, Smashburger, Firehouse Subs, KFC, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, illy Caffe, Auntie Anne’s, The Habit Burger Grill, Panera Bread, MOD Pizza, Burger King, Baja Fresh, Quiznos, Baskin-Robbins, Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop, Blimpie, Planet Smoothie, Popeyes, Pinkberry 34 BODDIE-NOELL ENT 303 Hardee’s 36 DESERT DE ORO FOODS 302 Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC 37 SODEXO 300 Chick-fil-A, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Subway, Dunkin’, Pizza Hut, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Jamba, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Steak ’n Shake, Taco Bell, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop, Freshii, PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans, Baskin-Robbins, Panera Bread, McAlister’s Deli, Papa Johns, Blaze Pizza, Baja Fresh, The Habit Burger Grill, Burger King, Auntie Anne’s, Firehouse Subs, Denny’s, NrGize Lifestyle Cafe, Which Wich, Godfather’s Pizza, Sbarro, Mrs. Fields, DQ Treat, Barry Bagels, Gold Star Chili 37 MASON-HARRISON-RATLIFF ENTERPRISES 300 Sonic 39 LUIHN VANTEDGE PARTNERS 290 Taco Bell, Dunkin’, KFC, Take 5 Oil Change Center, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut 40 PURPLE ROCK INVESTMENT COMPANY 286 Dunkin’, Rent-A-Center, Popeyes, RimTyme, Baskin-Robbins, Take 5 Oil Change Center, American Family Care, The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar 41 G & M OIL 285 Chevron, ExtraMile 41 FEAST ENTERPRISES 285 Jack in the Box, Denny’s, Popeyes 43 THE COVELLI FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP 283 Panera Bread, DQ Grill & Chill, O’Charley’s, DQ Treat, Oath Pizza 44 EYM GROUP 272 Pizza Hut, Denny’s, KFC, Panera Bread, Taco Bell 45 AMERICAN WEST RESTAURANT GROUP 270 Pizza Hut 46 DL ROGERS CORP 269 Sonic 47 GS DALLAS GROUP 266 Wingstop, Subway, European Wax Center, Fajita Pete’s 48 HMS HOST 260 Burger King, Sbarro, Chili’s, Roy Rogers, Quiznos, Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Nathan’s Famous, Auntie Anne’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Pizza Hut, Cinnabon, Smashburger, Dunkin’, Panda Express, La Madeleine, Firehouse Subs, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Einstein Bros. Bagels, TCBY, Blaze Pizza, The Counter, Kelly’s Cajun Grill, Carl’s Jr., On The Border, Baja Fresh, BurgerFi, Paciugo Gelato & Caffe, Great Steak, Steak ’n Shake, Jersey Mike’s Subs, TGI Fridays, Blimpie, Wingstop, Cold Stone Creamery, Maggiano’s Little Italy 49 MANNA 259 Wendy’s, Blaze Pizza 50 FUGATE ENTERPRISES 254 Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Sonic 51 TA OPERATING 248 Popeyes, Taco Bell, Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, Dunkin’, Arby’s, Charleys, Fazoli’s, Black Bear Diner, Wendy’s, A&W, Baskin-Robbins, IHOP, Carl’s Jr. , Tim Hortons, TacoTime, Jamba, DQ Treat, Super 8 by Wyndham, KFC 52 FOURTEEN FOODS 241 DQ Grill & Chill, DQ Treat 53 BANDON HOLDINGS 226 Anytime Fitness 54 ADT PIZZA 223 Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Sonic, Little Caesars 55 APPLE HOSPITALITY REIT 218 Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn by Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Residence Inn by Marriott, Home2 Suites by Hilton, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House 56 BORDER FOODS 217 Taco Bell 56 PREMIER KINGS 217 Burger King, Popeyes 58 AKASH MANAGEMENT 216 Carl’s Jr. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Franchise Industry (sector) - McDonald's (company) - Wendy's (company) - Dunkin' Brands (company) - Papa Johns (company) - Arby's (company) - multi-unit ownership (topic) - FRANdata (company) - Taco John's (company) - Bojangles (company) - Qdoba (company) --- Originally reported by Christina Niu, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/2024_mega_99_rising_trends_in_multiunit_franchising.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/296cc72b-8993-4b66-99e0-4c0364aa35ad).