--- title: "2021 Dominators" url: https://burnaze.com/article/58cbd7d0-e9c8-40bc-9546-f5cac9f4a764 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/articles/2021_dominators.html author: "Multi-Unit Franchisee" category: "Franchisors" industry: "Franchise Industry" segment: "Franchisors" topics: ["Development & multi-unit"] published: 2022-01-08T08:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T01:11:27.899Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/art/articles/6484_plate.jpg --- # 2021 Dominators **TL;DR:** Multi-unit and multi-brand operators continue to grow through acquisitions, new unit build-outs, refranchising, and scooping up successful units from retiring franchisees. The 2021 Dominators list highlights the largest franchisees by state and region. *By Multi-Unit Franchisee, originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-01-08. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/articles/2021_dominators.html).* ## Story Multi-unit and multi-brand operators continue to grow—and they’re getting bigger every year as these “dominators” grow their portfolios through acquisitions, new unit build-outs, refranchising, and scooping up successful units from retiring franchisees. This trend has only accelerated during Covid-19 as smaller and weaker operators sell to larger and stronger ones. That’s why we have to provide an “asterisk” to the rankings again this year: they were compiled from FDDs created before and during the pandemic—and thus are *not* as representative as in the past as franchisees both large and small divest units, file for Chapter 11 protection, no longer exist (NPC International), or simply decide it’s time to retire or get out of the business. On the upside, there are franchisees and brands that quickly adapted, were deemed “essential,” or whose business model accommodated the new normal (drive-thru, delivery, carryout, no contact, etc.) Banking on their good credit, solid infrastructure, and proven track record, these dominators are moving forward and creating historically large franchisee organizations that are changing the face of franchising. Even during these pandemic times, they are still creating jobs by the thousands, hiring young employees and providing a career path for them to grow. They do business with local suppliers—lots of them! And they give back to their communities on a wide scale, encouraging their employees to support local organizations and charities—especially now. No franchisee gets to the top without years of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, and an unwavering desire to be the best. So congratulations to this year’s Dominators! LARGEST FRANCHISEES BY STATE **STATE (and D.C.) ** **LARGEST FRANCHISEE** **UNITS** ALABAMA TACALA 109 ALASKA MICHAEL DAVIDSON; SUBWAY DEVELOPMENT OF ALASKA (tie) 21 ARIZONA DESERT DE ORO FOODS 171 ARKANSAS K-MAC ENTERPRISES 91 CALIFORNIA G&M OIL CO 296 COLORADO FLYNN RESTAURANT GROUP 92 CONNECTICUT WENDPARTNERS FRANCHISE GROUP 44 D.C. TEAM WASHINGTON 9 DELAWARE MICHAEL A MEOLI 16 FLORIDA NPC INTERNATIONAL 178 GEORGIA GPS HOSPITALITY 101 HAWAII KAZI MANAGEMENT 37 IDAHO NPC INTERNATIONAL 30 ILLINOIS DHANANI GROUP 204 INDIANA CARROLS GROUP 89 IOWA MERCHANT INVESTMENTS 40 KANSAS ROTTINGHAUS 150 KENTUCKY FOURTEEN FOODS 63 LOUISIANA GPS HOSPITALITY 120 MAINE FQSR (DBA KBP FOODS) 27 MARYLAND NPC INTERNATIONAL 97 MASSACHUSETTS HK ENTERPRISES 77 MICHIGAN VISION GROWTH PARTNERS/SUPER C GROUP 69 MINNESOTA BORDER FOODS 84 MISSISSIPPI NPC INTERNATIONAL 131 MISSOURI FLYNN RESTAURANT GROUP 125 MONTANA MERIDIAN RESTAURANTS 21 NEBRASKA DHANANI GROUP 39 NEVADA TERRIBLE HERBST 85 NEW HAMPSHIRE PETER NAPOLI 32 NEW JERSEY BRIAD RESTAURANT GROUP 58 NEW MEXICO BOBBY MERRITT 69 NEW YORK METRO FRANCHISING COMMISSARY 140 NORTH CAROLINA CARROLS GROUP 150 NORTH DAKOTA HOLLAND INVESTMENT GROUP 21 OHIO CARROLS GROUP 116 OKLAHOMA LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS & COUNTRY STORES 101 OREGON AMBROSIA QSR OREGON 56 PENNSYLVANIA CHARTER FOODS 72 RHODE ISLAND THE JAN COMPANIES 24 SOUTH CAROLINA CAROLINA RESTAURANT GROUP 53 SOUTH DAKOTA CAVE ENTERPRISES OPERATIONS 23 TENNESSEE SW DEVELOPMENT OF EAST TN 93 TEXAS SUN HOLDINGS 481 UTAH SIZZLING PLATTER 62 VERMONT VERMONT DONUT ENTERPRISES 15 VIRGINIA BODDIE-NOELL ENTERPRISES 178 WASHINGTON EMERALD CITY PIZZA 89 WEST VIRGINIA LITTLE GENERAL STORE 47 WISCONSIN CAVE ENTERPRISES OPERATIONS 93 WYOMING GRAND MERE CAPITAL 20 ENTIRE U. , Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) **MSA** **FRANCHISED UNITS** LOS ANGELES-RIVERSIDE-ORANGE COUNTY, CA 18,463 NEW YORK-NORTHERN NEW JERSEY-LONG ISLAND, NY-NJ-CT-PA 18,185 CHICAGO-GARY-KENOSHA, IL-IN-WI 11,226 WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE, DC-MD-VA-WV 10,476 DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TX 10,311 HOUSTON-GALVESTON-BRAZORIA, TX 8,991 ATLANTA, GA 8,426 SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND-SAN JOSE, CA 7,637 BOSTON-WORCESTER-LAWRENCE, MA-NH-ME-CT 7,237 PHILADELPHIA-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6,654 DETROIT-ANN ARBOR-FLINT, MI 6,315 PHOENIX-MESA, AZ 5,897 SEATTLE-TACOMA-BREMERTON, WA 4,918 DENVER-BOULDER-GREELEY, CO 4,675 MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL, MN-WI 4,615 MIAMI-FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 4,486 TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER, FL 4,260 SAN DIEGO, CA 3,808 ST. LOUIS, MO-IL 3,694 CHARLOTTE-GASTONIA-ROCK HILL, NC-SC 3,675 ORLANDO, FL 3,476 CLEVELAND-AKRON, OH 3,274 PORTLAND-SALEM, OR-WA 3,228 LAS VEGAS, NV-AZ 3,042 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 3,018 CINCINNATI-HAMILTON, OH-KY-IN 3,005 SAN ANTONIO, TX 2,964 RALEIGH-DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL, NC 2,919 AUSTIN-SAN MARCOS, TX 2,917 KANSAS CITY, MO-KS 2,869 SACRAMENTO-YOLO, CA 2,865 NASHVILLE, TN 2,812 NORFOLK-VIRGINIA BEACH-NEWPORT NEWS, VA-NC 2,682 PITTSBURGH, PA 2,623 COLUMBUS, OH 2,520 MILWAUKEE-RACINE, WI 2,347 JACKSONVILLE, FL 2,239 SALT LAKE CITY-OGDEN, UT 2,098 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 2,022 WEST PALM BEACH-BOCA RATON, FL 1,909 RICHMOND-PETERSBURG, VA 1,853 HARTFORD, CT 1,814 GREENSBORO-WINSTON-SALEM-HIGH POINT, NC 1,794 GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-ANDERSON, SC 1,769 LOUISVILLE, KY-IN 1,658 MEMPHIS, TN-AR-MS 1,597 NEW ORLEANS, LA 1,590 KNOXVILLE, TN 1,506 GRAND RAPIDS-MUSKEGON-HOLLAND, MI 1,488 BIRMINGHAM, AL 1,428 OMAHA, NE-IA 1,413 TULSA, OK 1,280 CHARLESTON-NORTH CHARLESTON, SC 1,270 DAYTON-SPRINGFIELD, OH 1,256 SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL 1,192 LITTLE ROCK-NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR 1,124 COLUMBIA, SC 1,117 TUCSON, AZ 1,116 BUFFALO-NIAGARA FALLS, NY 1,098 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 1,084 FRESNO, CA 1,081 COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 1,080 FORT MYERS-CAPE CORAL, FL 1,046 BOISE CITY, ID 1,043 BATON ROUGE, LA 1,021 DES MOINES, IA 995 ROCHESTER, NY 993 MOBILE, AL 979 LEXINGTON, KY 973 ALBANY-SCHENECTADY-TROY, NY 963 HARRISBURG-LEBANON-CARLISLE, PA 916 MADISON, WI 915 CHATTANOOGA, TN-GA 914 EL PASO, TX 900 WICHITA, KS 895 BAKERSFIELD, CA 888 HONOLULU, HI 861 PROVIDENCE-FALL RIVER-WARWICK, RI-MA 849 AUGUSTA-AIKEN, GA-SC 838 ALLENTOWN-BETHLEHEM-EASTON, PA 827 DAYTONA BEACH, FL 817 STOCKTON-LODI, CA 806 MELBOURNE-TITUSVILLE-PALM BAY, FL 792 JACKSON, MS 781 TOLEDO, OH 769 LAKELAND-WINTER HAVEN, FL 765 FAYETTEVILLE-SPRINGDALE-ROGERS, AR 763 HUNTSVILLE, AL 739 PENSACOLA, FL 738 LARGEST FRANCHISEES BY REGION WEST (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) UNITS G&M OIL CO 296 HARMAN MANAGEMENT 249 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PIZZA 235 TARGET 160 TEAM CAR CARE 150 MOUNTAIN WEST (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY) UNITS NPC INTERNATIONAL 125 FLYNN RESTAURANT GROUP 119 HARMAN MANAGEMENT 106 SIZZLING PLATTER 96 ALVARADO CONCEPTS 79 SOUTHWEST (AZ, NV, NM) UNITS DESERT DE ORO FOODS 180 BOBBY MERRITT 118 TERRIBLE HERBST 85 STINE ENTERPRISES 79 QUALITY BRAND GROUP 63 PLAINS (IA, KS, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD) UNITS ROTTINGHAUS 285 FLYNN RESTAURANT GROUP 275 NPC INTERNATIONAL 215 LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS & COUNTRY STORES 163 K-MAC ENTERPRISES 153 SOUTH (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, IA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA) UNITS NPC INTERNATIONAL 937 SUN HOLDINGS 624 MUY BRANDS 468 FQSR (DBA KBP FOODS) 407 ARAMARK 334 MIDWEST (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) UNITS DHANANI GROUP 304 CARROLS GROUP 272 FQSR (DBA KBP FOODS) 225 BORDER FOODS 172 MUY BRANDS 156 EAST (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, WV) UNITS CARROLS GROUP 229 NPC INTERNATIONAL 167 METRO FRANCHISING COMMISSARY 140 MUY BRANDS 129 HMSHOST 120 NEW ENGLAND (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) UNITS DHANANI GROUP 100 HK ENTERPRISES 94 FLYNN RESTAURANT GROUP 62 WENDPARTNERS FRANCHISE GROUP 57 CHARTER FOODS 52 **Note:** Data based on most current FDDs. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - unit expansion (topic) - Franchise Industry (sector) - Multi-Unit (company) - Multi-Unit Franchisee (person) - franchisees (topic) - multi-unit operators (topic) - refranchising (topic) - acquisitions (topic) - Sun Holdings (company) - NPC International (company) - Love's Travel Stops (company) --- Originally reported by Multi-Unit Franchisee, Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/articles/2021_dominators.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/58cbd7d0-e9c8-40bc-9546-f5cac9f4a764).