---
title: "Newk's Eatery Earns Top Spot on 2026 Franchise Times Top 400 List"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/830ece8d-4fe8-426f-9d69-7db2afb22507
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20261016_newks_eatery_earns_top_spot_on_2026_franchise_times_top_400_list.html
category: "Fast casual"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Fast casual"
published: 2026-10-16T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T14:43:18.051Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1568901346375-23c9450c58cd?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Newk's Eatery Earns Top Spot on 2026 Franchise Times Top 400 List

**TL;DR:** Newk's Eatery has earned the No. 244 spot on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400 list, an annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. The brand continues to expand its footprint and currently operates nearly 100 locations nationwide.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2026-10-16. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20261016_newks_eatery_earns_top_spot_on_2026_franchise_times_top_400_list.html).*

## Story

JACKSON, Miss., Oct. 16, 2026 // PRNewswire // -- Newk's Eatery has earned the No. 244 spot on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400 list, an annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales.

The ranking comes as the overall franchise industry continues to show resilience amid economic uncertainty. According to Franchise Times, the 400 largest U.S.-based franchise systems generated $784 billion in global sales in 2025. That was a 4.3% increase over the previous year.

"Landing on the Franchise Times Top 400 is a credit to our franchisees and restaurant teams, who show up every day and make our food from scratch the right way," said Chris Elliott, CEO of Newk's Eatery and parent company FSC Franchise Co. "Fast casual is a crowded category, and guests have plenty of choices. Seeing Newk's ranked among the largest franchise systems in the country tells us that our focus on quality and hospitality is paying off where it matters most, in our restaurants."

Founded in 2004, Newk's Eatery has become a differentiated player in the booming fast-casual restaurant industry through its commitment to fresh ingredients, scratch-made meals and a guest experience that combines quality with convenience. The brand continues to expand its footprint and currently operates nearly 100 locations nationwide.

The Franchise Times Top 400 is compiled through an extensive annual research process that evaluates franchise systems based primarily on global systemwide sales. The ranking incorporates company-reported data, franchise disclosure documents and other financial information to provide a comprehensive look at the performance of the largest franchise brands.

"Our franchisees told us what they needed to run better restaurants, and we listened," Elliott said. "We put more into training, upgraded the tools our teams use every day and gave guests some new reasons to come back. You can see it in places like Wichita, where we just opened our second restaurant. Now we want more experienced operators who believe in scratch cooking the way we do, because there are a lot of towns that still don't have a Newk's."

In addition to its Franchise Times Top 400 recognition, Newk's was named No. 25 on the 2026 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers list.

Looking ahead, Newk's remains focused on accelerating franchise development, strengthening relationships with existing operators and introducing its fresh, made-from-scratch dining experience to new communities nationwide.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- QSR (sector)
- franchise development (topic)
- franchise ranking (topic)
- fast casual (topic)
- Franchise Times (publication)
- restaurant expansion (topic)
- FSC Franchise Co. (company)
- Newk's Eatery (company)
- Chris Elliott (person)
- Wichita, Kansas (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20261016_newks_eatery_earns_top_spot_on_2026_franchise_times_top_400_list.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/830ece8d-4fe8-426f-9d69-7db2afb22507).