CHICAGO, May 27, 2026 — Don’t fault burger chains for sneaking a worried look behind them.
After decades of leading growth in the limited-service sector and often the chain market overall, the bun brigade is losing momentum to two rapidly expanding segments, according to a new snapshot of the industry’s major restaurant brands.
Datassential’s updated rankings of the Top 500 restaurant chains by a variety of factors, released this week, show chicken and beverage-focused operations clearly making dramatic gains on burger specialists. The fastest-growing players in 2025, according to the data, were chicken chains, which collectively increased their unit counts by 4.4%. No other sector expanded as fast, the research company reported.
Coffee concepts finished further back, with a 2.3% rate of unit growth. But that classification presumably does not extend to the many emerging concepts that specialize in teas, smoothies, boba-infused drinks and dirty sodas. The desserts and snacks sector, where many categorize those brands, grew by 0.8%.
In contrast, fast-casual and traditional quick-service hamburger chains collectively retracted by 0.1%, the same reduction seen in one of the industry’s most troubled segments, midscale family dining chains like Denny’s and Bob Evans.
Similarly, the collective systemwide sales of chicken, coffee and dessert/snack chains within the Top 500 grew by 4.2%, 4.9% and 3.2%, respectively.
The collective sales of burger chains increased by just 1.5%, according to Datassential.
The researcher pegged the sales growth of all the Top 500 chains at 2.6%, which brought the tally for all 500 brands to $446.73 billion.
To be sure, the limited-service burger segment remains the chain market’s Big Kahuna, with sales of $113.49 billion, or roughly one of every four dollars collected by the Top 500. But the numbers reinforce the past year’s news headlines about the burger market.
Wendy’s has warned investors that it may have to close as much as 6% of its system, or about 350 units, because of weak sales.
Jack in the Box has stated that it needs to close 150 to 200 stores.
Burger King has revealed that it might need to shutter as many as 400 stores.
Segment-leader McDonald’s has stood out with its assurances to investors and franchisees that it does not anticipate closings of any significant scale.
The Datassential 500 report also underscores why burger chains are trying to co-opt the main menu draws of chicken and beverage chains. McDonald’s and a host of other burger specialists have added chicken sandwiches and some type of tenders. McDonald’s has also introduced a new line of cold energy-style and blended drinks.
The Datassential 500 report has traditionally been accessible only through a Datassential subscription package. However, as a new IFMA The Food Away from Home Association member benefit, top-tier manufacturer (tier II and III members), supply chain (tier II members) and operator members will now receive complimentary access to this annual report. Click here to access the report.