Instant Alert: Five up-and-coming restaurant chains taking over America

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Five up-and-coming restaurant chains taking over America by Kate Taylor on Jun 29, 2016, 10:22 AM The fastest-growing restaurant chain in America isn't a trendy fast-casual. It's a simple sandwich shop. On Tuesday, Nation's Restaurant News released its annual rankings of the Top 100 fastest-growing chains, as measured by sales growth in the US. There are plenty of new and exciting restaurant chains out there, serving everything from raw fish to vegan burgers, but when it comes to shocking sales growth, chains serving reliable American favorites lead the pack.  And, Americans are craving chicken more than ever. This year, three of the top five restaurants were chains selling chicken fingers, wings or sandwiches. Here are the top five fastest-growing restaurant chains in America in 2016: SEE ALSO: Kellogg's is opening a restaurant that charges more than $7 for a bowl of cereal 5. Chick-fil-A The chicken chain had a standout year, growing sales 18.1% and moving into new markets such as New York City. One major reason for Chick-fil-A's success: it's incredibly high estimated sales-per-unit, which reached $3.5 million this year. That's more than any other limited-service or chicken concept on the market, and roughly three times as much as an individual location of rival KFC. The secret to Chick-fil-A's success is exceptional customer service, something analysts say sets the chain apart from the competition. 4. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers This is Raising Cane's second year in a row to make NRN's list of the top 10 fastest-growing chains, with sales growth of 21.1%. With 251 locations, the chain is expanding quickly, increasing its store count by 19% in the last year. 3. Wingstop The fastest-growing chicken chain in America grew sales 21.5%. However, that's nothing new for Wingstop — in March, the company reported 12 consecutive years of sales growth. According to executives, the chain has beat the competition by sticking to a formula that works. "When we started 21 years ago, we sold wings, sides, and fries," Morrison told Business Insider last year. "We've had the same three sides on the menu since the beginning. We've added boneless wings over the years, and we've added two new flavors. That's innovation for us." See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011